Yes, Panama is one of the easier countries in Central America to backpack on your own, because it uses the US dollar, runs frequent cheap buses, and has a well-worn hostel circuit.
Most routes radiate from Albrook terminal in
Panama City:
El Valle de Antón is 2.5 to 3 hours away, and David, the gateway to
Boquete, is 6 to 7 hours for about US$15 to 20. Dorm beds cost US$12 to 25, and a backpacker budget of US$40 to 60 a day is realistic. Basic Spanish helps a lot outside Bocas and Boquete. The one place you can’t easily do alone is the
San Blas Islands, where a 4x4 and boat package of US$150 to 250 for two nights is the norm.
Ten days to two weeks is the right amount of time for Panama, enough to cover the canal, the highlands and at least one coast without rushing.
With 5 days, stay around
Panama City: Casco Viejo, the Miraflores locks and a night in Gamboa for rainforest birding. With 10 days, add
El Valle de Antón (2 nights),
Boquete (3 nights) and
Bocas del Toro (2 to 3 nights). With 15 days, you can fit in two nights on the
San Blas Islands, the Azuero beaches around
Pedasí and a Coiba trip from
Santa Catalina. The longest single transfer, Panama City to David, takes 6 to 7 hours by bus, so plan rest days around it.
Yes, you can get around Panama without a car, since buses, minibuses, shuttles and short flights reach almost every backpacker stop.
From Albrook terminal in
Panama City, buses run to
El Valle de Antón (2.5 to 3 hours, US$4 to 6), Las Tablas for
Pedasí (4 to 5 hours), and David (6 to 7 hours, US$15 to 20), with Boquete 45 minutes beyond. Santa Catalina needs a change in Soná. A shared shuttle and boat links
Boquete to
Bocas del Toro in 4 to 5 hours for US$30 to 35, and flights from Bocas or David reach the capital in about an hour. San Blas transfers come bundled with island stays. A car only really helps for remote Azuero beaches like Cambutal.
The must-visits in Panama are the canal locks, the old quarter of the capital, the San Blas Islands and the Chiriquí highlands around Boquete.
Give
Panama City 2 to 3 days for
Casco Viejo, the Panama Viejo ruins and the
Miraflores Visitor Center (around US$17). Spend at least two nights on the
San Blas Islands, 2.5 to 3 hours from the city by 4x4 plus a boat. In
Boquete, budget 3 nights for coffee farms, the Sendero Los Quetzales and the overnight climb of
Baru Volcano. If you have time for one more stop, choose
Bocas del Toro for easy Caribbean island hopping or
Santa Catalina for diving in Coiba National Park.
If you’re short on time in Panama, skip David, the Darién and a second Caribbean island group, and keep your days for the canal, the highlands and one coast.
David is a hot transit city, so pass straight through to Boquete, 45 minutes away.
Darién National Park requires guided multi-day expeditions and permits, which doesn’t fit a trip under two weeks. Pick either
San Blas or
Bocas del Toro, since both are Caribbean island stays and the trip between them takes most of a day. In Panama City, the
Amador Causeway and
Taboga Island are pleasant but optional, and the Azuero towns like
Chitré and
Las Tablas are best timed for their festivals.
Yes, our itinerary-planner does exactly that. Set your trip length in days, give your interests and travel style, optionally give start- and end location and/or some mandatory stops you would like to include and the itinerary planner creates your personalized routes for Panama in seconds. Try it out!
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