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Aerial view of Isla Gámez, a palm-covered islet with white sand in the Gulf of Chiriquí, Panama

CANAL · ISLANDS · CLOUD FOREST

Tailor-Made Panama

A private, tailor-made journey through a country where two oceans nearly touch, the Canal and old-world Casco Viejo, the Caribbean islands of Bocas del Toro and San Blas, and the cool cloud forests of Boquete. Built entirely around your dates, your pace and you.

Your trip

Your trip to Panama

Panama is one of the most underrated trips in the Americas, and one of the easiest. A small, friendly country where the US Dollar is the currency and one-stop flights link London to Panama City via Madrid, Amsterdam or Paris, it folds the Canal, two coastlines, world-class islands and highland cloud forest into distances you can cross in a morning. Our Panama holidays are private and tailor-made: no fixed coach-tour itinerary and no off-the-shelf package, we build the route, pace and hotels around your dates, with a Latin America specialist who has actually been there.

Most trips weave together three very different faces of the country: the Canal and the restored colonial quarter of Casco Viejo in Panama City, a few unhurried nights out on the Caribbean islands, and the coffee farms and quetzal-filled cloud forests of the Boquete highlands. How long you give each is entirely up to you.

At a glance

  • 9–14 days
  • Private tripJust your own party
  • Easy to ModerateActivity level
  • Flights includedATOL protected
  • Flexible datesYou choose when you go
  • PanamaOur destination guide

WHAT YOUR TRIP CAN INCLUDE

A country of three distinct faces

A container ship inside a chamber of the Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal

Where two oceans meet

Watching a container ship squeeze through the locks of the Panama Canal is oddly mesmerising, around 14,000 transit each year, and the Miraflores visitor centre, twenty minutes from downtown, puts you right above them. Back in the city, Casco Viejo is the historic heart: a restored grid of colonial streets, rooftop bars and some of Central America’s best seafood, with the Amador Causeway and Frank Gehry’s Biomuseo close by. Stand above the Canal in the morning and be ankle-deep in island sand by the afternoon, that is the defining quality of Panama.

Hikers watching cloud pour over the green ridges of Cerro Artillería above Boquete, Chiriquí, Panama

Coffee country and cloud forest

Boquete sits at around 1,200 metres in the Chiriquí Highlands, ringed by cloud forest, coffee estates and the slopes of Volcán Barú, Panama’s highest peak. The air is cooler and smells of damp earth and flowers; it is a place for hiking, birdwatching and slow mornings on a veranda. The Los Quetzales Trail offers a real chance of the resplendent quetzal, and the estates here grow Geisha, a coffee that fetches hundreds of dollars a kilo at auction. Cool, green and quiet, the highlands are the natural counterweight to the city and the islands.

WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL

Panama highlights

  • The Miraflores locks

    The Panama Canal and the Miraflores locks, one of the modern world’s great engineering feats

  • Panama City's old town

    Casco Viejo, Panama City’s restored colonial old town, with rooftop bars and seafood

  • A Caribbean archipelago

    Bocas del Toro, a Caribbean archipelago of stilt-house towns, coral reefs and Starfish Beach

  • Islands of the Guna

    San Blas (Guna Yala), palm-dot islands run by the indigenous Guna, barely touched by development

  • Geisha coffee

    Boquete’s cloud forests, the resplendent quetzal and world-famous Geisha coffee

  • Easy to get around

    Compact distances, the US Dollar and one-stop flights from the UK, simple, hassle-free logistics

  • Your own guides

    Private guides, private transfers and characterful hotels chosen for their settings

  • Flights from the UK

    ATOL protected (10898), with UK flights arranged for you

TAILOR-MADE, YOUR WAY

How your tailor-made trip comes together

There is no off-the-shelf brochure to book here. You tell us your dates, your party and what you most want from Panama, the Canal and city, island time, the highlands, or all three, and we design the route, choose the hotels and arrange the private guides and transfers around you. Panama is compact enough to combine comfortably in a single trip, and many travellers pair it with neighbouring Costa Rica for a two-country Central America journey. If you plan to bring a camera drone, read our practical guide to the drone rules in Panama first.

Trips typically run nine to fourteen days, though we’ll shape the length to suit you. Because every Panama trip is built from scratch, we quote each one individually, share your dates and party size and we’ll prepare a precise, ATOL-protected quote with flights.

Your price covers

What's included

  • Flights

    International flights from the UK, booked and ATOL protected together with the trip. There are no nonstop UK–Panama flights, so we route you via Madrid, Amsterdam or Paris.

    We can also book other airlines, including flights with one stop, to suit your dates and preferences.

  • Guides and tours

    Private guides and drivers for your touring, with English-speaking specialists

  • Accommodation

    Hand-picked, characterful hotels and lodges chosen for their settings

  • Transport

    • All internal transfers, domestic flights and boat transfers between regions
    • Airport meet-and-greet and 24/7 in-destination support

  • Experiences

    Canal, city, island and highland experiences as agreed in your itinerary

  • Meals

    Daily breakfast, with other meals included where it makes sense

  • ATOL protection

    Full ATOL financial protection (10898)

Not included: Travel insurance (a condition of travel) · Tips, drinks and any experiences not listed in your itinerary

Your next step

Dates and price

Tailor-Made Holiday
Price on enquirytailored to your trip
Flights Included
Private holiday
Flexible dates
Tailor-made · 9–14 days (suggested)
Fully customisable

No commitment, we reply within one working day

Call us

Before you book

Frequently Asked Questions

Because every trip is built from scratch, your dates, regions, pace and hotels, we quote each one individually rather than advertise a fixed price. As a guide, mid-market private tailor-made trips usually work out competitive with comparable Costa Rica itineraries. Tell us your party size and dates and we’ll prepare a precise, ATOL-protected quote with flights.

Nine to fourteen days suits most first trips: enough to combine the Canal and Panama City, a few nights on the islands, and the Boquete highlands without rushing. Shorter trips of around a week work well if you focus on two regions.

Entirely private and tailor-made. You travel on your own dates with private guides and transfers, at your own pace, not a fixed-departure coach tour. Everything is designed around you.

The dry season from mid-December to April is the classic window for sunshine and easy island-hopping. The greener May–November months bring afternoon showers but fewer crowds and lush highlands; the Caribbean coast keeps its own rhythm and is worth checking when we plan your dates.

UK passport holders do not need a visa for tourist stays in Panama (always reconfirm before travel). The currency is the US Dollar, which keeps spending simple, and one-stop flights connect London with Panama City via Madrid, Amsterdam or Paris.

Panama is one of the more relaxed, welcoming countries in the region, with short internal distances and easy logistics. With private guides and drivers and our in-destination support, it is a comfortable choice for first-time Latin America travellers and families alike.

Yes, they neighbour each other and pair beautifully into a two-country Central America trip. We can build a combined route, balancing Panama’s Canal, islands and highlands with Costa Rica’s rainforests and volcanoes.

Start planning your Panama journey

Tell us your dates and party size and our Latin America specialists will tailor a Panama trip to you, Canal, islands, highlands or all three, and prepare a precise, ATOL-protected quote with flights.

Make an Enquiry
We reply within one working day

Photography courtesy of PROMTUR Panama / visitpanama.com

Real reviews

What our customers say

“
They organised excellent accommodation and transfers from airport to destination and between destinations which was seamless and gave us peace of mind for our trip. We stayed in the nicest casa particular in Havana right on the outskirts of the major hustle of the old town but within walking distance to every site and lots of lovely restaurants. Our hotel in Varadero had 5 a la carte restaurants which were delicious and wonderful beaches! Would definitely go back to Cuba and use TravelFab again.

Annabelle

“
Excellent service. Fabien responded to all our queries promptly and efficiently and was always willing to spend time talking to us. The itinerary was well-considered and well-organised with an adequate amount of time in each location. Locations were varied and interesting. The service provided by the B&B owners was good to outstanding. The organisation of the coach services for transfers from one destination to another was super with comfortable journeys in clean, air-conditioned coaches. Thanks, TravelFab!

David

“
I was very impressed with Fabian's dedication, patience and professionalism in organising a group of 8 young persons (over 60's) to get to Cuba. The whole experience has been a very positive one. Despite having to relocate to another hotel at the last minute, that change over went very smoothly. Our accommodations were excellent. We will definitely book with TravelFab again. Thank you!

Yvette T

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Travel Guides & Tips

Casco Viejo old town glowing at night with the modern Panama City skyline across the bay

Do You Need an ESTA to Transit the USA? How to Fly to Latin America Without One

Yes, even for a two-hour connection. What a US transit involves, who cannot get an ESTA, and how to reach Latin America from the UK without the USA.

Large container ship passing through the Panama Canal locks

Panama Canal Cruise: What to Do on Land

Booked a canal cruise? How to see the locks from land, what is worth your time in Panama City, and how many days to add before or after you sail.

Pastel colonial facades and wrought-iron balconies on a street in Casco Viejo, Panama City

Is Panama Safe? What UK Travellers Need to Know

Panama is one of Central America's safest countries, with clear exceptions. What the FCDO says, where to take care, and the Darién Gap explained.

More guides

Tailor-made · ATOL 10898

Want to customise this trip?

Every Travelfab holiday is tailor-made, extend a leg, swap a hotel, combine with another country. Tell us the shape you want and a specialist will redesign it around you.

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Price on enquiry