The 6 best road trips in Panama
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Loading... - Lydia Landry
- 25 Apr 2023
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Few destinations can boast such a variety of outstanding geographical diversity as Panama.
Driving here is less about cruising through wide-open spaces and more about taking winding roads to hidden, jungle-shrouded enclaves. On an isthmus otherwise poorly served by public transport, having your own car means easy (or at least easier) access to a slew of memorable sites.
With your own wheels, it's possible to have breakfast by the Pacific Ocean and lunch by the Caribbean Sea. Or you can spend your morning lolling on sugar-white beaches and your afternoon scaling rugged mountain peaks. Equally, you can experience the urban bustle of the capital and the teeming wilds of the rainforest all on the same day. The opportunity for adventure is nigh-on endless.
These are the 6 best road trips in Panama. Just to get you started.
This route offers the chance to stop off at some wonderful Panamanian beaches © Joel Carillet / Getty Images
1. Go west along the Pan-American Highway
Best road trip to see Panama’s interior
Panama City to David; 448 km (278 miles)
Running east-west through Panama’s Pacific lowlands, the Panamericana (or Pan-American Highway) is the nation’s principal transport artery – a 500-km-long (310 miles) much-used paved road connecting the capital with el interior and, eventually, the international border with Costa Rica. Most travelers tackle the route in a single bound with a non-stop bus from Panama City to David (7-9 hours), but doing this means missing out on Panama’s central provinces. Take two weeks instead.
West of the capital, the Panamericana skirts a string of low-key beach towns with scorching salt-and-pepper sands. They start with Punta Chame (not to be confused with the village of Chame), a windswept headland with superb kitesurfing from December to May.
Continuing west, you’ll pass the high-rise condos and manicured golf course of Playa Coronado before hitting the surf towns of El Palmar and Rio Mar, the fishing village of Santa Clara and the hamlet of Farallón. From here, it’s worth taking a one to three-day detour north to El Valle. Read More…
