Panama by boat: San Blas islands and Gatún Lake

You’re going to love Panama

Panama is the narrow isthmus that joins two oceans, and its capital sits on the Pacific at the mouth of the Panama Canal, an 82 km waterway that opened on 15 August 1914. Panama City has a tropical climate, with an average temperature of about 27 °C and a dry season from December to April.

Our two trips start in the city, and there is no harbour to find: we pick you up at your hotel. One goes to the San Blas islands, in the Guna Yala territory; the other sails on Gatún Lake, inside the canal.

The 5 best reasons to visit Panama

1. 1

   Warm all yearPanama City averages about 27 °C, with daily highs of around 32 °C. The year splits into a dry season (December to April) and a rainy one (May to November).

2. 2

   The Panama CanalAn 82 km waterway that opened in 1914 and has been run by the Panama Canal Authority since 1999. A third, wider lane of locks has been in operation since 2016, and on Gatún Lake you see the ships from the water.

3. 3

   Guna Yala and the San Blas islandsAn Indigenous territory (comarca) of around 365 islands off the Caribbean coast, where the Guna General Congress is the highest political authority.

4. 4

   Casco ViejoThe historic district of Panama City, founded in 1673 on a peninsula, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and full of museums, restaurants and old buildings.

5. 5

   Rainforest next to the citySoberanía National Park, about 25 km from Panama City beside the canal, is home to some 525 bird species, according to Wikipedia. Sightings, as ever, are never guaranteed.

What to do in Panama

• Spend a day in the San Blas islandsA full day in Guna Yala by 4x4 and speedboat: a visit to Yandub and its Guna culture, a white-sand island with a Caribbean lunch and a kayak, and the Natural Pool, a sandbank in the middle of the sea for a swim and snorkel.
• Cruise Gatún LakeA 3.5-hour motorboat ride inside the Panama Canal to see the big ships up close, with a local guide in English and Spanish.
• Walk through Casco ViejoStroll the old quarter of Panama City, with its colonial, neoclassical and Afro-Antillean buildings, museums and restaurants.
• Watch the ships at MirafloresThe Miraflores Locks, on the Pacific side near the city, have a visitor centre from which you can watch the transits. Check hours and admission on the official page of the Panama Canal Authority.
• Stroll the Amador CausewayA causeway built with rock excavated for the canal, linking the islands of Naos, Perico and Flamenco to the mainland, with marinas, restaurants and a cycling and jogging path.