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We could say that the best time to travel to Panama is really at any time of the year. The only thing you need to bear in mind is that outside of the dry season (from December to April), it can rain quite frequently.

When to travel to Panama

If you don’t know when to travel to Panama, don’t worry, the climate of this country enables you to visit at any time of the year. Only if you plan on going hiking, do you need to choose the months from December to April to avoid the rain. Otherwise, you can discover Panama practically at any time of year.

However, let’s see which is the best time to travel to Panama according to the region, there are two different climate zones in the country. Panama has a very warm climate, especially on the coast and in the lowland areas.

The cultural variety marks the popular festivals in Panama, which are distributed throughout the year. However, there are festivities that stand out above others because of their traditional origin and their peculiar color.

When you start preparing your trip to Panama, make sure it coincides with one of its main popular festivals such as the National Festival of the Pollera, the Festival of Diablos and Congos, the Manito Ocueño Festival, or the Carnival, among many others.

There are many events which you will want to attend because of the festivities in Panama because their tradition and folklore are worthy of being admired. Pay attention to the dates and take good note of the following events in Panama.

January

Panamanians, in addition to celebrating the New Year and the Day of Kings, host one of the most emblematic popular festivals in Panama in January: the Flower and Coffee Fair. If you want to participate in this celebration, you have to visit Boquete, in the province of Chiriqui.

February

In February, the popular festivities in Panama are distributed in different provinces, we start with the Soná Fair from 10th to 19th February, to continue in Veraguas from the 16th to the 18th with the Chitrá-Calobre Fair and the Santa Fé Fair. The month culminates with the Carnival, one of the festivities of Panama with the most colour and tradition. Villa de Los Santos, Las Tablas, Penonomé, Chitré, Aguadulce and Ocú are the most famous places to enjoy the Panamanian Carnival.

March

The first of March is Constitution Day, a particularly important day in Panama, marked by parades and official activities. But it is from 3rd to 6th March when one of the most spectacular popular festivals of Panama takes place: the Festival of Diablos and Congos of Chepigana.

April

During the month of April, we will find more typical festivities of Panama, such as the celebration of the District Foundation of Boquete in Chiriquí, or the International Fair of Azuero in Los Santos. At the end of the month, we will be able to attend another of the many events in Panama such as the Camarón Arriba Fair, in Santa Rosa de Bugaba.

May

On 20 May, in the province of Coclé, its main festivities are held, the Foundation of the District of Natá, and at the end of the month, on the 26th it is the province of Chiriquí which celebrates its Foundation in style.

June

During the month of June the Festival of Corpus Christi is celebrated in Panama, a festival into which, although it is of religious origin, Panamanians have managed to incorporate their more ancestral traditions and popular symbols. Travel to Villa de Los Santos to participate in several days of events and celebrations with dances, theatrical performances and characters such as the clean devils and dirty devils. You can also see the dance of the Torito, a traditional dance of the indigenous cultures of Panama.

July

July is the month which hosts one of the popular festivals of Panama par excellence, the National Festival of the Pollera. In Las Tablas, in the province of Los Santos, Panamanians demonstrate their great value as artisans, with the contest of polleras, a beautiful piece of traditional women's clothing, where jewellery is the main attraction.

August

If you visit the country from 11th to 14th August, you will discover one of the most traditional popular festivals in Panama: the Manito de Ocú Festival. The purpose of this festival is to pay homage to the Ocueño peasants and their native customs. Among the events of the festival, the celebration of peasant marriage with a couple chosen at random draws attention.

September

In September we have even more festivities and events in Panama such as the Palmira Festivities in Colón, or the Sea Fair in Bocas del Toro. But it is the National Mejorana Festival in Guararé which we suggest as one of the popular festivals in Panama which you cannot miss. The most indigenous folkloric traditions come together in this Panamanian festival.

October

During the month of October, Panamanians celebrate different regional fairs, such as the Tigre Island Fair in San Blas, from 12th to 14th October. Also in Guna Yala, the Rio Tigre Fair is celebrated on the same dates. But if there is a popular party in Panama to be highlighted in October, it is undoubtedly the Feast of the Black Christ in Portobelo on the 21st. This is a celebration which attracts thousands of pilgrims from all over the country and exalts religious fervour.

November

In Panama, the Day of the Dead is also celebrated, as in other countries with Catholic influence. In addition to this celebration, Villa de Los Santos celebrates its Foundation on 1st November. Other notable events are the Colmón Fair in Macaracas and the Panama Independence Day on 28th November.

December

To end the year with more festivities in Panama, and before the celebration of Christmas, Panamanians worship the Virgin of Guadalupe on 12th December in Veraguas and celebrate the Feasts of Saint Lucía in Coclé.

As you see, Panama is a non-stop of popular festivals, events, and festivities throughout the year. Don't miss the occasion and make your trip coincide with any of them; you won't regret it.

To talk about what to eat in Panama, we must first take into account the ethnic and cultural melting pot of the country. The Hispanic culture, along with the African, the Amerindian, and the Afro-Antillean, is the source from which Panamanian cuisine is derived.

In the gastronomy of Panama, you will discover that rice is the basis of many of its typical dishes. Other ingredients used are corn and plantain, as well as meat, fish, and seafood depending on the geographical area you visit. Other typical Panamanian foods are roots and tubers, such as yam, otoe, ñampí, cassava and potato.

With all those ingredients, they prepare some very tasty typical dishes which you have to eat in Panama. Then, you will know the most emblematic dishes of Panamanian cuisine and its ingredients.

Guacho

As we already anticipated, rice is the main ingredient of the cuisine of Panama, and one of its culinary expressions is the guacho. During your trip, one of the typical dishes to eat in Panama is this dish based on rice and green beans, cooked in a thick soup of vegetables, meat, yucca, yams and coriander.

Rice with Pigeonpea

The difference between this dish and the previous one is that it is based on white rice with coconut. There are two ways to prepare it, either add the fresh pigeonpea (bean stick) or fry it with garlic and onions before adding the rice. This touch of coconut makes it differentiate from the guacho for its flavour.

Other rice dishes typical of Panama are rice with seafood, rice with chorizo and chili, rice with pork and vegetables and the famous fututiao rice (rice prepared with onion, garlic, coriander, salt, pepper, chili and bacon).

Sancocho

Another typical dish to eat in Panama and many other countries in Latin America, is the sancocho. This dish consists of a very seasoned vegetable soup, to which different types of meat and tubers are added.

Other popular soups of Panama's cuisine are beef soup, beef leg soup, bean soup and seafood soup.

Rondón

This typical Panamanian dish is a seafood soup whose origin is Anglo Afro-Antillean. To prepare the dish, a seafood or fish soup is cooked with vegetables and tubers, to which spices, sweet peppers, green bananas and coconut milk are added. A delicacy which you must try during your trip.

Saus

Lovers of pork cannot fail to try this typical dish of Panamanian cuisine. The saus consists of a plate of pickled pork legs with spicy sauce. Its origin comes from Afro-Antillean tradition and you can try it mainly during the festivals of Bocas de Toro and Portobelo.

Mondongo a la Culona

With this bizarre name, Panamanians baptise a culinary invention, which is a mixture of flavours with an exceptional result. Prepare a broth with beef tripe, chorizo, onions, chilli, coriander, garlic, tomatoes, peas and carrots. It is seasoned with salt and pepper and served with white rice.

Tamales

As in other regions of Latin America, tamales are also prepared in Panama. To make the Panamanian tamales chicken, corn, tomatoes, capers, onions, coriander, peppers and banana leaves or Bijao are used. Its flavour is slightly reminiscent of Mexican tamales because of its spice.

Patacones

To prepare patacones, green plantain is used, which is flattened and fried, giving rise to a kind of delicious fried banana pancake. In other Latin American countries they are known as tostones, tajada or tachinos.

Ceviche

It is the turn of the devotees of fish and seafood with one of the tastiest typical dishes of Panama: ceviche. Its flavour is sweet and sour at the same time, and to make them, Panamanians marinate fish and seafood with lime. Panamanian ceviche is served with cookies or fried bananas.

Cobo Fillet

We continue with the fish, this time to prepare delicious fried cobo fillet, a dish to eat in Panama, as soon as you arrive in the country. To make this dish, small pieces of cobo fillet marinated with pepper, salt and lemon are used. Before tossing them into the pan, they are spread with a mixture of eggs, corn flour, ground biscuit, bread crumbs, and wheat flour. They are served with hot sauce or lemon.

To finish, we go to the desserts, with varieties as suggestive as Bocados de la Reina, Suspiros Panameños, Bienmesabe, Marshmallow, Mazamorra, and many more besides. The variety of desserts in Panama is almost endless, so we would have to help it down with a typical drink like Chicheme (fermented corn) or palm wine to digest everything.

And up to this culinary trip for the best of Panama, prepare your taste buds and dare to try gastronomy in which fusion is the norm.

Everything there is to buy in Panama is directly related to its rich blend of cultures. Panamanian handicrafts are extremely varied, which will make it easy for you to find more than one souvenir to take home with you.

This Central American country is home to the most diverse mix of ethnic groups in the world. Panamanians are descendants of indigenous people, black slaves, Spaniards, North Americans, Arabs, Italians, French, and a very long etcetera. There are also populations of Chinese, Colombians, Hindus, Mexicans, Jews, Greeks and Venezuelans, among others.

It is calculated that 70% of the population is mixed race, which creates a rich cultural variety resulting in some very unusual traditional products. In this sense, handicrafts are one of the things to buy in Panama in order to understand its ethnic diversity. Let’s see which the most famous traditional products are.

Molas

These creations are famous throughout the world, and you will see them in most of the country’s markets. A mola is a square piece of material which has been embroidered by hand, representing geometric figures, animals or other traditional indigenous symbols. Its success is not just due to the colourful patterns but also to their use, as they can be turned into rugs, tapestries, cushion covers, tablecloths, etc.

There is no doubt that the molas are one of the most representative traditional products to buy in Panama.  The quality and variety of their designs vary from one place to another, but if you want to find the best molas, visit the region of Kuna Yala.

Hats

Panamanian hats are another of the most sought-after souvenirs by travellers, both for use during their visit and for taking home as a souvenir. You will find hat stalls practically throughout the country, and because of this, their price and quality will vary from one place to another.

Coclé, Acuero and the region of Ngöbe are the main nuclei for hat makers. If you want to find a true Panama hat, visit one of these places and pop in to see how they are made in a completely traditional way.

Chácaras

Panamanian artisans make fine bags of vegetable fibres known as chácaras or cebaderas. The fibres they use to make them are mostly agave leaves which they decorate with natural dyes.

These little bags have drawings of vibrant colours with vertical or horizontal designs, making simple but very attractive patterns. If you want to give a traditional Panamanian product as a gift, you may have found the perfect one. To get the most authentic hand-made ones, visit the ethnic region of Ngöbe Buglé.

Handicrafts made from fruits and seeds

The different indigenous ethnic cultures in the country have been making handicrafts with palm and pumpkin seeds for centuries. The fine and intricate works with palm seeds have become true works of art, so much so, that you will find them in many jewellery shops adorned with precious stones.

For its part, the fruit of the pumpkin is used to make decorated pots which are one of the most original products to buy in Panama. The province of Colón is the place to buy this kind of handicraft, as well as the figures sculpted from coconut fibre.

Leather handicrafts

Another product used by craftsmen to create bags, belts, shoes and other accessories is leather. Ciudad de Panamá is where the production of these handicrafts is concentrated, and these could become the perfect souvenirs to buy in Panama.

The leather used is mainly cow hide, although more recently they are incorporating snake and lizard skin. The latter are grown in vivariums and most skins are exported.

Belmont Stone

Belmont or soap stone, comes from the province of Coclé, where the artisan sculptors create all kinds of figures that you will find in many of the markets throughout the country. With the soft rock, they create beautiful statuettes of animals which will be the perfect souvenir to buy in Panama.

Visit the town of Membrillo, where apart from discovering the town and its marvelous people, you will be able to watch from close up how the artisans work this unique stone.

Gold and silver work and jewelry

Gold and silver are materials used to make elegant jewelry with intricate designs. One of the main uses for this material is the making of jewelry that accompanies the Pollera Panameña (Panamanian skirt). The gold is embossed or worked into filigree or Arabesque and forms part of this traditional feminine attire.

Working precious stones is another element used to make the polleras. Los Santos and Herrera are the places where you can find the best gold and silversmiths and jewelers in the whole country.

Other handicrafts to buy in Panama which you will find in any market are hammocks, bead bracelets, and necklaces, wicker or naguas (geometric designs) lampshades.