Panama Pacific

Sailing on the Pacific side of Panama is a bit different. We love the area. The scenery is stunning, the beaches are wide and huge. Wildlife is incredible, above and under the water.

However, especially if you just crossed the canal and come from the Caribbean side, the Pacific has its challenges.
Tides up to five meters make anchoring not so easy. The same goes for dinghy landings that have to be planned carefully (hint: it’s better to anchor the dinghy and swim to shore). There are strong currents at times. And if you come in the rainy season, you may wonder about the squalls and lightning that they bring.

However, when you come to the Pacific side of Panama, you realize the wisdom in the saying holds true:

If it was easy, everybody would do it

Again, especially coming from the Caribbean side: The sailboat anchorages on the Pacific side of Panama are empty. And when we say empty, we mean most of the time you will be on your own. Of course, if you are one of the cruisers looking for company, this may not be your cup of tea.

If you are into remote beaches where you can skinny-dip all day with only turtles and hermit crabs watching you, the Pacific side of Panama is exactly your thing.

We’ve lived in Panama since 2019 and have cruised Panama with our Sailing Catamaran Outventure since 2020. Here in this blog, we would like to present some of our favorite places in Panama, mostly on the Pacific coast.

And if you are in Panama without a sailboat or sailing catamaran, we may be available to show you this beautiful country from the ocean on a sailing catamaran day trip.