Backpacking Panama: My Chaotic First Stop in Central America

If a friend suddenly texted you and asked, “Do you want to go to Central America and backpack all eight countries by land in three weeks?” would you say yes? Because I did, and that is basically how I ended up in Central America counting eight new countries in one trip.

Panama was our first stop. We found a last-minute affordable direct flight from Madrid to Panama City, booked it, and suddenly this completely chaotic idea had become real. The goal was simple: visit all eight countries in Central America, travel mostly by land, keep everything as cheap as possible, and somehow make it to Mexico within three weeks because my friend already had a flight booked from there.

This was one of the few times I was not traveling alone, and getting to travel with a friend felt like such a relief. Normally, every single part of a trip is in my head: where I am going next, how I am getting there, where I am sleeping, what time the bus leaves, whether the area is safe, what border I need to cross, and what happens if something goes wrong.

This time, I basically surrendered control. A lot of our mornings consisted of us waking up, packing our bags, and me asking, “Where are we going today?” because I genuinely had no clue. Somehow, that was both completely chaotic and incredibly peaceful because I was moving through country after country without having to mentally carry the entire trip.

Backpacking Panama Without Having a Clue What We Were Doing

If you think I am exaggerating about having no clue what we were doing, Panama immigration proved it immediately.

The immigration officer asked me what my job was, and I told her I did not have one because I had quit my job to travel. She looked completely shocked and told me, “But you need to have a job.” I explained again that I had quit, she clearly did not know what to do with that answer, and eventually she moved on.

Then she asked me how many days I was staying in Panama City. I said I did not know. She asked where I was staying, and once again my answer was that I did not know because we had not booked any accommodation yet.

Basically, the only useful answer I could give her was that we were eventually leaving Panama and continuing overland toward Costa Rica. Looking back now, I genuinely sounded suspicious as hell: no job, no accommodation, no idea how long I was staying, and no proper itinerary. I am slightly surprised she let me into the country.

Arriving in Panama City and Entering Budget Backpacker Bootcamp

We landed in Panama City in the evening, and my jet lag was already destroying me. We took the metro from the airport toward the city, and then reached the moment where my friend decided we could save a little more money by walking to the hostel instead of taking an Uber.

So there I was carrying two backpacks, sweating like a donkey, jet-lagged, exhausted, and slowly realizing that this entire trip was apparently going to be some kind of budget backpacker bootcamp. We were saving a few euros, but at that point I was seriously questioning whether the money was worth it.

It turned out to be a pretty accurate preview of the next three weeks.

Our €10 Hostel in Panama City

We stayed at Casa Areka, where we paid around €10 each for a dorm bed. My friend stayed in the mixed dorm, while I stayed in the female dorm.

The hostel itself was simple, but the area was much nicer than we expected and, at that point, I did not really care about anything except sleeping. I was exhausted and actually slept pretty well, except for the small problem of jet lag waking me up around sunrise.

→ Read: Casa Areka Hostel review

→ Find Casa Areka prices here

Trying to See Panama City in One Day

We only had one proper day in Panama City, so the entire plan was basically to see how much we could possibly fit into one day before leaving again. We started with breakfast at the hostel, which was included, and then walked toward Casco Viejo.

This was also when we discovered another excellent piece of planning from two supposedly experienced travelers. We had booked an entire Central America trip in August without either of us properly checking that we were traveling during rainy season.

It rained for most of the day, and we both hate rain and bad weather, so obviously this was going perfectly. Whenever the rain slowed down, we wandered around Casco Viejo and tried to see as much as we could before the sky opened again.

Following Locals to Lunch

At some point we saw a line of locals outside Fonda San Felipe. We had no idea what the place was, but our logic was simple: if locals were lining up, it was probably good.

So we followed them, and it ended up being one of our best budget decisions in Panama City. The food was really good, and I paid around €6 for a plate of food and a Coke.

Panama City had already started feeling more expensive than we expected, so finding a proper local meal at that price felt like a win.

→ Read my guide to Panama City on a Budget

Walking 24 Kilometers Because Apparently We Hate Ourselves

After lunch, we needed to figure out how to get to Bocas del Toro, so we headed to the bus station. The station was huge, but this was finally my moment to become useful because I speak Spanish.

We eventually found the right counter and bought tickets for that same evening because apparently staying anywhere for more than five minutes was not part of our plan. Then we needed to get back to the hostel, and my friend once again thought walking sounded like a great idea.

At some point my health app showed that we had walked around 24 kilometers in 24 hours in Panama City, so by then I was absolutely done. The local bus cost less than a dollar, and I was getting on the damn bus.

Unfortunately, traffic was horrible and the bus barely moved. My friend got bored and immediately started suggesting that we get off and walk the rest of the way, while I was perfectly happy sitting there doing absolutely nothing. After 24 kilometers, I had reached the point where I would rather sit on a stationary bus for an hour than move my legs voluntarily.

Leaving Panama City the Same Night

Once we finally got back to Casa Areka, we had enough time to rest, go to the supermarket behind the hostel, buy some food for dinner and the journey, and pack everything again. Then we ordered an Uber back to the bus station and got onto our night bus from Panama City to Almirante.

The journey was around ten hours. The bus was freezing, but otherwise surprisingly comfortable, and I probably would have slept better if my friend had not taken the window seat.

I am completely used to sleeping with my head against the window, so being stuck in the aisle seat meant I could not find a comfortable position no matter what I did. Still, sometime the next morning we finally arrived in Almirante.

Getting Followed by Men on the Way to the Port

Getting off that night bus half asleep and completely lost in life was one of those moments when I was very happy not to be traveling alone. We needed to get from the bus area to the port for the boat to Bocas del Toro, and I basically just followed my friend.

There were drivers offering taxis, but because we were still fully committed to budget backpacker bootcamp, we decided to walk. Not long after we started, a man began following us.

We told him we did not need help, but he kept following. We asked why he was following us, and suddenly he acted like he did not understand what we were saying.

Then somewhere along the way I realized it was no longer just one man. There were several of them, and at one point I counted around four spread around us as we walked toward the port.

I was freaking out and telling my friend that we were being followed by all these men, while he was completely unfazed. He has traveled to almost every country in the world and has been in much sketchier situations, so apparently this did not rank very highly on his personal danger scale.

Eventually, we discovered what was actually happening. These men guide tourists to the boat ticket offices and then get a commission for bringing them there.

When we reached the counter, the woman asked who had brought us. We said nobody because we had walked there ourselves, and the men who had followed us were standing right there listening.

They were not happy because now nobody was getting a commission. The entire situation went from me thinking we were being followed by four random men for some terrible reason to realizing they were mostly furious because we had cost them money.

Taking the Boat to Bocas del Toro

Then came one of my least favorite parts of island travel: the boat. I love islands, but I hate boats and somehow every single time I get into one, my brain immediately decides I am either going to die or end up in the water.

We got onto the small wooden boat from Almirante to Bocas del Toro and eventually reached Bocas Town. Once again, we had nothing booked and no real plan, so we wandered around, got a local breakfast, and started asking people where we could find cheap accommodation.

Eventually someone pointed us toward Hostal Hansi, a cute little place almost directly across from the boat port with affordable private rooms. It was exactly what we needed.

→ Find Hostal Hansi here

Exploring Isla Colón on a Motorbike

For once, the weather had decided to cooperate and we finally had some sun. We went looking for somewhere to rent a motorbike and quickly discovered that the prices in Bocas del Toro were honestly pretty expensive.

We compared a few places until we found the best deal we could and rented one for around two or three hours. Luckily, my friend knew how to ride because I absolutely do not, but I love being on the back of one, so I happily became passenger princess for the afternoon.

We spent the next few hours riding around Isla Colón and stopping at different beaches. All of them were completely empty, and at times it genuinely felt like we were driving around a deserted island, stopping wherever we wanted and having entire stretches of sand to ourselves.

That was probably one of my favorite parts of backpacking Panama. No plan, no schedule, just riding around and seeing where we ended up.

Eggs and Sausages: The Official Meal of Backpacking Panama

After returning the motorbike, we went back to the hostel, showered, and went grocery shopping. Panama was expensive, so our solution throughout most of the trip became very simple: eggs, sausages, and bread.

It was not glamorous, but it was cheap, easy, and did the job. We cooked dinner, went for a walk at night, and called it a day.

The next morning, we repeated the same kind of meal for lunch, which pretty much confirms that eggs and sausages became the unofficial food of backpacking Panama for us.

Waking Up to a Storm and Realizing I Had to Get Back on That Boat

The next morning my friend went snorkeling or diving. I still do not remember which one because I stayed at the hostel while it was absolutely pouring outside.

I spent most of the morning staring at the rain and thinking about the fact that I eventually had to get back on that boat. If I already hated the ride to Bocas in normal weather, there was absolutely no way I wanted to cross back to Almirante in a storm.

I had already decided that if the weather did not improve, I was staying another night. My friend eventually came back, we made another extremely glamorous lunch of eggs, sausages, and bread, and then waited impatiently for the rain to stop.

Eventually it slowed down enough that we decided this was our window to leave.

The Boat Ride From Hell

I was already stressed before getting onto the boat, and somehow the journey back was about 300 times worse than the first one. The boat kept smashing into the waves, and every time it hit the water there was this horrible noise that made it sound like the entire thing was going to snap in half.

I spent most of the ride holding onto my friend for dear life while he sat there looking deeply embarrassed to be traveling with me. I did not care. If that boat was going down, I was taking him with me.

Eventually, somehow, we made it back to Almirante alive.

And Just Like That, Panama Was Over

And that was basically our time backpacking Panama. Panama City, one full day, a night bus, Bocas del Toro, a motorbike, too much rain, way too much walking, men following us for commission, a terrifying boat ride, and a lot of eggs and sausages.

From Almirante, we basically hitchhiked toward the Costa Rica border, said goodbye to Panama, and crossed into our second country. Costa Rica would somehow become an even faster stop than Panama because apparently our three-week Central America trip had absolutely zero chill.

Would I Go Backpacking Panama Again?

Absolutely, but I would do it differently.

Panama was the first country of a completely chaotic three-week trip, and at the time we were obsessed with movement. We were not trying to properly explore every corner of the country; we were trying to cross Central America.

That meant Panama became more of an introduction than a full trip. I would still keep Panama City relatively short, but next time I would probably spend more time exploring the surrounding areas and actually do some of the experiences we skipped.

I would also absolutely go back to Bocas del Toro, preferably with sunshine and preferably without another boat ride from hell.

But backpacking Panama gave me exactly what I wanted from that trip: chaos, movement, ridiculous stories, and absolutely no idea what was happening next.

And that was only country number one.