Lying at the southern end of the famous canal, Panama City makes a great introduction or finale to a journey in Panama. One of Central America’s most dynamic and exciting cities, it has a vibrant food scene, great clubs and museums, a fascinating old quarter and a spectacular urban rainforest. Beyond the city limits, the rest of the country offers a wonderful assortment of riches to lure the curious traveller from cool volcanic highlands draped in cloud forest to coral atolls basking under the Caribbean sun. 

North and east of the city, you’ll find the old pirate haunt of Portobelo, the yachting paradise of the San Blas Islands and the famous terra incognita of the Darien Gap, where we can organise serious expeditions to remote Embera Indian communities. Heading west, on both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts are mile upon mile of unbroken beach, and a confetti of island groups to explore from Bocas del Toro in the north to brooding Coiba and the sparkling tropical islets of the Gulf of Chiriqui in the south. A handful of quite outstanding resorts and private villas here provide access to Panama’s spectacular marine wildlife. Humpback whales, whale sharks, manta rays and huge pods of dolphin all come to these clear warm waters to feed and mate, and joining them in their natural environment is a very special experience indeed.

The range and quality of accommodation in Panama has improved by leaps and bounds in the last decade. From the most elegant and atmospheric of boutique hotels in Panama City to hedonistic private island escapes, it’s all too easy to bliss out on a hammock as a pampered castaway or plan your next Graham Greene-inspired novel. Panama’s pre-eminence as a sailing destination means that chartering a superyacht or a luxury catamaran is a fabulous way to explore the country, stopping off to snorkel or dive uninhabited islands or venturing in a tender up a remote jungle river. And, as befits one of Latin America’s most exciting gastronomic destinations, the food is usually superb.