Before You Go
- Confirm passport validity and entry requirements.
- Check whether a tourist visa is required.
- Keep digital copies of important documents.
- Consider purchasing travel insurance.
Panama City
Balboa (PAB), US Dollar (USD)
Spanish
Dec–Apr
EST (UTC−5)
Welcome to Panama, a Central American country famous for its historic canal and remarkably rich biodiversity. The Panama Canal remains an engineering marvel, offering fascinating tours of ships passing between two oceans. Panama City's modern skyline rises dramatically beside a beautifully restored colonial old town, Casco Viejo. The San Blas Islands offer pristine white-sand beaches managed by the Indigenous Guna people. Panama's rainforests shelter sloths, toucans, and extraordinary biodiversity accessible just outside the capital. Boquete's cool highlands produce excellent coffee amid volcanic mountain scenery. Traditional Emberá and Guna communities offer a rich cultural connection alongside the country's natural wonders. Panama invites travelers to experience a country where two oceans and incredible biodiversity meet.
Helpful information to consider before and during your visit.
Discover some of Panama's most popular flavors, traditional dishes and memorable local treats during your visit.
Sancocho is a signature Panama specialty known for its distinctive local ingredients, seasoning and traditional preparation.
This popular Panama dish brings together familiar regional flavors and is commonly enjoyed in homes, markets or local restaurants.
A well-loved part of Panama cuisine, Arroz con Pollo reflects the country's culinary traditions and locally available ingredients.
Carimañolas is a comforting regional favorite, prepared in styles that may vary between families, cities and different parts of Panama.
Visitors often seek out Ceviche for an authentic taste of Panama's everyday cooking and food culture.
This traditional favorite highlights the bold, savory or gently spiced flavors associated with cooking in Panama.
Patacones is widely recognized in Panama and is often served at casual meals, celebrations or community gatherings.
A memorable choice for travelers, Hojaldres offers a flavorful introduction to the ingredients and techniques used across Panama.
This classic food is an important part of Panama's culinary identity and is best sampled freshly prepared.
The Panama Canal, completed in 1914, remains one of the most significant engineering achievements in modern history, cutting the sea voyage between the Atlantic and Pacific by thousands of miles and saving ships from having to sail around the southern tip of South America. Panama is also one of the very few places on Earth where you can watch the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean and set over the Atlantic, due to the unusual east-west orientation of the isthmus at that point.
The country is home to the Darién Gap, a dense, roadless stretch of rainforest and swamp separating Panama from Colombia that remains one of the only breaks in the Pan-American Highway, a nearly 19,000-mile road network that otherwise connects almost the entire Western Hemisphere. Panama also uses the U.S. dollar alongside its own currency, the balboa, and the two are used interchangeably in daily transactions.
Panama City is the only capital city in the world with a tropical rainforest located within its official city limits, and the country as a whole is considered one of the most biodiverse nations relative to its size, serving as a land bridge that allowed species from North and South America to intermingle millions of years ago.
