Independent Travel in Panama

Panama may be a small country, but there is so much to see and do, from the mountains to the beaches. When you're not in class or going on excursions, you are free to independently travel the country with your friends. Here are some of my favorite independent trips I went on during my time in Panama.

Boquete

Boquete is a quaint mountain town located about 8 hours from Panama City and is probably my favorite place in the whole country. The small town has a cute central plaza, several hostels, and a variety of small restaurants and cafes. However, the best part about Boquete is all the outdoor adventures it offers such as whitewater rafting, hiking, waterfalls, and hot springs. The area is also famous for coffee, so checking out a coffee plantation is a must! In addition, Boquete sits at the base of Volcan Baru, the highest point in Panama at nearly 11,400 feet. The summit of Volcan Baru is the only place in the world where you can see two oceans at once. So if you're up for an adventure, I recommend hiking through the night and watching the sunrise over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at the same time!

Bocas del Toro

An archipelago off the Caribbean Coast, Bocas deal Toro is one of the most popular destinations in Panama. It's about 12 hours from Panama City but well worth the travel time! Isla Colon is the main island in the archipelago and home to Bocas Town, a small but vibrant town with a bustling main street and lots of cool restaurants and bars on the water. There are a lot of fantastic beaches to enjoy, but the highlight of my trip was renting a catamaran with my friends. We spent an entire day sailing around the islands, snorkeling in the crystal clear waters, watching dolphins swim around us, and soaking up some sun. It was one of the best days of my life for sure!

San Blas

Another archipelago off the Caribbean Coast, San Blas is a remote and untouched paradise. The only downside is it's hard to get to. You can fly there, but it's expensive. The best option is to rent a driver who will pick you up in the city, drive you across the mountains to the coast where you will then take a 30 minute boat ride to the islands. Because the islands are so remote, don't expect a fancy resort with a pool and wifi. My friends and I stayed on an island with very limited electricity and running water and we slept in a hut made out of sticks. But the simplicity allowed us to really relax and appreciate the beautiful islands. We spent our days on the beach, snorkeling, and sailing around the islands. At night we had fresh lobster for dinner and enjoyed hanging out around a bonfire.

Las Lajas and Camping

One of my favorite things about Panama was the spontaneous adventures we went on. One night we were sitting in the living room talking about what we wanted to do that weekend and we thought “let's go camping!”. So a few phone calls later we had some tents dropped off and the next morning we were on a bus headed towards Coronado. Our first stop on our trip was the Las Lajas waterfalls. They are pretty difficult to find because they are so hidden, but once we found them we had an awesome afternoon swimming, jumping off the cliffs, and eating lunch on the rocks. Later we headed to the beach where we set up our tents and cooked hot dogs and s'mores over the fire. We woke up early the next morning to watch the sunrise and enjoyed the day at the beach before heading back to the city

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is 18 hours from Panama City, so I would only recommend going over spring break. The bus takes you straight to San Jose, the capital, but from there it's easy to get anywhere else in the country. After spending a day exploring San Jose, my friends and I headed to Jaco, a beach town on the Pacific. We spent several days there enjoying the beach, biking on cliffs overlooking the ocean, exploring the town, and even learning how to surf! After Jaco, we headed to a small town called Quepos and the Manuel Antonio National Park. The beach was beautiful and it was fun spotting wildlife like sloths and toucans. We headed back to San Jose to wrap up our spring break adventure with some bungee jumping over a river gorge in the jungle. Definitely one of the coolest things I've ever done!

NOTE: If you do plan on going to Costa Rica, make sure you have all required documentation to leave and re-enter Panama, otherwise you could get delayed when trying to cross the border (trust me I learned from experience).

	Written by Lauren Stuart