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PanamaFrom £3,9954 tours

Panama Tours & Holidays

Experience the extraordinary natural beauty and rich cultural heritage of Panama with our expertly guided tours and holiday packages.

  • Best timeNov, Feb & May
  • Time zoneEST (UTC−5)
  • CurrencyBalboa / US Dollar (USD)
  • LanguageSpanish
Overview

An introduction to Panama

Panama is one of Central America's most rewarding destinations — a slender land bridge where dense tropical rainforest meets two ocean coastlines, and where ancient Spanish fortresses stand within sight of one of the world's great feats of modern engineering. Panama City pairs the cobbled lanes of Casco Viejo with the ruins of Panamá Viejo, while the Panama Canal remains an extraordinary sight. Beyond the capital, cloud-draped highlands give way to Caribbean islands, indigenous communities, and wildlife-rich national parks that make this country as diverse as any on the continent.

Our small group Panama tours take you deep into this variety — from canoe journeys to Emberá villages and misty walks through Boquete's cloud forests to snorkelling the coral reefs of Bocas del Toro. With a maximum of 12 travellers per departure, our Panama holidays are led by knowledgeable local guides who open doors that most visitors never find.

Miraflores-Gates-Panama
Panama detail
Explore

Panama

Our journeys

Tours in Panama

Small-group departures led by local experts, plus private tailor-made itineraries shaped around your interests, pace and dates.

Why visit

What makes Panama worth the journey

Cloud-Forest-Panama
A place apart

Two Oceans, One Country

Panama is the only place on Earth where you can watch the sun rise over the Pacific and set over the Caribbean — a quirk of geography that reflects the country's extraordinary variety of landscapes, ecosystems and experiences.

01

Wildlife & Biodiversity

Panama sits at the meeting point of two continents, making it one of the most biodiverse corridors on the planet. From the rainforests of Soberanía to the highland forests of La Amistad, the wildlife viewing — birds especially — is exceptional.

Miraflores-Gates-Panama
02

Living Indigenous Cultures

Panama is home to several distinct indigenous groups, including the Emberá and Ngäbe-Buglé, who maintain strong cultural traditions. Our Panama tours include genuine community visits arranged respectfully and with local involvement.

History Across the Centuries
03

History Across the Centuries

From Panamá Viejo and Fort San Lorenzo to the Panama Canal, this small country carries an outsized historical story — Spanish conquest, pirate raids, the gold route, and the transformation of global shipping all left their mark here.

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Highlights

The highlights of Panama

Panama Canal & Miraflores Locks

Stand at the Miraflores Locks and watch vast container ships navigate one of the world's most famous waterways — an engineering achievement that reshaped global trade and remains a genuinely extraordinary sight.

Casco Viejo & Panamá Viejo

Panama City's historic quarters tell two chapters of the same story: the haunting ruins of the original colonial city at Panamá Viejo and the beautifully restored 18th-century streets of Casco Viejo, packed with plazas, churches and vibrant street life.

Emberá Village by Canoe

Journey by dugout canoe to meet the Emberá people in their riverside community — an immersive encounter with one of Panama's most distinctive indigenous cultures, with opportunities to see traditional crafts, music and forest knowledge first-hand.

Boquete Cloud Forest & Coffee

The highland town of Boquete sits in the Chiriquí mountains at cool altitude, surrounded by coffee estates, hanging bridges and misty forest trails. Panama's finest high-altitude coffee is produced here — and best tasted with views across the valley.

Bocas del Toro Islands

A scattered archipelago of Caribbean islands where turquoise water meets coral reef and the atmosphere shifts from town to jungle to beach within minutes. Snorkelling, mangrove channels and encounters with Ngäbe-Buglé communities make Bocas del Toro the perfect finale to any Panama trip.

Fort San Lorenzo

This dramatic Spanish fortress perched above the mouth of the Chagres River on Panama's Caribbean coast was once a prize fought over by pirates and colonial powers alike. UNESCO-listed and largely unchanged, it offers extraordinary views and a vivid sense of Panama's turbulent history.

Panama rewards travellers who slow down — the best stories are found off the tour-bus route.

From the field

When to go

Picking the right season for your trip

Sweet spot: May

Panama has two distinct seasons shaped by its geography. The dry season runs from roughly December to April, bringing sunny skies and lower humidity — particularly welcome in the highlands around Boquete and in Panama City. The wet season (May to November) sees afternoon rains that keep the rainforests lush and the wildlife active; mornings are often clear and travel remains very manageable. The Caribbean coast around Bocas del Toro operates on a slightly different weather pattern, with rain possible year-round but rarely all day. The highlands of Chiriquí are cooler throughout the year, making Boquete a pleasant escape from the coastal heat in any season.

Voices from the road

What travellers say about us

Reviews from across our small-group programme. Independently rated 4.9 Excellent on AITO by 250+ travellers.

The guides were very friendly and willing to accommodate. Good English. Smooth operation and handling between several guides. No problems or glitches at any stage of the transits or accommodation.
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Bob Gosset, Spain

Jason was very helpful and the booking process was quick and easy. UD offers itineraries that many competitors do not. I thoroughly enjoyed both trips I've taken with them. While they may not suit everyone, I have happily recommended the Senegal tour to fellow travellers.
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Bernice Hird, UK

Helped by Jason van der Wath

Excellent customer service, reliable itineraries and ability to solve local issues when they arise
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Gustavo Musto, Uruguay

I like the small size of groups, the range of destinations and excellent itineraries. This is my third holiday with your company and I have found your itineraries really good.
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Traveller from the UK

Excellent company to book with. Complex tour mostly delivered as per itinerary with professional and pleasant local representatives.
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Adam Choonara, UK

I really appreciated Jason's help in answering all of my many questions re: Senegal trip in December 2025. I have a physical disability and I had a lot of accessibility questions for Jason! He was a true professional and was very supportive, warm and friendly and helped me a lot in making my decision to go ahead with the Senegal trip. I would like to thank Jason particularly for this service. I truly appreciate it and I am very thankful.
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Ramnit Bassi, UK

Helped by Jason van der Wath

Undiscovered Destinations is able to find wonderful support staff and will go to the far corners of the earth.
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Patricia Taylor, UK

This is my third trip with UD and all have been first rate.
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Judith Hoyle, UK

I am very satisfied with every trip that I have doe with you since you match my interests in culture and tribal peoples.
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Eric Ferkins, UK

Jason was incredibly helpful and efficient in getting us booked last minute on this trip when our trip with another company was cancelled with no notice.
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Sarah Keir, UK

Helped by Jason van der Wath

Can’t find the right fit?

Every one of our Panama journeys can be rebuilt around your dates, pace and interests — or we’ll design something entirely new.

Tailor my trip
Tailor-made journeys

Didn’t find your perfect Panama trip?

We’ll build one around you.

A tailor-made Panama holiday suits travellers who want to set their own pace through this richly varied country. You might spend extra days exploring the coffee estates and hanging bridges around Boquete, arrange a private boat among the islands of Bocas del Toro, or extend time in Casco Viejo to take in its galleries, restaurants and colonial architecture at leisure. Indigenous community visits with the Emberá can be arranged privately, and La Amistad National Park rewards those with more time to explore its trails.

Undiscovered Destinations designs private Panama travel packages with personal transport, hand-picked local guides and carefully chosen accommodation — from boutique highland lodges to Caribbean island retreats. Speak to our team and we'll build an itinerary around what matters most to you.

Your dates
Travel when it suits you
Private group
Just you, family or friends
Your pace
Linger longer, skip the rest
Bespoke extras
Private guides, rare access

Typical reply within 3 working days · No obligation · Trusted by travellers since 2004

Panama tailor-made
How it works
  1. 1Tell us what you have in mind
  2. 2We build an itinerary + quote
  3. 3Refine until it feels right
Est. 2004
20+ years of
bespoke travel
Questions, answered

Planning a trip to Panama?

  • Our Panama tour packages start from £3,995 per person for a 12-day small group departure. Longer itineraries combining Panama with neighbouring countries start from £6,095. All tours include accommodation, ground transport, English-speaking guides, and most meals — international flights are not included in the headline price.

Before you go

Essential information

Shared across all tours that visit this destination. Read alongside your individual tour dossier for trip-specific details.

Foreign Office travel advice

We constantly monitor official travel advice, including the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Panama Travel Advice, and will always advise clients of any warnings before departure. At the time of writing, there are no specific warnings against travel to the parts of Panama that we visit on our tours.

Please contact us if you have any specific concerns or would like to understand what measures are in place to ensure your trip remains safe and trouble-free.

For additional official guidance, travellers may also refer to:

Please note this information applies primarily to British citizens — nationals of other countries should check the current position with their respective government travel authority.

Ready when you are

Start planning your Panama adventure

Join a small-group departure, or let our Panama specialists craft a private journey shaped around your dates and interests.

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