Destination: Panama

LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION

Itinerary: Big journeys across the isthmus

THREE WEEKS

These various journeys visit parts of Panama’s landscape that haven’t changed much since Balboa and Bastidas first laid eyes on the Caribbean coast.



If you’d like to do some exploring along untraveled terrain, Panama has plenty of options. East of Panama City, you can turn off on a rutted road that leads into the Nusagandi, an area inside the Área Silvestre de Narganá, or take any El Llano–bound bus from Panama City. The road eventually becomes impassable for any sort of vehicle, but you can hike along this road and eventually reach Cartí in the Comarca de Kuna Yala. Guides can be arranged in Panama City.

In Veraguas Province, in Santa Fé, reached by bus from Santiago, you can cross the Continental Divide to the Caribbean, ending up on empty beaches near the small village of Calovébora. Guides can be hired at the Hotel Santa Fé.

In Chiriquí Province, visitors can make a similar crossing, departing from Boquete, crossing over the Continental Divide, past rivers and through indigenous communities. After four days of hiking, you reach the coastal town of Punta Róbalo, an hour’s drive from Almirante.

Those who’d rather cross the isthmus on Panama’s famous canal can do so by ship or by working their way through as a line handler.