🌎 Backpacking 1.5 Months in Panama: Forest Hikes, Paradise Islands & Lifelong Friendships

My journey as a full-time traveler began exactly two years ago, on September 25, 2023, when I started exploring the world through a combination of volunteering and backpacking. It began in Brazil Volontariato in una Ong in Brasile: la mia esperienza, where I volunteered for two months, followed by a month of backpacking in Costa Rica My workaway experience in the tropical jungle of Costa Rica, where I discovered rainforests, volcanoes, and tropical beaches. Before and after spending nine months backpacking across Asia My 9 months of backpacking in Asia last year, I returned to Italy and traveled through Europe, taking in cities, landscapes, and cultures closer to home. Additionally, in February, I volunteered for one month in Zanzibar Il mio mese a Zanzibar, further expanding my experience of global cultures, landscapes, and marine life.

By the time I planned Panama last spring, it felt like the natural follow-up to this two-year adventure. I booked a €340 flight from Milan to Panama (basically the cheapest flight from Europe to Latin America I could find; that’s why I started with Panama), ready to continue my Latin American journey began 2 years ago.

Panama is a country of stunning contrasts: a narrow land bridge connecting North and South America, with Pacific and Caribbean coastlines, lush mountains, cloud forests, volcanic craters, and hundreds of tropical islands. Its culture is a vibrant mix of Indigenous, African, and Spanish heritage, reflected in music, food, festivals, and the warm hospitality of its people. May and June, when I visited, fall in the rainy season, with sudden showers, heavy clouds, and refreshing cool temperatures in the highlands. Panamanians are proud of their history, from Spanish colonization, independence from Spain in 1821, the brief union with Colombia, and finally separation in 1903, to the construction of the Panama Canal, one of the modern world’s greatest engineering feats.

The country uses the U.S. dollar alongside the balboa coins, and its cuisine includes sancocho (chicken stew), arroz con pollo, patacones, empanadas, ceviche, and a variety of tropical fruits, complemented by world-famous Geisha coffee from Boquete.

Panama promised me a perfect mix of adventure, wildlife, culture, history, and friendships, and it delivered in every way. Over 1.5 months, I hiked, snorkeled, volunteered, and connected with travelers from around the globe, whose stories awed and inspired me. I used Workaway to find volunteering opportunities at Bodhi Hostel in El Valle de Anton and the guesthouse La Lune Topaz in Boquete, while the opportunity to volunteer at Discover Coiba Panama Tours presented itself to me spontaneously, with a meeting with Chure in Santa Catalina. As always, volunteering in a hostel/family/school/NGO/association or whatever allowed me to immerse myself in local life while contributing meaningfully, and definitely helped me with my travel budget (which is about 400 euros per month).

This is not just a “What to do and see” article, it’s something I write first of all for myself, for my friends, family and all the people that in the course of the years have been following my journey, it’s hours I decide to dedicate to putting down my experience with love and care, it’s a relate of my personal experience, my impressions, my unique “solo” backpacking journey in this incredible country, an homage to all the people, fellow travelers, I met on the way, to all the new friendships and forever-lasting memories that I carry in my heart.

Panama City: Urban Exploration & Couchsurfing Adventures

I stayed at Zebulo Hostel, a lively and cheap hostel in the heart of Panama City. My Couchsurfing reference, Gabriel, a worldwide basketball player, picked me up at the airport on the evening of the 11th of May and, for the next few days, showed me the city like a local, taking me to hidden gems and planning a mix of city sights and day trips.

Things to see and do in Panama City:

Casco Viejo – cobbled streets, colonial churches, rooftop bars with panoramic views (my favourite part of the city)
Cinta Costera – waterfront promenade perfect for walking or cycling
Biomuseo – Frank Gehry’s museum showcasing Panama’s biodiversity
Mercado de Mariscos – taste fresh ceviche and local seafood
Metropolitan Natural Park – hike through a rainforest reserve within the city (where Gabriel and I got trapped by a sudden tropical storm)
Pedro Miguel Docks – canalside views, boat watching, and fishing
El Dorado Mall – shopping and local cuisine
Calle de los Sombreros – an artisan street famous for handmade Panama hats (a perfect spot for pictures)

Day Trip to Colón

Gabriel surprised me with a day trip to Colón in his car, taking along my French friends from the hostel, Matteo and Victoria, who had been backpacking all of Central America for 8 months with their two cats (yes, you read it right!!!). Colón, often overlooked, has a fascinating combination of Caribbean culture, history, nature, and shopping, and we had a bloody good day there.

Things to see and do in Colón:

Panama Canal & Puente Atlántico – observe ships navigating the locks and cross the historic bridge (going there was a highlight of our trip, and the price to see the Canal is lower than in Panama City)
Agua Clara Docks – see canal operations close up
Castillo de San Lorenzo – historic fortress at the Chagres River mouth
Playa Sherman – relax on the beach and enjoy ocean views (basically, we were the only foreigners amongst a few local families)
Duty-free mall – incredible bargains on perfumes, hair & body oils, and creams (we did do lots of very satisfying shopping there)

Surprise Trip to El Valle

On the day I left Panama City, Gabriel surprised me by driving me all the way to El Valle de Antón, making the scenic journey comfortable and magical. This set the tone for my volunteer experience at Bodhi Hostel, hiking, exploring, and building lifelong friendships. I said hasta luego to Gabriel, ready to start the new chapter of my Panamanian adventure.

El Valle de Antón: Hiking, Waterfalls & Workaway Volunteering

Nestled in an extinct volcanic crater, El Valle de Antón is a lush town surrounded by cloud forests, waterfalls, and trails. I volunteered via Workaway at Bodhi Hostel, organizing hikes, game nights, group dinners, yoga classes, and movie nights. Originally planning a short stay, I ended up staying two weeks.

🌿 Things to See and Do in El Valle de Antón

🏛 Museums & Cultural Spots

El Valle Museum (Museo de El Valle) – small but informative, covering the geology of the volcanic crater, Indigenous artifacts, colonial history, and local wildlife.
Butterfly Haven – an enclosed garden with hundreds of butterflies, perfect to learn about their life cycle.
El Nispero Zoo & Botanical Garden – a small zoo with native and exotic animals, plus a botanical garden with orchids and unique plants.

🥾 Hikes & Viewpoints

(Most hikes have an entrance fee of 3 or 5 dollars)

La India Dormida – the most famous hike, shaped like a “sleeping woman,” with panoramic views of the valley. (My first hike leading a group of 13 people, I loved it despite all the sweating)
Cerro Gaital – a challenging hike with steep paths and one of the best views in El Valle, with its unique setting of the cloud forest
Cerro La Silla – scenic ridge hike perfect for sunrises (I loved it so much I went twice! Even if I hate waking up at 4 am) and sunsets
Cerro La Poma – a lesser-known hike with sweeping valley landscapes.
Square Trees Nature Trail (Arboles Cuadrados) – short trail with rare square-shaped tree trunks.
Mirador Las Luces – beautiful viewpoint overlooking the valley, especially at sunset.

💦 Waterfalls & Rivers

Chorro El Macho – a tall waterfall with a swimming area and a zipline nearby.
Chorro Las Mozas – smaller waterfalls with natural pools, great for a refreshing dip.
Las Tres Cascadas – three waterfalls in the forest, perfect for a hike-and-swim combo.
Cascada Escondida – hidden waterfall deep in the jungle.

🌸 Nature & Relaxation

Pozos Termales (Hot Springs) – outdoor pools with warm volcanic waters and mud baths full of minerals
Orchid Center (APROVACA) – nonprofit garden conserving Panama’s orchids, including rare endemic species.
Butterfly & frog sanctuaries – learn about local biodiversity.

🛍 Local Life & Markets

El Valle Sunday Market – colorful artisan market with handicrafts, local food, fruits, and souvenirs.
Handicraft shops – Panama hats, painted masks, and molas from the Guna Yala people.

Friendships in El Valle:

At the hostel where I worked, I met Jakob from Germany, Lina from Germany, Chris from Germany, Theo from France, Kamalya from Germany, Madison from the USA, Martin from Uruguay, Livia from Switzerland, Wannes from Belgium, Manon and Gabin from France, Dennis and Ellen from Belgium, Timur from Germany, and Ken from Japan. I also regularly visited Casa de Juan hostel, where I met Danil from Ukraine and Alina from Germany, and saw my friend Vika from France, whom I had met at Zebulo Hostel in Panama City. These friendships shaped and enriched my experiences, making my time in this little volcanic town memorable. With these friends, I went on hikes, watched movies, played card games, had lunches out, shared long conversations, practiced yoga, visited the local markets, went to the Pozos Termales to swim in fresh waterfalls, and had a lot of fun.

Jakob has lived most of his life in Panama since he moved there with his family from Germany when he was a child. He manages the hostel and was always my reference and a pleasant company during my volunteer job.

Lina had been backpacking for about 8 months from South Africa to multiple countries in Latin America (of which almost 2 months were spent in the Galapagos Islands). We spent a lot of time together and created a meaningful friendship that continues today through infinite voice messages on WhatsApp, updating each other with our lives, and hoping to meet again next year and travel together. A few days after we split our ways in Panama, she went to California for a few days and then to Australia, where she’s currently living with a local family and working for them.

Chris had been traveling in Central America for a few months. He came back to El Valle after leaving for one week. The day we met, we played cards and funny truth or dare games with Kamalya, Lina, Timur, and Madison till late at night. The second time we met, we went on a few hikes together with my other friend Theo, and we also went to the pozos termales and had a few good lunches out. He then visited me for the third time in Santa Catalina, where I introduced him to my friends from Urbano hostel and took him to Coiba.

Theo left France with 5 full months of traveling perfectly planned: one month in Mexico, one in Panama, one in Colombia, one in Peru, and one in Bolivia. He loves tropical islands and told me all about his 6 months living in Mauritius, working in a fancy hotel.

Kamalya is German, but her ethnicity is Azeri, and she speaks Russian too. She got quite tipsy on that game evening and made everyone laugh with her loud, funny stories.

Madison is from Ohio, and she’s incredibly fit and muscular. She has a strong American accent and a vibrant personality, and she moved to Panama for many months for a University/job program.

Martin is the first person I’ve ever met from Uruguay. When I first saw him in the hostel, he was playing the guitar and singing. He told me all about his backpacking journey through all of South and Central America. He was headed to El Salvador to participate in a surf competition. We met again by chance in Santa Catalina at an electro party.

Livia was the very first friend I made at the hostel. In Switzerland, she was a tailor. She came to Panama after 2 months in Brazil, 2 months in the Dominican Republic, and 2 months in Costa Rica.

Wannes had been backpacking all of Central America by the time we met. He then headed to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil before going back home recently. We watched the movie about Bob Marley together one night and shared a few interesting conversations.

Manon and Gabin joined me on a sunset hike at Cerro La Silla. Gabin used his drone to take breathtaking videos of the landscapes and us. He lived in Uganda for one year and caught all of my curiosity and admiration with this. He and Manon are still traveling, now exploring all of South America.

Dennis and Ellen were also on that hike. A lovely couple on a short holiday between Costa Rica and Panama.

Timur is a young German with Turkish origins. He was backpacking with just a small handbag, giving everyone a lesson on minimalism. He went to the gym while we were playing the card games and missed out on many interesting events of the night. I went on a few hikes with him, Lina, and the stray dogs that always followed us. He only had a pair of white shoes that obviously became brown on the first hike under a tropical storm and lots of mud. He kept changing his mind about where to go next, being indecisive between buying a flight to India or continuing his Latin American journey. Eventually, he’s still on the continent.

Ken is definitely quite a character. When I met him one night in the hostel, I thought he was a local because of how incredibly tanned he was, wearing a Guatemala t-shirt and eating some spicy food. I approached him, inviting him on the next day’s hike. He gently refused, telling me he’s too old for hiking (not true!) while laughing, and we ended up talking for hours. When he told me he’s Japanese, specifically from Osaka, that he used to work for the Japan Train Company, that he’s biggest passion is traveling, that when he was 17 he went alone to Switzerland, that he traveled to most Asian countries, and that he had been backpacking for almost 2 years, starting with 4 months in the Philippines to study English, 6 months in Canada working in a ramen shop, 2 months in Guatemala to study Spanish, many months traveling though all the countries of Central America and that he was planning to buy a motorbike in Colombia and then travel all of South America (what he’s exactly doing, he even went to Venezuela and he’s currently in Chile after spending months in Colombia and Peru!), well, I was astonished and in awe. I love Japan so much, and I admire him for being so adventurous; not many Japanese people would do what he’s doing.

Danil is from Ukraine but has been living for the past years in cold Canada (which he hates). He loves traveling with all of his being, and he’s super adventurous and a bit crazy. He had been hitchhiking through all of Costa Rica and Panama, and on the day we met, he had spent 12 hours walking non-stop and refused to take a bus back to his hostel, not to leave alone the dog that had been following him all day. I went to a beautiful waterfall with him and Alina. He sent me a super funny 4-minute video of him talking and playing with a squad of 6 raccoons in Panama City.

Alina doesn’t have Instagram, but we keep in touch through long WhatsApp messages and audio. She doesn’t want to go back to Germany, and now she’s volunteering somewhere in Colombia.

Vika told me something I had never heard about before in my life. She boat hitchhiked from Europe to Panama through lots of paradise islands on the way. We met again by chance in El Valle, and she told me that she lost her flight to French Guyana because she did not have all the right documents. Then she happily made it to the country where she intended to spend a good 6 months working and living.

Santa Catalina & Coiba: Surfing, Snorkeling & Hosteling Adventures

I then traveled by bus (too many) to Santa Catalina via Las Uvas, Santiago, and Sona, planning a short stay that turned into two weeks. I volunteered with Discover Coiba Panama Tours, translating guides’ Spanish commentary into English during amazing snorkeling trips. Santa Catalina is a very small town by the beach, famous for surfing and diving spots. Often, the town runs out of electricity, and this can cause some discomfort. Not much is going on there. During the 2 weeks I was there, there was just one small party one night. If you enjoy a calm, natural environment, this is definitely your place.

🌊Things to do and see:

Snorkeling and diving in Coiba National Park, spotting dolphins, sea turtles, reef sharks, whales, moray eels, lobsters, colorful tropical fish, scarlet macaws, capybaras, crocodiles, and many more animals
Surfing or having a walk at the beautiful and huge Playa Estero
Relaxing on the coast during breathtaking sunsets
Bonfires, music nights, and spontaneous hostel parties

Friendships and social life:

At Urbano Jungle Hostel and the house opposite, I met Luke from the Netherlands, Mare and Fei from the Netherlands, Isi from Germany, Louis from Germany, Jannes from Germany, Will from New Zealand, Brandy from Germany, Ben from Germany, Macy from Hong Kong, Pablo from Colombia, Celia from France, Itay from Israel, and Sales from Switzerland. Through Chure, I met Pietro from Italy, who introduced me to Dharnee from the UK, both volunteering at Scuba Coiba, where my friend Lina had also worked in the previous months.

Luke was never seen around with a t-shirt; he lived shirtless and barefoot, just with a white or blue swimsuit on. His long blonde hair became rasta during his months of backpacking Latin America, and he got robbed while crossing the border from Mexico to Guatemala. At some point, he moved to Chure’s house too to volunteer there like me. He was the one who came to announce to me that Little Mosquito, the sick kitten I had rescued from the streets a few days earlier, died. He dug a hole in the ground for me to lay my beloved little cat inside a grave I made out of cardboard.

Mare and Fei are two incredibly young friends from Amsterdam who decided to travel to Central America in their 18s while deciding what to study after high school. They were always together, and they also got a matching tattoo (their first one) by Brandy, the hostel’s tattoo guy. We played lots of card games together, Cambio and Shithead, and went to Playa Estero by hitchhiking with the other friends on my first day there. We also cooked a delicious pasta together with a French guy I met only for one night, and whose name escapes me.

Isi was the only volunteer at Urbano Jungle. She would prepare the pancakes for breakfast for everyone and help Pablo and Humberto at the reception. She loved Santa Catalina so much that she stayed for months, later volunteering in other hostels there too. We watched the sunset together at the beach once, sharing our fears and dreams for the future. Now she’s in the United States.

Louis was also constantly shirtless (actually, it was a bit of a common thing between male backpackers in Santa Catalina). He has an incredible story; he had been traveling by bicycle from Alaska to Panama. It took him about one year to do so, and this experience filled him with so many memories and adventures that he decided to take a pause of a few months in Santa Catalina to process all he had lived and start writing a book about it.

Macy is from Hong Kong, but she adores Latin America, especially Peru, where she has already been so many times, and even right now she’s back there opening her online travel agency.

Jannes comes from a small village in Germany. He’s incredibly tall and big, and has red hair; he definitely couldn’t go unnoticed in Latin America. He was not an experienced traveler; by the time he reached Panama, he had only been to Vietnam and a couple of countries in Europe. He planned on going to Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Costa Rica, and many more countries. I met him at my hostel cause he came to visit Macy one evening, and that same night he got attacked by many street dogs and had to go to the hospital and leave the town. I then met him again in Boquete, where we shared 2 weeks basically always together hiking, going for walks, shopping, watching movies, cooking, and sharing meals and long conversations. We also met again in San José, Costa Rica, after many misfortunes, but that’s another story.

Will was a very nice guy with lots of talents (on a few occasions, I saw him painting, playing the guitar, singing, surfing), but I was too distracted by the fact that he had the same name as my ex-boyfriend, that he was from New Zealand like him, and that he had the same necklace and the same accent.

Brandy has been traveling for 9 years, living most of this time in Australia, where he learned to live barefoot and where his passion for surfing exploded. He tattooed basically everyone in the hostel, sponsoring his travels. I thought about getting my first tattoo with him, but the terrible skin rash I suffered because of too many insect bites gave my skin enough to deal with, and I decided to wait for another time. One night, we had a long, deep talk lying on a sofa, looking at the ceiling, sharing our thoughts about our nomadic (sometimes lonely) lifestyles. He told me he was planning on moving to New Zealand for good and starting to work as a wood artisan.

Ben has very fancy hair and a double nationality: he speaks fluent Urdu, and his origins are Pakistani. He did the crazy ore train in Mauritania and takes his days with extreme relaxation. He loves surfing, but during his stay in Santa Catalina, he couldn’t do it because of a skin rash. He’s now in Peru after going on some crazy Amazonian adventure in Colombia.

Pablo is a Colombian artist called Pablo Montana, he plays and sings Colombian cumbia. He’s very stylish, full of tattoos and rings. He loves ancient Egyptian culture and its Gods so much that he’s got a bunch of them permanently tattooed on his skin, and his beautiful black cat is called Isis. He’s very knowledgeable about philosophy and history. His songs talk a lot about love.

Celia has a very cute French accent. One night, I went with her and other friends to a karaoke night in a bar, and she sang with me an Italian song, Felicità. She liked the surf town so much that she kept extending her stay and eventually started volunteering in another hostel with Isi. She backpacked all of Central America and then moved on to Colombia.

Itay had been traveling by motorbike from Alaska to Panama, spending lots of time in the USA and 4 months in Mexico on the way. I met him during one of the snorkeling tours in Coiba. He told me he was going to Burning Man in California soon, some weird, expensive, extreme desert music event.

Sales is one of the most reserved, quiet, and peaceful boys I’ve ever met. He was so reserved that I barely had any conversation with him, but he was a constant presence at Urbano, always with his cap and serene attitude.

Pietro was the only other Italian friend I had in Panama, and surprisingly, he also comes from a town near Bologna; he’s from Castel Maggiore. He smokes too much weed and always has his eyes half open. He’s a skater, and he volunteered in Palestine a few years ago. We got hit by a tropical storm one day when we were coming back from the beach and a lunch with an Argentinian guy who was traveling with his camper. He then visited me in Costa Rica, but our paths diverged there.

Dharnee has Indian origins but has never been to India, while she has lived most of her life between Spain and the UK. She also volunteered in a dive centre in Bocas del Toro before coming to Santa Catalina. One night, while I was visiting Pietro at their house, she got locked out of her room and she had to sleep in Pietro’s room that night cause their boss told her that at 20.30 he was going to sleep, so he couldn’t pass by to give her the safety key.

More remarkable memories:

Pablo Montana played Colombian cumbia while we enjoyed delicious grilled chicken at Chure’s place.
Bonfires under the stars, community cooking and dinners, electronic music parties on the beach, laughter, and storytelling created unforgettable nights.
Met Shaggie from the USA, a funny man with lots of scary tattoos, living in Panama with his big dog and fluffy cat. He got robbed in his house a couple of months earlier, and the thieves assaulted him in his sleep and left him all bruised and hurt.
I reconnected with friends from El Valle, like Martin and Chris. Martin introduced me to Brazilian, Colombian, and Swiss friends of his.

Boquete: Cloud Forests, Coffee & Hiking

After Santa Catalina, I traveled to Boquete via Sona, Santiago, and David (lots of hours on the cramped buses), high in the Chiriquí highlands, volunteering via Workaway at a quiet guesthouse called La Lune Topaz, mostly at reception (but actually the easiest volunteer job of all of my life, I basically didn’t work at all).

🌱Hikes and nature experiences:

Sendero Los Quetzales – spot the resplendent quetzal (unfortunately, I didn’t see it)
Pipeline Trail – gentle, beautiful walk past waterfalls and orchids
Volcán Barú – 10-hour hike to see Panama’s highest peak with views of both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans on a clear day (I didn’t go; I was too exhausted after all of the other hikes)
Parque Biblioteca – a community park and library very close to my guesthouse, where I used to go for a relaxing walk almost every day

Las Tres Cascadas & Cascada Escondida – hidden, stunning jungle waterfalls
Piedra de Lino – steep, muddy trail where Jannes and I almost had a serious accident, literally the most difficult hike of our lives, we came back all covered in mud, bruises, and scratches
Tuesday Market – fresh products, crafts, chocolate, and coffee are sold by a community of foreigners who have established themselves there. I even met Roberto from Florence, an Italian man who brought all of his family to Panama and was selling lasagna and tiramisu that day
Coffee farm tours – including Geisha coffee tastings (but I didn’t go)

Friendships:

I reunited with Jannes, hiking, cooking, and watching movies together. I met Kotryna from Lithuania. Plans to visit Bocas del Toro were thwarted by protests blocking the roads, so I eventually left Panama via the Pacific border into Costa Rica, diverging from my original plan.

Kotryna is the first and only person I’ve ever met from Lithuania. She had been slowly backpacking through all of Central America. She is also crazy enough like me to use Couchsurfing a lot, and she does do lots of volunteering too. Back in her country, she used to work as a dentist. Now she’s arrived in Ecuador, where she’s living in a beautiful mountain place.

Panama: History, Geography & Culture

Geography: Panama is a narrow land bridge linking North and South America, with Pacific and Caribbean coastlines, cloud forests, lush waterfalls, tall mountains, volcanic craters, and hundreds of breathtaking tropical islands full of marine and terrestrial life.

History:

Spanish colonization in the 16th century
Independence from Spain in 1821; joined Colombia, separated in 1903
The Panama Canal opened in 1914; U.S. control ended in 1999

Currency: U.S. dollars are used alongside balboa coins.

Weather: Dry season December–April; rainy season May–November (when I visited).

Food: Sancocho, arroz con pollo, patacones, empanadas, ceviche, delicious fresh fruit juices, and Geisha coffee from Boquete.

Travel Tips

Transport: Buses are very cheap and quite reliable, though the time schedule is not always so clear; Uber works in the “big” cities.
Safety: I always felt very safe; local people are friendly and helpful. Just avoid certain neighborhoods in Panama City and Colon, and avoid walking alone at night (stray dogs and drunk men can be a threat)
Packing: Rain jacket, sturdy shoes, mosquito repellent, dry bag, suncream.
Volunteering: Use Workaway, Worldpackers, or similar platforms for hostels, guesthouses, and dive centers.
Language: You need to speak Spanish cause most of the locals don’t speak English.

Suggested Itinerary

Days 1–3: Panama City & Colón – Casco Viejo, Cinta Costera, canal, Colón day trip, Metropolitan Park, Pedro Miguel Docks, El Dorado Mall, Calle de los Sombreros.
Days 4–7: El Valle de Antón – Hike La India Dormida, Cerro Gaital, Cerro La Silla, waterfalls, hot springs, artisan markets.
Days 8–13: Santa Catalina & Coiba – Volunteer, snorkel/dive, surf, enjoy bonfires and music nights.
Days 14–19: Boquete – Cloud forest hikes, Volcán Barú, coffee farms, Parque Biblioteca, meet friends.
Days 20–21: Bocas del Toro or San Blas islands – Caribbean beaches, island hopping (if roads open), quite expensive, but worth it from what I have heard (hopefully next time I’ll go there too)

Final Thoughts

Panama is a country of contrast and connection: mountains and beaches, cities and jungles, rain and sun. Most importantly, for me, it’s about the people I meet and the shared experiences.

From hiking trails in El Valle, snorkeling with turtles in Coiba, enjoying bonfires and music nights in Santa Catalina, and exploring Boquete’s cloud forests, I left Panama with a heart full of memories, friendships, and stories that will last a lifetime. As per usual, in every country I travel to, in the end.

After Panama, I returned to Costa Rica for a second adventure, spending another one and a half months exploring the Caribbean side this time, from pristine beaches to remote rainforests. I will soon post a full article about this new chapter, sharing the wildlife, hikes, and friendships that made it unforgettable!

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