Solo travel is possible! Let's go backpacking in Panama!

Panama: A Caribbean Paradise with a Canal to Boot

Panama, a name familiar to many thanks to the catchy song, remains shrouded in mystery for others. Nestled in Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, Panama offers a visa-free escape for travelers seeking a tropical paradise.

Tourism in Panama revolves around beachside resorts, mirroring the Caribbean experience with all-inclusive packages. These packages encompass accommodation, meals, unlimited drinks, and a plethora of activities, including water sports, beach games, and nightly entertainment shows.

My desire to explore a Central American country without the hassle of visa applications, coupled with the allure of experiencing the Panama Canal firsthand, led me to embark on a solo adventure to this captivating nation.

For a seamless experience, I opted for an all-inclusive resort and booked tours through them for exploring attractions like the Panama Canal. This approach ensured a safe and convenient journey, allowing me to fully immerse myself in the Panamanian experience.

Total expenses excluding airfare.

• An all-inclusive accommodation package for 5 nights for a single person may be quite expensive, costing around 800 USD.

• Tour costs and various souvenirs: 300 USD

Starting with accommodation, I chose the Royal Decameron Panama because it seemed to have a lot of restaurants and activities. It looked like there would be something to do every day, so I decided to stay there, and I wasn't disappointed. The only downside was that there were a lot of mosquitoes. The walk up and down between the accommodation, restaurants, and beach was also quite steep, making each trip a sweaty affair. During the day, there were many activities to choose from, such as beach dancing, water sports, and even art classes for those interested. In the evenings, there were also many activities, such as dance shows and light and sound shows. There were many restaurants, but I mostly stuck to the buffet because it had a wide variety of food to choose from. Except for a few meals when I felt energetic, I would book a table at the Thai or Japanese restaurant, but the taste wasn't that great. I'd rather go back to the buffet restaurant and relax.

Beach area

Path to the beach from the room

The size of the resort's internal plan is shown below.

The staircase leading down to the beach, where in the evenings there are light, sound, and color shows.

Room-by-room atmosphere

The evening performance was quite enjoyable.

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This is the beach dance instructor.

One of the resort staff took excellent care of us.

The beach bartender can make any drink you want.

Coming alone can be a bit lonely, but it also has a different kind of peace.

After relaxing and playing in the resort until I was completely softened (literally softened because I soaked in the water a lot), I finally wanted to go out and see the Panama Canal as I had intended. So I went to choose a tour with the resort and decided to buy a tour that went to the Panama Canal, a village in the mountains, and a walk around the city. It was a full-day tour, so I wouldn't be at the resort all day. I left early in the morning and returned late at night. Even though I lost some of the benefits of the resort, I had to go for the Panama Canal. The tour started in the morning. It was a group tour in a minibus with about 20 other people. In the morning, the tour took us to a zoo, a mountain, and a small village, which wasn't very interesting. Then in the afternoon, we went to the Panama Canal, which was very interesting and exciting to see the ships being released into the Panama Canal. There was a museum and various constructions, and the guide explained everything. In conclusion, my trip to Panama was a worthwhile one. I made good friends with strangers and had a chance to relax and change my perspective on Panama. Even though we didn't always understand each other, it was another memorable experience.

The ship is about to depart. This ship will be heading to Japan.

While exploring the city, we requested a photo with a police officer. Our guide informed us that it was unsafe to stray from the group, so we remained close to them and the other tour members throughout our visit.