Panama: Paso Canoas > David > Santa Catalina > Panama City
- Apr 9
- 2 min read
Jan 2026 |
This was my itinerary for Panama: 3 stops (not enough!). All part of my Pan-America tour 2025-2026.
Ride 1: Paso Canoes to David
After crossing into Panama, I rode another hour or so and stopped for the night at David. It seemed like a nice place, which had a major US military presence in the past. I didn't really have a chance to look around; this was just a pit stop. The only photo I took of David was of a drone on the tin roof outside my window.
Ride: 55 km / 1 hour
Stay: Hotel Iberia / $45 / ***
R2: David to Santa Catalina
Though I was in a hurry to get to Panama City and ship my bike to Colombia, I felt obligated to make at least one stop and to see some of Panama. Santa Catalina looked like a great choice, a surf town with diving. The ride from David was about 75% freeway through ranchland, and a final section of rural road to Santa Catalina. I checked into an Airbnb (an open-air pyramid hut, overpriced), then went straight to Coiba Divers to sign up for a day out the next day. Santa Catalina is a great place, great F&B, a good vibe. Overall a good stop in Santa Catalina.
Ride: 240 km / 4 hours
Stay: ? / $40 / **
R3: Santa Catalina to Panama City
My last ride in in North/Central America, and a long one at about 6 hours. Most of this ride was freeway, quite dull. Close to Panama City, I rode over the Panama Canal, and soon thereafter rode by the Rod Carew baseball stadium. Entering the city, you get a good view of the packed, modern skyline. I stayed in a cool shabby-chic hotel in El Congrejo area, an awesome neighborhood with scads of great F&B, and a cool statue of Roberrto Duran. I also did a ride through the Canal Zone with a stop at Miraflores Lock, booth worth experiencing. I really enjoyed my time in Panama City, it was a highlight of my 3 month ride from Canada. The day after arriving, I rode over to The Overland Embassy and started the process of air-freighting my bike to Colombia larter that week.
Ride: 365 km / 5.5 hours
Stay: Grand International Hotel / $50 / ****
Short video of my ride in Panama City: TikTok
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