Overview & Highlights
A relaxing holiday exploring by car the sunlit beaches of Panama’s undeveloped Pacific coast with inroads into the mountainous hinterland in search of wildlife and outdoor adventures.
With its laid-back, peaceful ambience, sunny weather and genial people, Panama is an increasingly popular destination for visitors who want to widen their horizons beyond the capital city and the Canal. It’s easy to see why - there’s a string of natural and cultural delights studding the mostly flawless Pacific coastline and its hinterland of cloud forest-clad mountains.
But what’s the best way to explore them? The charm of these highlights is enhanced by their feeling of remoteness, but they are in fact easily accessed by an expanding network of blissfully smooth highways and virtually vehicle-free paved rural roads. So we are excited by our new self-drive holiday, devised to guide you to discover our best-loved spots in Panama and rest up at a few of our favourite hotels and lodges.
Driving is utterly pleasurable and mostly easy-going as you cruise along an innovative route we’ve devised from first-hand experience. Armed with Wifi, your map and plenty of advice and tips exclusive to Journey Latin America, you will progress at a leisurely pace with plenty of opportunities to stop and discover hidden corners of this amiable country.
Outline itinerary
Day 1
Transfer to your hotel in the historic centre of Panama City, Casco Viejo.
Day 2
Guided tour of the Panama Canal and Casco Viejo
Day 3
Collect your hire car and drive to El Valle de Anton.
Day 4
Drive from El Valle to Chitre on the Azuero Peninsula.
Day 5
Drive from Chitre to Playa Venao via Pese and Pedasi
Day 6
At leisure in Playa Venao.
Day 7
Drive from Playa Venao to Boca Chica via Sona and Puerto Vidal.
Day 8
At leisure on Boca Brava Island.
Day 9
Further opportunities to explore Boca Brava.
Day 10
Drive from Boca Chica to Boquete via Cerro Punta.
Day 11
At leisure in the Boquete area.
Day 12
Drive from Boquete to David, drop off car. Fly back to Panama City.
Day 13
Guided boat tour on Gatún lake; transfer to the airport for your international flight.
Things to do
We proudly offer the widest range of activities, excursions and one-of-a-kind experiences across all our destinations, tried and tested personally by our travel experts.
Accommodation
Browse our unrivalled portfolio of accommodation . Every option has been carefully chosen by our team of travel experts, so you can rest assured that you’ll relax in utter comfort.
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What our clients say
97% of our clients rated their experience with us as Excellent or Good.
Very efficient with the booking process and very helpful with his service throughout. Adam was always prompt and helpful in answering all our questions prior to departure.
IR, London
Tailor made holiday
Our specialists have been expertly crafting award-winning tailor-made holidays to Latin America for 40 years. We would be delighted to create a truly personalised trip which perfectly matches your wishes and requirements.
Paul Winrow-Giffin - Travel Consultant
After graduating in Computer Science, Paul spent seven months travelling from Colombia to Argentina and came home hooked on Latin America.
Inspired by this trip
Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.
Papagaio
Your edit for Latin American inspiration
Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.
View Extraordinary Inspiration
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Ben Line - Travel Consultant
Ben fell in love with Latin America on a six month backpacking trip from Colombia to Mexico in 1995. Since then he has explored most of South America, including living in Peru for a year. He is now Manager of the Tailor-made Department.
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Carrie Gallagher - Travel Consultant
A former JLA tour leader, Carrie brings a wealth of on-the-ground experience to our London-based Escorted Groups team.
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Sophie Barber - Travel Consultant
Sophie lived in Chile before joining us and has travelled extensively across Latin America, from Mexico to the furthest tip of Patagonia.
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Lina Fuller - Travel Consultant
Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.
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Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Consultant
Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our Sales team.
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Kathryn Rhodes - Travel Consultant
Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.
