Geography & general
According to COUNTRYAAH, Panama is a state in Central America that became world famous for the Panama Canal of the same name.
The independent country between Costa Rica and Colombia is located on the narrowest land area in Central America and therefore offered the perfect location for a waterway from the southern Pacific to the northern Caribbean.
Today around 3.5 million people live in the Republic of Panama, of which around 1.4 million are in the metropolitan area of the capital Panama City.
The southernmost state in Central America is an up-and-coming tourist region that is slowly emerging from the shadow of its much better-known neighbor Costa Rica. In addition to Panama City and the island of Taboga in front of it, the most important holiday regions include the Bocas del Toro island chain, the San Blas archipelago (Kuna Yala), the Boquete coffee-growing region and the El Valle mountainous landscape.
Panama’s highest mountain is the Volcán Barú with 3477 meters. Due to its special feature as a natural land bridge between North and Central America, Panama has a very diverse flora and fauna. Almost a third of the total land area is under nature protection, there are currently 15 nature parks and reserves in Panama.
Tourists from Germany usually land at Tocumen International Airport near Panama City, which is served by Condor (non-stop from Frankfurt), KLM and Iberia, among others. There are also numerous connecting flights, especially via the United States.
- Abbreviation Finder: Check to see national geography, brief history, society description, domestic politics, economy overview, and a list of widely used acronyms about Panama.
Climate in Panama
Despite its different altitudes, Panama has a tropical climate in almost all regions. This means that the slight temperature fluctuations between day and night are still greater than the differences between “summer” and “winter”. In other words: there are no classic seasons!
Only the dry season and rainy season can be distinguished seriously in Panama and Central America in general. The dry season usually runs from around Christmas to Easter, while the rainy season in Panama runs from around mid- April to mid- December.
The rainy season is not only associated with increased rainfall, but also often brings with it a very high level of uncomfortable humidity and humidity outside the showers.
When is the best time to visit Panama?
Depending on the type of travel, the restrictions due to rain in Panama are sometimes more and sometimes less decisive. In general, however, the much more pleasant dry season is recommended for beach holidays and adventure trips alike. The carnival in Panama also falls during the dry season.
We therefore recommend the months January to March as the best travel time in Panama to our readers, and April and December are usually very suitable as a travel time. The rainiest month in the country is October, on the Pacific side December and January are usually the driest months.
Optimal travel time for the regions
In the following overview you can see the best travel time depending on the region (Panama).
| Place | Best travel time |
| Panama City | January, February, March and April |
| Bocas del Toro | January, February, March, April and December |
Temperatures, precipitation, sunshine in Panama City
| Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Daytime temperature | 32 ° C | 32 ° C | 32 ° C | 32 ° C | 31 ° C | 30 ° C | 31 ° C | 30 ° C | 30 ° C | 29 ° C | 30 ° C | 31 ° C |
| Night temperature | 22 ° C | 22 ° C | 22 ° C | 23 ° C | 24 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 22 ° C |
| Water temperature | 27 ° C | 27 ° C | 26 ° C | 27 ° C | 27 ° C | 27 ° C | 28 ° C | 27 ° C | 27 ° C | 27 ° C | 27 ° C | 27 ° C |
| Precipitation in mm | 29 | 15 | 16 | 76 | 203 | 200 | 185 | 194 | 193 | 263 | 255 | 135 |
| Rainy days | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 20 | 18 | 12 |
| Hours of sunshine | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| Sunrise | 6:35 | 6:35 | 6:25 | 6:10 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 6:05 | 6:10 | 6:05 | 6:05 | 6:10 | 6:25 |
| Sunset | 18:15 | 18:25 | 18:30 | 18:25 | 18:30 | 18:35 | 18:40 | 18:35 | 18:20 | 18:00 | 17:55 | 18:00 |
Temperatures
The average annual temperature in Panama City is 26.8 ° C. For comparison: Munich reaches an average of 8.6 ° C, in Berlin it is 9.6 ° C. The warmest month is April (27.7 ° C), coldest month of October with averages of 26.1 ° C. The maximum water temperature in Panama City is 28 ° C. Comfortable bathing is possible at these temperatures. All months have a water temperature of at least 21 ° C and are therefore suitable for a beach holiday.
Precipitation
The annual precipitation is 1764 mm on 141 days with precipitation. For comparison: In Munich, 967 mm, in Berlin 570 mm, precipitation is measured annually. The months of May, June, July, August, September, October and November are considered the rainy season, as more than 175 mm of precipitation can be expected per month. Overall, around 1493 mm of precipitation can be expected in the rainy season. You cannot expect snow in any month in Panama City.
Sunshine
As our climate table shows, February is the sunniest month with an average of 8.7 hours of sunshine per day. On average over the year, the sun shines 6.1 hours per day. For comparison: In Munich and Berlin, the sun shines an average of 4.7 hours per day throughout the year.
Cities nearby
The following larger towns are nearby and have a similar climate: San Miguelito District, Tocumen, Juan Díaz and Colón.
