15 of My Favorite Photos from My Trip To Panama, Central America

These are some of my favorite photos from my trip to Panama in Central America. From the resort we stayed at to the natural beauty & the Panama Canal, these Panama pics are the best!

Pictures of Panama in Central America

There’s something about traveling that’s so liberating, so exhilarating, and just downright awesome to breathe in different air and experience different cultures and scenery. My trip to Panama was nothing short of amazing, it was our annual girls’ trip that was much needed!

Visiting Panama City

Panama City is one of the most developed towns in the country. I recently traveled there and I loved everything about it! The country is made up of different provinces and includes beautiful beaches, rainforest terrain, historical ruins, farmland, and a big, developed city.

It is in Panama City that you can find some awesome things to do with the whole family: bike down the Amador Causeway, stroll through Casco Viejo (Old Panama), visit the colorful Panama BioMuseo, shop at one of the local markets, or at the big mall, and learn a little Spanish along the way.

photo: Panama City Towers, Flickr, Jim Nix

Where is Panama located?

You know the little squiggle of land between North America and South America? Well, that’s exactly where Panama is located. Panama is in Central America and bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the south.

The capital and largest city is Panama City, whose metro area is home to nearly half of the country’s 3.6 million people (Wikipedia). Also, I hear that tons of Americans are planning to retire there, due to its warm weather and proximity to the United States.

Panama City, Panama photos

We started our adventure in Penonome, Panama, which is about 2 hours outside of the city. The JW Marriott Panama Golf & Beach Resort in Rio Hato was our home for 3 days (I highly recommend it), we enjoyed carnival festivities, local food, sunshine, and a waterfall tour in the Cerro La Vieja mountains before heading back to the city.

We spent the last day in Panama City and went to check out the Panama Canal. Everything was amazing, relaxing, and I can’t wait to do it all again!

Here are my 15 favorite photos from my trip to Panama…

Here’s where we began the trip in Penonome, Panama, which is about a 2-hour drive from the airport in Panama City. The photo below is considered the exact center of the Americas, found in Penonome. Pretty cool to say that I stood there!

Pictures of the Panama Canal

This is the infamous Panama Canal. These huge walls in the water are called “locks”, they open and close to allow water to move back and forth so ships can pass.

Visit the Panama Canal

Visiting the Panama Canal is a must-do activity while you are there. It is a water passageway that connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, serving as a shortcut to make it easier for international ships and other vessels to travel the waterways in less time.

The Panama Canal is located just outside of the city, where travelers can spend the day getting a glimpse of its day-to-day operations, walk through the museum to learn the history of the Canal and marvel at the gigantic vessels that use the passage. It operates 24 hours a day, using massive locks that control the water flow, allowing ships to pass through. It’s truly a spectacular sight!

Below, the largest ship we saw passing through the Panama Canal was this one, it is GIGANTIC. I don’t believe the photo does it any justice!

More Panama photos we took

We stopped by a local market in the area. These fresh fruits and vegetables were common at the markets in Penonome, locals shop here a few times per week to guarantee fresh food.

Here’s a photo of a few Panamanian souvenirs…

Fish at the same market. They were smelly, but probably so delicious and fresh!

More from my trip to Panama, Central America

Hiking to La Tavida waterfall was one of the best things we did. With direction from the locals that were swimming, a few of us climbed up the base and jumped in! We had a delicious hot lunch afterward, right under these straw huts.

I do recommend this activity in Panama, you can book this excursion with a tour guide at the JW Marriott Panama Beach Resort.

We stayed at the JW Marriott Panama Resort (recently rebranded as the Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort), one of the best resorts in Panama. This is such a beautiful statue that sits in the center of the resort. It’s such a stunning representation of LOVE.

Here’s part of the group of lovely ladies, the sparkling pool at the JW Marriott was refreshing! This one was for adults only…

These fresh flowers were in the lobby at the JW Marriott and they were GORGEOUS!

A few more Panama pictures

A random graffiti wall in Panama City, Panama.

Saying goodbye to Panama from the window seat as we fly above Central America…

What are your favorite photos of Panama in Central America?

We had an amazing trip to Panama and were fortunate to be able to explore this country. I have so many more pictures that it is hard to pick out the best ones to share without oversharing!

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