Panama: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Panama feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 97 written places.
Crossroads energy - canal commerce, Caribbean islands and cloud forest within hours.
✓ Considered polite
- Watch a ship transit the canal locks - Miraflores makes it easy
- Use the US dollar notes you have - it is the paper currency here
- Visit both oceans - it takes under two hours
- Try the San Blas islands via Guna-run trips - their territory, their rules
✗ Better avoided
- Photograph Guna people without permission - fees are their right
- Expect Panama City polish everywhere - the interior is rural and lovely
- Drink tap water in remote areas - fine in the capital
- Skip the coffee - Boquete geisha beans are world-famous
Worth knowing
- US dollars are legal tender alongside the balboa coin
- Tipping is 10%
- The rainy season means afternoon downpours, not lost days
- Uber works in the capital and beats street taxis for clarity
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
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Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.