Panama: Panama City, Canal Zone, Boquete and Isla Palenque
- More about your Oliver Guide: Andrew Steiner
- Trip type: Family, Beach, City
- Activity level: moderate
- Ideal length of trip: 10 days, although a week would be sufficient.
to & from
Domestic Airlines (American and United) fly to Panama City via Atlanta, Miami, etc. or Copa Airlines flies directly to Panama City from many major US cities. The airport code is PTY (Tocumen International Airport).
Inter-country flights are a different matter. We flew out of Albrook Airport to David via Air Panama, which was a nice mid-sized jet, however EVERYTHING at the airport was manual. David is an industrial down and the connection point to the 1 hour drive to Boquete and 2 hour Boca Chica and a quick motorboat ride to Isle Palenque.
Where to Stay
In Panama City we stayed at the Intercontinental because of it’s central location and great pool (important if traveling with kids because of the heat). The breakfast buffet is delicious and rooms very nice.
In Boquete we stayed at the Panamonte Hotel. The hotel and grounds are charming.
Isla Palenque is a private island, so there is just the one (luxury) resort on the island, only a 15 minute boat ride off of Boca Chica.