Panama itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

Panama is small but the transport is not fast. Two flights or one long shuttle day is the realistic maximum for a 7-day trip, so pick one region outside the capital and stay there. The table below is the version most first-timers should book; the notes column says what to change if you have more time or a different interest.

Days 1–3, Panama City. Land at Tocumen, base in Casco Viejo or the Cinta Costera. Give one morning to Miraflores Locks, when ships are usually moving through, and one afternoon to Panamá Viejo and the Biomuseo on Amador. Casco Viejo is best at sunset, when the heat drops and the plazas fill. If you want rainforest without leaving the city, add a half-day at Gamboa or Pipeline Road at dawn.

Day 4, fly to Bocas. Flights to Bocas del Toro leave from Albrook (PAC), a short taxi from the centre, not from Tocumen. Book early; seats on the small aircraft sell out in high season. From Bocas Town, water taxis run to the beaches and snorkelling spots.

Days 4–7, Bocas del Toro. Four nights is enough for one beach day, one boat day and one surf or snorkel day, with a spare for weather. Fly back to Panama City on day 7, or on day 8 if your international flight leaves early.

The swap: if you would rather not fly, take San Blas (Guna Yala) for 2 nights and Gamboa for 2. San Blas is reached by 4x4 from Panama City and then a boat; there is no road to the islands, and stays are run by Guna communities.

Days 1–3, Panama City, as above. Day 4, San Blas for 2 nights: leave the city early, cross the mountains by 4x4, then boat out to a Guna-run island. Expect basic cabins, meals included and no reliable signal.

Day 6, back to Panama City for one night. Day 7, fly to David and transfer to Boquete, about 45 minutes by road. Days 7–9 in Boquete: coffee farm visit, a hike on the Volcán Barú side or the Quetzal Trail, and a slower morning in town. Day 10, fly David–Panama City and connect home, or keep the last night in the city if your flight is early.

The 14-day route adds Bocas del Toro after Boquete, which is the one long transfer of the trip: shuttle and boat, about 4–5 hours. Days 1–3 Panama City, days 4–5 San Blas, days 6–8 Boquete, days 9–12 Bocas del Toro, days 13–14 back in Panama City for the Canal if you skipped it and for the flight home.

Three weeks lets you slow each stop rather than add a new one. Extra nights are better spent in Bocas (more islands, more surf) or on the Azuero peninsula around Pedasí for Isla Iguana, than on a rushed run to Coiba. Coiba diving needs 3 nights and a domestic flight or long drive to Santa Catalina, so it works at 3 weeks but not at 2.

Book domestic flights first. Albrook serves Bocas and David; seats are limited and prices rise close to the date. Buses cover the same ground for less, but a Panama City–Bocas bus day eats most of a day.

Money: Panama uses the US dollar, so no exchange maths. Cards work in the city and Boquete; Bocas and San Blas run on cash, and San Blas trips are usually paid in cash to the operator.

Weather: the dry season is roughly January to April, which suits the Canal, Boquete and San Blas. Bocas is wettest around November–December and busiest in February–March. September–October is quieter and cheaper on the Caribbean side.

Do not plan the Darién. It is not a tourist route, and the land border with Colombia is not crossed overland by travellers.