Panama Travel Tips – Everything on Entry, Safety, Climate & Health

Entry Requirements

Panama travel information – German, Austrian and Swiss citizens, as well as EU nationals, do not need a visa to enter Panama for a stay of up to 90 days. A machine-readable passport (burgundy) is sufficient, valid for at least another 3 months and, in the case of a planned longer stay, covering the entire intended duration of the stay.

On entry you must present either a return flight ticket or a valid onward travel ticket (by land or air) plus a valid visa for the destination country and a valid residence permit for the country of onward travel (a tourist visa alone is not sufficient). On entry it may happen that you have to credibly demonstrate sufficient financial means for your stay. This means either USD 500 in cash or the availability of the corresponding amount in your credit card account (verifiable by credit card statement).

Passport check during a day trip from a cruise ship: Please bring your passport along; Panama’s immigration authority checks it when you disembark from the ship.

Note: For a (transit) stay, i.e. a flight via Canada or the USA, an electronic travel authorization (ETA or ESTA) is mandatory for those countries!

Tip: Make a copy or take a photo of your passport (main page and entry stamp) and send it to yourself as a photo. That way you can still access it even if you lose your phone.

Currency and Credit Cards

The country’s official currency is the Panamanian balboa (abbreviation PAB), but the US dollar is what circulates. And that has been the case since the railway was built in 1850! More precisely, only US dollar banknotes circulate; for coins you will find both US dollar coins and balboa coins, which are minted for Panama in the USA. That is why all ATMs only dispense US dollars.

Credit cards (Mastercard and VISA) are gladly accepted in many restaurants and shops. A tip for cash: don’t carry large bills for purchases in souvenir shops, etc. It’s best to bring four 5-dollar bills and the rest in 20-dollar bills.

It makes no sense to exchange euros in Panama (euros are exchanged at the airport, but at an incredibly poor rate; the banks also exchange them, likewise at a poor rate, but it costs you half a day and you may even have to prove where you got the euros from). Bank cards or ATM cards for withdrawing money from machines work at many locations. You can withdraw USD 250 per withdrawal and pay USD 5.25 in fees, which is far better than the exchange office at the airport. Caution: using bank cards (Maestro) does not always work smoothly. Please check with your bank before the trip whether your bank card(s) are enabled for use abroad.

Panamatura travel tip: For a two-week Panama trip you should bring around USD 500 per person from home, depending on how much you pay by credit card and how much you want to spend on purchases; the rest you can then withdraw locally with your bank card.

We advise against bringing traveler’s cheques, as there is no way to exchange them.

Vaccinations, Travel Illnesses and Health Tips for Panama

Panama is a country where you are sufficiently protected with the standard vaccinations from Europe. The stories of malaria and yellow fever epidemics date back to the time of the Panama Canal construction from 1881 and have long since been overcome. The last domestic yellow fever case in Panama was recorded in 1972.

Covid

Entry: There are currently no COVID-19-related entry restrictions. – In healthcare facilities a mask is still often required.

Pharmacies and Hospitals

Well-stocked pharmacies can be found throughout the country, where you can get a wide range of medications, especially for illnesses that occur regularly in the area. For long-term medications it is of course advisable to bring a sufficient supply from home for the trip.

In Panama there are hospitals and health stations of the Ministry of Health throughout the country. In addition, there are hospitals and clinics of the social security institution in all larger towns (in Panama there is only one social security institution, regardless of whether you are a civil servant, worker, employee, etc.!) for insured employees. There are of course also a large number of private hospitals and clinics, and naturally private doctors as well. The private hospitals in Panama City and the provincial capitals have a very good standard. You naturally have to pay directly for a visit and can then settle it afterwards with your travel insurance. The standard of the healthcare system in Panama is very good; private hospitals in particular have a standard similar to hospitals in Europe, and the private doctors of course take much more time for their patients than statutory health insurance doctors in Europe.

Tropical Illnesses

The topic of tropical illnesses and necessary and recommended vaccinations is of course very important for every traveler, especially those traveling to Panama for the first time.

Malaria

In all of Panama there are only a few cases per year; most cases are concentrated in four remote areas (self-governed indigenous territories in eastern Panama and a remote stretch of the Caribbean coast in the west) which hardly any tourists visit. There is no malaria in the areas you will travel to, so neither prophylaxis nor stand-by medication is necessary.

Yellow Fever

The last domestic case of yellow fever was recorded in 1972; in general, vaccination is discouraged for people over 60 and for pregnant women. The only need for a yellow fever vaccination for Panama arises if you enter from a yellow-fever-affected country (Brazil) or afterwards visit a country that requires vaccination following a trip to Panama; these countries are: Aruba, Bahamas, Bolivia, Bonaire, Ecuador, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica or Nicaragua (per information from Panama’s Ministry of Health).

The tropical illnesses that occasionally occur in urban centers are: dengue, Zika, chikungunya. At the moment no epidemics are being recorded, only isolated cases. There is a vaccine only for dengue; the best prevention is avoiding insect bites through clothing and insect repellent. Important: these illnesses do not occur in the rainforest and in higher-elevation areas, and hardly occur at all in rural areas, so during visits and hikes in these regions you need not worry about these illnesses.

Various sources of information on the internet, as well as tropical medicine doctors and tropical institutes in Germany, usually recommend a multitude of vaccinations and medications that are not necessary.

Travel Tip on Vaccinations

In general, it is advisable to keep up to date with the vaccinations you should also have in Germany/Europe; no further vaccinations are necessary.

Sun and Skin

The most important things for staying healthy in a tropical country are adequate hydration and sun protection: you should definitely use sunscreen and wear a hat/cap, and bring sunglasses, as the sun can be very strong. In the dry season from December to April it hardly rains at all, and there is continuously very strong sunshine; around midday the temperature rises to about 34 degrees Celsius, so appropriate sun protection and drinking enough are indispensable.

Safety and Crime

Panama is a safe travel destination, even though the travel warnings from the foreign ministry often sound otherwise. Crime is concentrated in the slums and poorer neighborhoods (especially poorer neighborhoods in Panama City and the center of the city of Colón, where many cruise ships also dock); as an average traveler, and as long as you avoid these neighborhoods, you can spend a worry-free holiday. On a group trip in particular, visitors are very well looked after and informed by the agency and tour guide, so the likelihood of becoming the victim of a crime is very low. However, as in any travel destination, you should be careful and follow these rules:

• Don’t carry mobile phones, video cameras and cameras around carelessly.
• Avoid wearing valuable jewelry
• Don’t carry large amounts of cash
• Use the safe in your hotel (if available)
• Don’t stay alone at night in remote neighborhoods
• When driving in Panama City, lock the car from the inside

Protests and road blockades do occur and the protest culture is different from that in Germany or Austria, but it is nonetheless predominantly peaceful, and as uninvolved tourists you will gladly be told the reasons for the protests. You should accept the protesters, their protest actions and their motives. In the event of road blockades please stay calm and do not try to break a blockade against the protesters’ will.

In case you get caught up in a protest, you should contact your travel coordinator, who will then provide you with the relevant information, the duration of protests and alternatives.

Taxi Rides

An important tip for rides in taxis or individual rides:

Most taxi drivers are honest citizens, but above all rather poorer residents who earn their living this way; yet among them there are also a few black sheep. So follow the tips below when you use the yellow taxis: Never get into taxis that already have other passengers in them. Memorize, or write down, the vehicle number listed on the driver’s door; that is the taxi’s identification number (in critical moments you can tell the taxi driver this number and thereby let them know that you can identify them). In Panama City, as far as you are able to, use online services such as Uber. Taxis parked in front of your hotel are also safe.

Climate

The climate in Panama is tropical, with temperatures that barely vary over the year on average. In the lowlands the thermometer climbs to 29 to 34 degrees during the day and falls to as low as 23 degrees at night. Temperatures are considerably lower in the country’s higher regions.

The rainy season lasts from mid-April to mid-December. During the rainy season it rains on average every second day for one to three hours, mainly in the afternoon. The duration and amount of rain can vary greatly from year to year and depends on whether Panama has an “El Niño” year, a normal year, or a “La Niña” year. During the El Niño climate phenomenon it rains less than normal, and during La Niña more than average.

The rainy and dry seasons also vary depending on the Atlantic or Pacific coast. On the Pacific coast there is a pronounced dry season from mid-December to mid-April. On the Caribbean coast and in the central cordillera there can still be partly heavy rainfall as late as January. In February and March it is then consistently dry on the Caribbean coast too. Even in the dry season there are two to three more or less heavy rain showers per month. So please don’t be surprised if you are in Panama during the dry season and still get caught in a heavy shower a few times. Equally, in the rainy season there is often blue sky, or a few days with no rain or only very little rainfall.

Also important for the temperature at a location is the altitude; just as in central Europe in the Alps, the higher up you are, the cooler it gets. Take a look at the following list with the temperature by altitude. Panama in particular is a country where you can quickly move from sea level to 1,000 to 1,500 meters above sea level and even higher (up to 3,475 meters if you visit the summit of Panama’s highest mountain). Bear that in mind when you pack your suitcase.

Temperature by Altitude (daily low and high values)

• Coastal areas, lowland rainforest and lowlands: 24 – 34 °C
• Boquete (1,000 meters elevation): 15 – 25 °C
• Boquete Finca Lerida (1,600 meters elevation): 8 – 20 °C
• Summit region of Volcán Barú (3,400 meters elevation): 0 – 10 °C

Language

The national language in Panama is Spanish. In hotels and tourist areas English is often spoken too (more or less). In addition, there are seven languages of the indigenous peoples in Panama.

Religion

Freedom of religious practice is guaranteed in the country’s constitution. About 80% of the population profess the Catholic faith. 10% of inhabitants belong to evangelical churches. About 2% of the population are Baha’i and 1.4% are Mormons. Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and Hindus make up smaller religious communities in Panama.

Electricity

The mains voltage in Panama is 110-120 volts. An adapter with plug type A or B (flat plugs as in the USA) is required. This adapter plug is available cheaply in local hardware stores (ferreterías).

Phone Calls and Mobile

With the 3G, 4G and 5G networks, European mobile phones generally work well in Panama. Hotels almost always have WiFi where you can then log in for free. If you want to have a signal on the go, it is advisable to buy a local SIM card. A prepaid card for data and a few local talk minutes costs about 5-7 dollars per week. It’s best to buy one in a small supermarket or electronics shop, because at the airport SIM cards and prepaid cards are sold at inflated prices for about USD 40-50. The mobile network is good in all more densely populated regions; when you do rainforest tours or visit remote islands you often end up in regions without coverage.

Tipping

In tourism, whether in hotels, restaurants or on tours, tips are customary and part of saying thank you and recognizing a good service (e.g. porters, chambermaids, restaurant staff, taxi, drivers, tour guides, etc.).

In restaurants 10% of the bill amount is customary; many restaurants list options of 10%, 15% and 20% tip on the bill. You then have to tell the waiter the exact amount.

On an excursion or round trip, US$ 5-10 per participant per day is customary; you should budget about half that amount for the bus driver too, but the exact amount is up to you! A tip is of course voluntary!

Camera and Recording Gear

It is advisable to bring all your recording gear from home (memory cards, batteries, battery packs, chargers, etc.), because locally not everything you need is always available, and you don’t have the time to search through many shops. A travel tip: cheap adapter plugs can be found in many hardware stores and also small supermarkets.

Time Zone

The time difference between Panama and Central Europe (CET) is -6 hours in winter. In summer (CEST) it is -7 hours. That means when it is 12:00 noon in winter in Germany, it is just 6:00 in the morning in Panama.