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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Panama

13 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Panama

Updated July 24, 2026
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Unusual Attractions in Panama

City Culture & Caribbean Islands
Inside Panama Inside Panama

City Culture & Caribbean Islands

with Natalie Moore
Author

A week in Panama blends vibrant city culture and food with laid-back Caribbean islands, offering an ideal escape with beaches, nature, and local experiences.

See All 13 Things To Do in Panama

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Panama

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Wings of Survival

A world-first race with nature
by Timm Döbert, Community Contributor
New Phasmid from Expedition Panama

Travelling for Insects

An open invitation
by Jace Porter, Community Contributor
The rugged and infamous terrain of the Darién Gap as seen from the Pacific, off the coast of Panama.

Podcast: Darién Gap

An infamous break in the Pan-American Highway has been in and out the news for more than 100 years.
by The Podcast Team, Atlas Obscura
A new study finds that black-handed spider monkeys like their fruits, well, boozy.

Monkeys Love Their Alcohol

But proving the “drunken monkey” hypothesis has been an exhausting—and messy—endeavor.
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Azteca ants live within cecropia trees.

These Ants in Panama Are Masters of Damage Control

An incident with a slingshot led scientists to a greater understanding of the relationship between the insects and their host trees.
by Jonathan Moens, Atlas Obscura
There are 49 Guna communities on the island archipelago of Guna Yala.

The Secret History of Panamá’s Most Colorful Clothes

In Guna Yala, indigenous women sew stories of legend, revolution, and even Minnie Mouse into the elaborate textiles known as molas.
by Sarah Durn, Atlas Obscura
An aerial view of a few of the artificial islands that make up the development project known as The World, a short boat ride from the coast of Dubai.

How to Build an Island

All you need is a dream, investors with deep pockets, and concrete. A lot of concrete.
by Alastair Bonnett, Atlas Obscura
A green sea turtle, tangled in a ghost net in 2014.

Ghost Nets Haunt the World's Oceans, Hunting Beyond the Grave

Who you gonna call?
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Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
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