There Are Some Great Things to See Driving in Panama

On The Road Again In Panama

Perfect Road, Priceless View in Panama’s Azuero Peninsula

Tales of driving experiences in Panama can be found just about anywhere. Most foreigners will say you take your life in to your hands when getting on the road in Panama. For the most part that’s pretty true. Not all the roads are in great condition (to say the least), people steal manhole covers to sell for cash, and an unfortunate number of people run out in to the street without looking.

That being said, Panama does have some incredible stretches of road and picture-perfect scenery. To really get a feel for Panama, a road trip is the best option. As long as you can get yourself out of Panama City and across the Bridge of the Americas (or north if you want to explore the Caribbean coast), it’s pretty smooth sailing.

The main road that runs east-west along the Caribbean coast can be tough to navigate, but there are some great things to see along the way if you can handle the bumps in certain spots. The more remote you get, the worse the road in many cases. Where that is not true is on the Azuero peninsula. The main road on both sides of the peninsula is in excellent condition except for a few kilometers here and there.

Because Panama has such diverse topography, the scenery is breathtaking in most parts of the country. On one side of the road will be rolling green hills and on the other, endless blue ocean. If you take a drive up to one of the more elevated points in Panama such as El Valle or Boquete, the views are even better. You can glance down across a valley and see the Pacific in the distance.

Though there may be some negatives to driving in Panama, there is very little to complain about if you get out of the city and head out on the highway!