Panama

Wander Casco Viejo's restored plazas, lined with 17th-century facades, boutique hotels, and rooftop bars overlooking the bay, by day for artisan shops and coffee, and by night for some of the country's best dining and live jazz. A short drive along the Amador Causeway offers waterfront views of cargo ships queued to enter the Canal, with the modern skyline rising behind them, a reminder of how quickly this city moves between centuries.

Visit the Miraflores or Agua Clara Visitor Centers to watch massive cargo ships rise and fall through the lock system just feet away, or arrange a partial transit by boat for an up-close look at how the waterway actually works. The surrounding rainforest, part of Soberanía National Park, is one of the most accessible spots in the world for spotting toucans, sloths, and howler monkeys, all within minutes of the capital.

Private island retreats like Isla Palenque sit within a marine-protected gulf ringed by rainforest, coral reefs, and empty beaches reachable only by boat. Days here are built around the water: snorkeling and diving over healthy reef systems, sport fishing for roosterfish and marlin just offshore, and kayaking through mangrove channels at low tide. It's a quieter, more private counterpart to Panama's Caribbean side, and a natural stop for travelers looking to disconnect between the Canal and the highlands.

Centered around the town of Boquete, the Chiriquí highlands are Panama's coffee country, home to prized geisha varietals grown on the volcanic slopes of Volcán Barú. Tour a working finca to see the harvest up close, hike through cloud forest in search of the resplendent quetzal, or take on the Sendero Los Quetzales trail between misty ridgelines. The cooler climate and slower pace make it a natural counterpoint to Panama's coasts.