Central Panama
The Central Panama region includes much of Panama province and all of Colon and Cocle provinces.Essential Destinations
Top destinations include Panama City and Colon.
Panama City
Photo: 123Hollic, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Capital of Panama and the most populous city in the country, it is located on the Pacific coast, near the entrance of the Panama Canal.
Colon
Photo: Luis8ortega, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Colón is a city in Central Panama. It's the Caribbean end of the Panama Canal. The town is in poor condition and notorious for its high crime rate, but it is worth driving around to look at the culture, people and architecture.
Portobelo
Photo: Xeas23, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Portobelo is a port city in Central Panama. It is located on the northern part of the Isthmus of Panama.
Destinations to Discover
Explore places such as Tocumen International Airport and Pearl Islands.
Tocumen International Airport
Photo: Panamafly, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Tocumen International Airport is the main airport of Panama. It is also the busiest airport in Central America, with flights to Europe, North America, South America, and many parts of the Caribbean.
Pearl Islands
Balboa
Photo: Editorpana, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. It was the capital of the Panama Canal Zone under American administration. Today, the Panama Canal Authority has its main headquarters on Balboa Heights.
Barro Colorado Island
Photo: Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Barro Colorado Island is an island on Lake Gatun in the Panama Canal in Panama. The island was created when the Panama Canal was built in 1913. The island is pristine tropical jungle.
Chagres National Park
Photo: Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0.
Chagres National Park is a huge protected natural area of dense rainforests, mountains, and rivers in central Panama. The park attracts naturalists and adventure travelers who come to explore the jungle trails or to enjoy watersports on the Chagres River or Lake Alajuela.
Taboga
El Valle
Photo: Robvann, CC BY-SA 4.0.
El Valle de Antón is a town in Cocle province, Central Panama. Because of its small size, and relative isolation from Panama City, El Valle is a stunning example of the cultural, environmental and culinary bounty of Old Panama.
Nueva Gorgona
Photo: Robvann, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Nueva Gorgona is a small rural "black sand" beach town in Central Panama, about a one-hour drive from Panama City via the Pan American Highway. It is adjacent to Coronado, a larger expat area.
Santa Fe National Park
Photo: Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Santa Fe National Park is a large protected area of more than 700,000 hectares of highland forest in Central Panama. The park is undeveloped with no visitor center, campgrounds, or other visitor infrastructure.
Altos de Campana National Park
Photo: Tauchgurke, Public domain.
Altos de Campana National Park is Panama's oldest national park and one of the easiest for travelers to visit since it lies only a 1-hour drive west of Panama City.
Central Panama
- Type: region
- Location: Panama, Central America, North America
- View on OpenStreetMap
Latitude of center
8.9667° or 8° 58′ 0″ northLongitude of center
-79.55° or 79° 33′ westWikidata ID
Q14913943
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Satellite Map
Discover Central Panama from above in high-definition satellite imagery.
In Other Languages
“Central Panama” goes by many names.
- Chinese: “中巴拿馬”
- Chinese: “中巴拿马”
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