Panama Outdoor Vacations

The options for enjoying Panama's great outdoors range from hiking through the cloud forest to paddling down a white-water river. The country's world-class fishing, surfing, diving, and bird-watching draw plenty of people focused on just one activity, but Panama is also a great destination for travelers who want to dabble in several outdoor experiences.

Multisport Outfitters

Ancon Expeditions Panama and EcoCircuitos Panama handle everything from beach stays to hiking excursions, and they are recommended in numerous categories.

Ancon Expeditions of Panama. 888/760--3426; 507/269–9415; www.anconexpeditions.com.

EcoCircuitos Panama. 800/830--7142; 507/315--1305; ecocircuitos.com.

Beaches

Season: Year-round.Locations:Bocas del Toro, Guna Yala. Cost:from $1,500 for seven days from Panama City.

Escape the crowds on Panama's Caribbean coast where pristine beaches are reachable only by boat. The beaches of the Bocas del Toro Archipelago are backed by lush rain forest and lie near multicolored coral reefs. The San Blas Islands are some of the most stunning and serene isles in the world and are home to the indigenous Guna. There are just a few small guesthouses here, but the waters are crystal clear and the marine life is abundant. Adventure Life, Ancon Expeditions of Panama, and Wildland Adventures offer trips that combine the canal and mountain forests with time on the beaches of either Bocas del Toro or the San Blas Islands, whereas EcoCircuitos Panama has a tour that visits both Bocas del Toro and Guna Yala.

Adventure Life. 406/541–2677; www.adventure-life.com.

Wildland Adventures. 800/345–4453; www.wildland.com.

Bird-Watching

Season: Year-round. Locations:Central Panama, Chiriquí, Darién. Cost:From $115.

Panama has more than 960 bird species and is home to rare species such as the spectacular rainbow-billed toucan and resplendent quetzal. It's also a place to witness hawk and vulture migrations or island rookeries where thousands of seabirds gather. The best months for birding are October to April, when northern migrants boost the local population, so you might spot an emerald toucanet and a Baltimore oriole in the same tree.

The best regions are Central Panama, the mountains of western Chiriquí Province, and the jungles of the Darién. The most popular central area is Parque Nacional Soberanía, where the Panama Audubon Society has held many world-record Christmas bird counts. The mountain valleys of Chiriquí’s Boquete and Cerro Punta host birds you won't find in other parts of the country, including the quetzal.

Ancon Expeditions has excellent guides and a comprehensive, 12-day "Birds of Panama" tour. The smaller Advantage Tours Panama and EcoCircuitos Panama offer comparable trips. Canopy Tower Family has two terrific birding lodges and good guides. Field Guides and Exotic Birding sell Ancon Expeditions' tours but send an expert guide along, whereas Victor Emanuel Nature Tours does the same thing using the Canopy Tower Family lodges. The Panama Audubon Society offers inexpensive weekend excursions.

Canopy Family. 800/617--7451; 507/264--5720; www.canopytower.com.

Exotic Birding. 877/247–3371; www.exoticbirding.com.

Field Guides. 800/728–4953; www.fieldguides.com.

Panama Audubon Society. 507/232–5977; www.audubonpanama.org.

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours. 800/328–8368; www.ventbird.com.

Diving

Season: Year-round (conditions vary by region). Locations:Central Caribbean, Gulf of Panama, Isla Coiba, Gulf of Chiriquí, Bocas del Toro, Guna Yala. Cost:From $70 for two-tank boat dive to $350 per day for an Isla Coiba dive cruise.

Panama is the only country where you can dive in the Pacific and the Atlantic on the same day. The Atlantic has more coral and sponge diversity and warmer water. The waters of Isla Coiba are home to more than 700 fish species, big schools, and lots of sharks. Scuba Coiba and Panama Divers run trips that include nights in rustic rooms on the island. Coiba Dive Expeditions offers nights on the 115-foot M/V Yemaya. Diving around Golfo de Chiriquí is available at the Islas Secas. More accessible sites in the Golfo de Panama can be explored from Isla Contadora with Coral Dreams, or out of Panama City with Scuba Panama, which also offers diving in the Panama Canal.

The most accessible Atlantic diving areas are near Portobelo, where Panama Divers and Scuba Panama provide access to miles of barrier reef, sunken ships, and a plane wreck. To the east there's the Escribano Bank, with exceptionally healthy coral, and Guna Yala’s San Blas Islands, where only snorkeling is permitted. Bocas del Toro, in Western Panama, has dozens of dive spots and an array of accommodations. Bocas Watersports and Starfleet Scuba offer dives at the impressive Cayos Zapatillas and Tiger Rock, among other sites.

Bocas Water Sports. Bocas del Toro, 507/757–9541; www.bocaswatersports.com.

Coiba Dive Expeditions. 507/314--9350; www.coibadiveexpeditions.com.

Coral Dreams. 507/6536--1776; www.coral-dreams.com.

La Buga. Bocas del Toro, 507/757–9534; www.labugapanama.com.

Panama Divers. 507/448--2293; www.panamadivers.com.

Scuba Coiba. 507/6980–7122; www.scubacoiba.com.

Scuba Panama. 507/261–3841; www.scubapanama.com.

Starfleet Scuba. Bocas del Toro, 507/757–9630; www.starfleetscuba.com.

Fishing

Season: Year-round (best January and February).Locations:Gulf of Panama, Chiriquí, Gatún Lake. Cost:From $350 per day for Gatún Lake to $1,600 per day for fishing cruises or lodge packages.

"Panama" means "abundance of fish," and although Caribbean fishing is average, the Pacific waters have some of the best fishing in the Western Hemisphere. The Golfo de Chiriquí, in western Panama, is a close second, with lots of marlin, sailfish, and other big fighters near the Hannibal Banks, Isla Montuosa, and Isla de Coiba. Those waters can be fished out of lodges with Gone Fishing Panama, Panama Big Game Fishing Club, Pesca Panama, or Coiba Adventure Sport Fishing. Between those two regions lie the Pearl Islands, where good angling is accessible from Isla Contadora or Panama City with Panama Fishing & Catching. A less expensive alternative to deep-sea fishing is light-tackle angling on Gatún Lake, in the Panama Canal, or the Bayano River to the east. Panama Canal Fishing has family packages and can guarantee you'll catch fish.

Coiba Adventure Sport Fishing. 800/800–0907; www.coibadventure.com.

Gone Fishing Panama. 954/378-9429; 507/6930--4215; www.gonefishingpanama.com.

Panama Big Game Fishing Club. 786/600--1672; www.panama-sportfishing.com.

Panama Canal Fishing. 507/315–1905; www.panamacanalfishing.com.

Panama Fishing & Catching. 507/6622–0212; www.panamafishingandcatching.com.

Pesca Panama. 800/946–3474; www.pescapanama.com.

Hiking

Season: Year-round.Locations:Central Panama, Chiriquí.Cost:$30 to $175 per day for expeditions.

Options for getting into the country's forests range from an early-morning hike through Panama City's Parque Natural Metropolitano to a weeklong trek along the remains of the Spanish mule trail Camino Real. Ancon Expeditions of Panama, EcoCircuitos Panama, and Sendero Panama are the hiking specialists, offering day hikes and multiday trips that include camping in rain forest. The most challenging of these is the seven-day Camino Real trek, which takes you through pristine forest. Various lodges with private reserves and trail systems serve as excellent bases for day hikes, such as Finca Lérida, Los Quetzales Lodge, Punta Patiño Lodge, and the Canopy Family lodges. The mountains hold some of the most popular trails, namely El Valle de Antón and Chiriquí's Volcán Barú and La Amistad national parks, near Boquete and Cerro Punta.

Sendero Panama. 507/390--5526; www.senderopanama.com.

Surfing

Season: Year-round.Locations:Central Pacific, Chiriquí, Bocas del Toro. Cost:$75–$150 per day.

Panama's best surf is at Santa Catalina, on the Azuero Peninsula, and the islands of the Gulf of Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro Archipelago.

Surf tours are an excellent option because some of Panama's breaks are quite remote and are often accessible only by boat. Panama Surf Tours has a rustic lodge in Santa Catalina and offers guided trips to the country's best spots. The Morro Negrito Surf Camp, on an island in the Golfo de Chiriquí, provides access to five isolated breaks that are seldom surfed.

Panama Surf Tours. 507/6671–7777; www.panamasurftours.com.