Why Panama.
It started with a practical puzzle: we had free plane tickets to anywhere Delta Airlines flew in the US, Central America, or the Caribbean, and a travel window strictly in the fall.
But we aren’t the “sit on a resort beach” type. We crave movement, wandering, local food, and textured atmosphere. As it turns out, Panama is one of the very few places in the Americas where September and October offer a perfectly workable season for the kind of travel we love.
Once we looked closer at the map and discovered Casco Viejo, Pedasí, and Boquete, something clicked. It wasn’t just the geography; it was the feeling. Panama’s vibe matched our own travel soul—walkable, historic, layered, filled with small inns and real life. It promised the exact same emotional palette we fell in love with in Cinque Terre. We chose that feeling, and Panama happened to be the place that delivered it.
What We Expect to Find
1. Casco Viejo & Panama City: History & Energy
We expect Casco Viejo to feel like a European-adjacent city of warm stone, narrow streets, and lived-in historic charm. Beyond the old streets, the engineering of the Panama Canal at the Miraflores Locks will undoubtedly feel larger than life. We’ll watch wildlife such as varieties of monkeys from the water on a Gatún Lake tour, and we will climb Ancon Hill for a sweeping, panoramic view of the entire city and canal entrance at once—hopefully spotting our first sloth along the way. For a true taste of local life in action, we’ll dive into the bright colors, fresh catches, and ceviche stalls of the Seafood Market (Mercado de Mariscos).
2. The Azuero Peninsula: Coastal Soul & Ancient Rituals
In Pedasí and Playa Venao, we are looking for walkable coastal towns, local bakeries, and pastel houses—a real-life community, not a curated tourist package. Here, we plan to ride horses along empty shores and boat out to Isla Iguana to snorkel above coral patches just a few feet beneath turquoise water.
The emotional peak of this leg will be “turtle night” on Isla Cañas. We will be holding our breath in the dark of night, witnessing the ancient ritual of Olive Ridley turtles emerging from the ocean to nest—and perhaps, if our timing holds, watching tiny hatchlings make their break for the surf. Mirroring that magic, we are arriving during the peak migration of humpback whales in the Gulf of Panama, hoping to see mothers teaching their calves the slow rolls, tail slaps, and massive breaches that define these waters. To ground it all, we will share dinner inside a local’s home, capturing the feeling of being invited guests rather than serviced tourists.
3. Boquete: Mist, Canopies, & Highlands
Up in the highlands, we anticipate misty mountains, abundant flowers, and rich coffee. The climate promises a cool, crisp mountain air reminiscent of Iceland in summer, shrouded in a cloud forest that reminds us of our mountain gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
To test a terrible fear of heights, we have planned a zipline canopy tour and a walk across six or seven suspension bridges on the Hanging Bridges trail. The hope is that the serene, atmospheric coolness of the cloud forest will give a sense of floating over the living ecosystem rather than falling through it. We will also work on our photography skills amidst a dizzying number of hummingbirds, hunt for a glimpse of the resplendent quetzal, and slow down for honey tastings, a butterfly house, and a local coffee farm.
The Sugarcoated Dream vs. Rainy Reality
This is the dream dancing in our heads. In reality, we are diving straight into the rainy season.
However, the mornings are generally dry, which is when our main adventures are set. When the afternoon tropical downpours and thunderstorms inevitably roll in, we see it as a feature, not a bug. What better excuse is there to sit back in a porch hammock, duck into a local café, or simply watch the rain transform the jungle outside our window?
Except for Panama City, this journey unfolds entirely in nature and small, vibrant towns. Even if a storm keeps us indoors, we won’t feel stuck. And as for our turtle night? The turtles don’t care about the rain—in fact, they come precisely because of the season.
Our gear is packed, our lenses are clean, and the rainy season is calling.
Want to see how the dream matches reality? Bookmark this page to see our upcoming photo galleries and field notes directly from the Panamanian wild.
