Best Panama City hotels: Casco Viejo for charm ($80-150), El Cangrejo for business ($150-300), luxury options $200+. Hostels from $20/night.
Travel
Showing 15 of 248 blogs
Lost Waterfalls Trail: Boquete's best hike. 3 waterfalls with swimming pools, 3-4 hrs, moderate. $10 entry. Go with guide—hidden trailhead. Best Dec-April.
El Pianista Trail: 4-5 hour challenging hike in Boquete cloud forest. 8-10 km, less crowded than Pipeline. Best Dec-Feb with guide ($20-30).
Boquete offers hiking (Volcan Baru, Los Quetzales), coffee tours, whitewater rafting, and dining from $4-6 (local comedores) to $10-20 (international). Cool highlands at 4,000-5,000 feet.
Boquete 3 days: Day 1 Lost Waterfalls + coffee, Day 2 Pipeline Trail + zipline, Day 3 coffee tour + hot springs. Start early, trails close 5 PM. $10-15/activity.
Finca Casanga tour: $35, 3 hours, hands-on roasting (take home beans), cherry picking, 3 brewing methods, Geisha coffee tasting. Book 9 AM tour, free pickup.
Pozos Termales: $6 budget hot springs from Boquete with $3 entrance, $1.50 collectivo each way, 40-45°C thermal pools via 4-mile rainforest hike. Last collectivo 3 PM—timing critical for this authentic adventure.
Pipeline Trail: 3.8-mile moderate rainforest hike (2-3 hours, $5 entry)—hidden waterfall, quetzal habitat, 1000-year-old tree, stream footbridges. Start 8 AM, finish before 2 PM rains.
Best Boquete travel with baby: fly Panama City→David (1hr, $80-150) + taxi (1hr, $30-40) = 3-4hrs total. Private car ($300-400) offers flexibility. Bus (8-10hrs, $17-25) challenging.
Boquete is perfect for young solo travelers: genuinely safe, hostels $15-25/night, incredible hiking, welcoming community. Ideal first solo trip.
Panama City nightlife: Casco Viejo bars/clubs, rooftop venues, Amador waterfront. Beer $1.50-3, cocktails $3-7, club entry $0-20. Full night out $30-50/person.
Panama City adventures: San Blas Islands (3hr, sailing), Bocas del Toro (diving), Metropolitan Park (monkeys), Taboga Island (45-min ferry day trip).
Panama worth visiting: San Blas Islands, Bocas del Toro, Boquete mountains, fascinating canal tours, modern Panama City + historic Casco Viejo.
Panama City: modern Miami-like skyline, walkable Casco Viejo, clean metro, intense heat. More polished than expected. Explore by metro and Uber.
Panama City: USD currency, safe atmosphere, metro from airport, local meals $6. Spanish essential—English not widely spoken. Modern Central American capital.