How I Spent A Weekend in Panamá City, Panamá 🇵🇦
Once upon time in 2024, I looked at a map and decided I wanted to go to Panamá.
From Chicago, the flight time to Panamá City is ~5.5 hours. I flew to Panamá through Copa Airlines to Tocumen International Airport. Copa Airlines is the flag carrier of Panamá and (most of the time) you'll probably fly them if you ever travel to Panamá. They don't have wifi or outlets, so you may want to bring a book and/or download shows and charge your devices beforehand.
Where I Stayed
While in Panamá, I stayed at the Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
The Sofitel brand is a owned by French hotel-brand Accor. I'm not going to get too into the weeds here, however, this property in particular is a Sofitel property, but more specifically, a Sofitel Legend property. To put things into perspective, there are only six Sofitel Legend properties in the world: Panamá City, Hong Kong, Hanoi, Amsterdam, Aswan, and Cartagena.
There are two criteria to be considered to be a Sofitel Legend property:
The building has be over 100 years old
and the building has to be located in a World Heritage Site
This particular building was built in 1917, and started as a Union Club for the elite. In 1953, Queen Elizabeth II paid the building a visit. It's safe to say it has a lot of history. This Sofitel Legend was completely renovated and opened in 2022.
Once you walk into the main entrance, you are greeted by French influences, friendly staff, and this tile map of the Panama Canal that was created in the 20th century.
Everyday at 5:30pm, the hotel hosts a tour that explains the history behind the property, Panamá, and the canal. They also have a candle-lighting ceremony followed by a traditional Panamanian dance. I received the honor of lighting the candle for the night, and they even snapped a photo of me with the dancers and printed it out for me.
The property overlooks the Panamá City skyline, the Coastal Beltway, and a love-lock iron fence.
What I Ate...
But first, coffee...
If you know me then you know I love coffee.
I tried three coffee shops in Casco Viejo. However, I want to specifically highlight Sisu Coffee Studio because they are very famous for their contributions to Geisha coffee, a specialty coffee grown in the highlands of Panamá. Geisha coffee is known for its floral, fruity notes, similar to tea. To put things into perspective, one pound of Geisha coffee beans can cost around $50 USD. I purchased a pour-over serving to try (and it was costly, at $10 USD) along with a french toast bread pastry (which was $6 USD, but the pastry was PHENOMENAL.)
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The official currency of Panamá is the USD and Panamanian Balboa, and they are of equivalent value. Panamá does not print banknotes for the Panamanian Balboa, they only mint coins. If you pay using USD banknotes, the change you receive may be a mixture of Panamanian Balboa and USD coins. Not every store accepts credit/debit cards, so I suggest you bring some cash. When I travel internationally, I always use cash + my Charles Schwab debit card to receive ATM rebates and avoid international fees.
Pedro Mandinga Rum Bar & Café
Nestled in Casco Viejo is Pedro Mandinga Rum Bar and Café; I'm a rum girlie, so I was very excited to try this place and luckily for me, I caught them during happy hour. I ordered their Rum Bar Punch (which was only $5 USD) and their quesabirria tacos. The drink was strong and food was good, so my stomach was very happy.
CasaCasco
Literally just a few steps from Pedro Mandingo Rum Bar is CasaCasco.
When I was planning my trip, many people said that the rooftop of CasaCasco had the best view of Panama City. I saw it for myself and I can confidently say that the view did not disappoint.
Afrodisíaco
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I had a dinner reservation to La Tapa Del Coco, an afro-Panamanian restaurant, but I missed it due to street closures in Casco Viejo. However, if I ever return, it's at the top of my list. There's also a popular seafood market that isn't too far from Casco Viejo, and I wish I would've went there. I also wish that I tried Fonda Lo Que Hay, a restaurant that serves traditional Panamanian cuisine.
What I Did
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Both of my tours included pickup. For everything else, I either walked or used Uber to get around and I was satisfied. I walked around at night and did not feel unsafe at all. But like everything else, please use discernment.
San Blas Islands
The San Blas Islands are a collection of ~350 islands located in the Caribbean Sea, just slightly off the coast of Panamá. The islands are home to indigenous people of Panamá, and they only allow four islands to be used for tourism purposes.
The journey here was long. It was similar to when I went to Grutas de Tolantongo. As I previously mentioned there, to go down, you must come up. We drove in a 4x4 Toyota Rav4 through the Panamanian jungle, where it was hilly and rainy beyond imaginable (and, consequently, where I should've taken Dramamine with me because I was in the backseat fighting for my life.)
After a passport check, we crossed the border into indigenous territory, boarded a speedboat, and sped through the Caribbean Sea of Panamá for about an hour, stopping at our first island, where we had lunch and I bought a coconut to sip on (p.s. every tree on the island was a coconut tree.)
These islands are something one can only dream about. They're seriously so very unreal and they were/are worth the long journey. There are options to take tours that allow you to stay overnight or for a few days, however, my unpopular opinion is that you only need a day trip. Don't get me wrong, the San Blas Islands are beyond beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed my time, however, I was satisfied with my experience and I didn't need more time than scheduled.
The water was very clear and shallow, as it only came to my waist. There was a point in time where the light blue waters and dark blue waters conjoined, and it was funny because on one side, the water was warm, and then I took two steps to the other side and it was cold. I thought that was interesting. It's incredible how the world works.
I used Get Your Guide to book my tour. The tour lasted ~14 hours in total.
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Instead of using an E-SIM, I used my data plan through my wireless carrier. Even all the way in the San Blas Islands I had strong signal.
Monkey and Sloth Jungle Tour
For this tour, I stepped outside of my comfort zone just a bit. 🤏🏾
I am not a fan of animals, however, I booked a monkey and sloth jungle tour because before I went to Panamá, the chances of me ever seeing a sloth were slim to none. In fact, I saw about four sloths (allegedly they are going extinct).
We started this tour by driving onto the highway to oversee the Canal and then we drove slightly into the Panamanian jungle and stopped on the side of the road a few times to spot sloths.
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(Sidenote: there are so many banana trees in the jungle.) We then boarded our boat and headed to Gatún Lake, the artificial lake that was created to help support the flow of water into Panamá Canal. It was there we were able to see ships passing through to the Canal. (Sidenote: I highly encourage people to learn the history of the Panamá Canal as it is truly fascinating.)
During our ride, we spotted different birds, monkeys, and crocodiles. Our tour guide gave us grapes and bananas to feed the monkeys. He even brought a baby crocodile on the boat for us to touch. (I did not touch the crocodile because I am not that brave.)
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The tour also included traditional Panamanian snacks and fruit (I had the most delicious pineapple while I was there. It was school bus yellow, and it tasted sweet, yet a little banana-y.) Lastly, we went walked through the jungle again. This time, the part of the jungle we explored was adjacent to the old United States military base. It was interesting to see the remnants of history when the US occupied Panamá.
I used Viator to book this tour. It was about ~5 hours in total.
🇵🇦 Lastly, mostly everyone I encountered spoke English. However, Panamanians speak Spanish, so it's important to know at least the basics.
Overall, I enjoyed my time in Panamá but I personally think that a long weekend is all you need to have a great time. If I ever return to Panamá City, I would like to participate in a traditional Panamanian cooking class, ride a bike through Panamá City, and go to the Tobago Islands.
-C
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