City: Panama
Top Things to do in Panama
Top Hotels in Panama
- 1. Wyndham Panama Albrook Mall Hotel & Convention Center
- 2. The Bristol Panama, a Registry Collection Hotel
- 3. Hotel Riu Plaza Panama
- 4. The Westin Playa Bonita Panama
- 5. Hotel Riu Playa Blanca
- 6. Hilton Panama
- 7. Dreams Playa Bonita Panama
- 8. The Santa Maria, A Luxury Collection Hotel & Golf Resort, Panama City
- 9. Ramada Plaza By Wyndham Panama Punta Pacifica
- 10. Central Hotel Panama Casco Viejo
Countries
The 10 Best National Parks in Panama, Panama
Coordinates: 9°N 80°W / 9°N 80°W / 9; -80
Restaurants in Panama
1. Soberania National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 392 reviews
Located 15 miles from downtown Panama City, this scenic park features two hiking paths called el Charco in Gamboa and Pipeline Road, both known for excellent birding and wildlife viewing.
Reviewed By camillecoleman - Melbourne, Australia
Great park to visit when staying in Panama City. Take a uber/taxi for $20 to the start of Pipeline Road that is on the far end of the town Gamboa. Here you can walk the dirt rocky track towards the discovery centre or beyond. We found it very easy to stop plenty of animals along the way including a beautiful three toed sloth!! Catch a bus from Gamboa or hitch a ride with a local driver to get home again (local driver will be approx $8-10).
2. Darien National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 18 reviews
Located in the Province of Darien, this World Heritage Site consists of 1,475,000 acres of beaches, mangroves, swamps and tropical forests.
3. Volcan Baru National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 415 reviews
Panama's highest peak and only volcano at 3,478 meters offers sweeping ocean views and spectacular cloud forests from its summit.
Reviewed By shelleyr31
Put on your long johns and expect the craziest bumpiest ride of your life. Young and dummers. Sunrise beautiful. Got a cheese sandwich and coffe for breakfast. It hit the spot. Certainly no warm breakfast. Guide was best in the country!!
4. Chagres National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 50 reviews
Located on the eastern side of the Panama Canal, this 300,000-acre park features the Chagres River and Lake Alajuela, which are popular spots for camping, rafting, fishing and other water sports.
Reviewed By M2445ITdavids - Honolulu, United States
I have a great tip for those heading to the main boat tour embarkation point at Gamboa Public Dock at Muelle Publico Gamboa, to get there you pust drive thru a beautiful tropical Rain Forrest preserve "Soberania National Park" once there you can Bargain for a good group Rate if you have enough people. choose a boat drivin by the younger local guys on the far left hand side Tell them you want to see the monkies, crocodiles, and to the local Embra tribes Village and all by Boat! Have Fun !
5. Coiba Island National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 177 reviews
Reviewed By 800tomb - Salida, United States
A small island just northeast and of the coast of Coiba Island and part of Coiba Island National Park is Granito de Oro. A small wonderful soft white sandy beach awaits you. The waters are warm, calm and very clear making our snorkel adventure fantastic, teaming with plentiful species of fish, turtles and white tip sharks. For this trip, this place was by far the best snorkeling encountered. Since the water was so calm I even gave paddle boarding a go (with some success). A very idealistic beach for all activities. Highly recommended if you are in the area.
6. Altos De Campana National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 84 reviews
Panama’s first national park, this one was created thanks to a landscape created by the now-extinct El Valle de Antón volcano. Avid bird-watchers will love it here, as will visitors who want to take in the incredible views from the park’s lookout spots.
7. Gaital National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 56 reviews
Reviewed By nickiBH
If you have to choose between wild life vs zipline/thermal/waterfall, you would enjoy cerro Gaital a lot more for being quietly amazed by tropical forest wildlife. However, if you expect thermal or zipline, please go elsewhere. Sometimes it’s worth doing a bit of a research to avoid going to a wrong destination and complain afterwards, to be fair. Minutes after we got off our van, we saw a huge hummingbird right away! Not to mention many more other rare birds. It’s definitely worth to hire a local wildlife guide who knows all the details. Ours is super professional. He has all the singing of the various birds on his phone and he also carries a portable amplifier of these recorded singing to attract the rare birds for our easy sighting. He does it in a way that is not annoying to the nature and not other travellers (who are actually curious to see what birds would come!) We were also lucky to spot two sloths separately and one was even slowing moving! We also saw the biggest life blue butterfly we ever saw in the wild, and many more interesting plants. The climb uphill was not difficult but was a bit slippery coming downhill so a pair of hiking shoes or even sticks are advisable. I didn’t bring sticks but had a pair of gloves so it helped a bit. (Sunblock/mosquito repellent/ rain coat just in case) Don’t forget your binoculars of course! But it is so worth to see both oceans once you are at the top and overlook the living village in the crater. Enjoy a good hike!
8. Cerro Hoya National Park
9. Metropolitan National Park
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 714 reviews
This 265-hectare national treasure is located within Panama City’s Ancon district, and is the only protected area in Central America located within city boundaries. Standing along the Panama Canal’s eastern shore, it’s home to dozens of species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and trees. With lookout points, four well-marked trails, a scenic road and a Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute canopy crane structure, guests can explore on their own. The Park also offers guided tours to groups for a fee (five-person minimum) if booked well in advance.
Reviewed By paulhN2858PM - Gilford, United States
This was a treat. A !0 min Uber ride from our mid town hotel the park announces itself as you drive out of the busy streets to the shaded canopy of the jungle. We paid the entrance fee and got a trail map at the station. The trails were easy to follow and not to challenging. It took us about 2 1/2 hours at a casual pace This was the steeper trail according to the map. The views from the top Cerro Cedro were impressive. We saw many different species of animals and birds. If going try for early morning before the heat ramps up for the day and bring plenty of water.
10. Portobelo National Park
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 197 reviews
Picturesque bayside village features the ruins of five Spanish forts, a restored treasure house and the burial place of Sir Francis Drake.
Reviewed By Resort545463
Portobelo is a quiet town seemingly in the middle of nowhere. It's steeped in history, bright colors and third world charm I fell in love instantly. I enjoyed walking through the Spanish ruins imagining what things must have been like in the 1600's sitting by the bay drinking rum and walking the streets and taking in the sights. You won't find fancy hotels here YET its still an unspoiled hub of culture.
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