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Hidden gems: quieter places to retire in Panama

Beyond Boquete and Coronado, Panama has quieter places that fewer retirees choose: islands like Taboga and the Pearl Islands, cool hills like Cerro Azul and Santa Fe, Caribbean towns like Portobelo, and colonial villages in Azuero.

Each comes with official data and the trade-offs you should check before you decide.

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BeachPanamá Oeste

San Carlos

San Carlos is a beach town of about 4,000 people (2023 census) on the Pacific Riviera, the strip of beaches that starts in Chame, west of Panama City. It is one of the driest spots on the coast, with a long dry season from December to April and about 28 °C (82 °F) on average at the nearest weather station. Surfers and kitesurfers come for the waves and wind, and there is a lagoon and a hill to climb. The town has a public health center and a Social Security clinic, but the nearest hospital is in La Chorrera.

Why it is a hidden gem

A Pacific Riviera beach with one of the driest climates on the coast and a Social Security clinic in town. It draws more searches for homes and long-term rentals than any other place on this list, yet most people choose Coronado next door.

Before you decide

  • There is no hospital in the district; the Ministry of Health lists the Panamá Oeste hospital in La Chorrera.
  • The weather figures are long-term averages from stations that are closed or some distance away.
  • Do not confuse it with San Carlos in the district of David, Chiriquí.
  1. Tourism Authority of Panama, visit page
  2. INEC, 2023 Census, table 10
  3. Ministry of Health, health facilities 2023
  4. IMHPA station El Nance (138-003)

HighlandsPanamá

Cerro Azul

Cerro Azul is a hill community at about 660 m (2,170 ft) on the edge of Chagres National Park, the closest cool mountain area to Panama City and Tocumen airport. Much of it is Altos de Cerro Azul, a private residential development with its own rules, so it feels more like a gated neighborhood than a town. It is very rainy, about 3,160 mm (124 in) a year, with a short dry season from December to March. There is a public health center on the hill, and the nearest hospital is in Tocumen. There is no official temperature record for the area.

Why it is a hidden gem

The closest cool mountain area to Panama City and Tocumen airport, on the edge of Chagres National Park, with some of the highest searches for homes and rentals among these places.

Before you decide

  • Much of the area is a private residential development, Altos de Cerro Azul, with its own access rules.
  • There is no official population or temperature figure for Cerro Azul.
  • It is very rainy, about 3,160 mm a year by our calculation from official records.
  • Health care on the hill is a Ministry of Health center; the nearest hospital is in Tocumen.
  1. Aquatic Resources Authority (ARAP)
  2. INEC, 2023 Census, table 10
  3. Ministry of Health, health facilities 2023
  4. IMHPA station Cerro Azul (144-003)

HighlandsChiriquí

Dolega and Potrerillos

Dolega is a district between David and Boquete in Chiriquí, home to about 37,700 people (2023 census). Its uplands, Potrerillos Arriba and Potrerillos Abajo, sit in the buffer zone of Barú Volcano National Park and are known for old stone walls that mark out small pastures. At about 920 m (3,000 ft), the nearest long-term station averages 21 °C (70 °F). It rains a lot from May to November. Dolega has a public health center and a Social Security clinic, and the hospitals are in David. Panama has no official tourism page for the area.

Why it is a hidden gem

Between David and Boquete, with Potrerillos on the slopes of the Barú Volcano at about 21 °C (70 °F) on average. People search for long-term rentals here, but it has neither a tourism page nor Boquete’s fame.

Before you decide

  • There is no official source on access or attractions for Dolega.
  • Heavy rain from May to November, about 3,700 to 3,850 mm a year by our calculation.
  • Potrerillos lies in the buffer zone of Barú Volcano National Park, where land use may be limited: ask the Ministry of Environment before you buy.
  1. Ministry of Environment
  2. INEC, 2023 Census, table 10
  3. Ministry of Health, health facilities 2023
  4. IMHPA station Dolega(Pueblo Nuevo) (108-011)

BeachChiriquí

Boca Chica

Boca Chica is a small fishing village of a few hundred people on the Gulf of Chiriquí, the launch point for boat trips to the islands, reefs and mangroves of Gulf of Chiriquí National Marine Park. Panama's tourism board calls the gulf one of the best kept secrets of the Pacific. It is hot, about 27 °C (81 °F) on average, and very rainy from May to November. It is remote: about six hours by car from Panama City, or a flight to David and an hour by road. The village has only a basic health post, and the nearest hospital is in David.

Why it is a hidden gem

The gateway to the islands and reefs of the Gulf of Chiriquí, which the tourism board calls one of the best kept secrets of the Pacific. Few people choose it because it is far from everything.

Before you decide

  • Only a basic health post in the village; the hospital is in David, more than an hour away.
  • Public transport from David is limited.
  • A very small community, with few services.
  • Part of the coast and islands is a national marine park, where land use is limited.
  1. Tourism Authority of Panama, visit page
  2. INEC, 2023 Census, table 10
  3. Ministry of Health, health facilities 2023
  4. IMHPA station San Lorenzo (110-001)

BeachCoclé

Río Hato and Farallón

Río Hato and Farallón sit at the far end of the Pacific Riviera in Coclé province, about two and a half hours by road from Panama City. Río Hato is a working town of almost 16,000 people (2023 census) behind a row of beach resorts, and it has its own international airport, used mainly for charter flights. This is the dry, sunny end of the coast: little rain from December to April and about 28 °C (82 °F) on average. There is a public health center in Río Hato, and the nearest hospitals are in Penonomé and Aguadulce.

Why it is a hidden gem

The dry, sunny end of the Pacific Riviera, with an international airport in town and a real working town of almost 16,000 people behind the resorts. It is about an hour further from the capital than Coronado.

Before you decide

  • There is no hospital in the district of Antón; the Coclé hospitals are in Penonomé and Aguadulce.
  • It is hot: about 28 °C (82 °F) on average and close to 29 °C in April.
  • Several beach areas are private developments or resorts, Buenaventura among them, not part of the town.
  1. Tourism Authority of Panama, visit page
  2. INEC, 2023 Census, table 10
  3. Ministry of Health, health facilities 2023
  4. IMHPA station Rio Hato (138-004)

HighlandsVeraguas

Santa Fe de Veraguas

Santa Fe is a small mountain town of under 3,000 people (2023 census) in Veraguas, founded in the 1550s and surrounded by Santa Fe National Park, about 700 km² of rainforest with dozens of waterfalls. At about 460 m (1,500 ft) it is cooler than the coast, about 25 °C (77 °F) on average, with a dry season from January to April. Trails are rugged and the park has no visitor facilities. The town has a public health center, and the nearest hospital is near Santiago, the provincial capital. Panama City is a drive of at least three hours.

Why it is a hidden gem

A cool mountain town surrounded by a national park with dozens of waterfalls. Few people choose it because it is far from a hospital and an airport, without the infrastructure of Boquete.

Before you decide

  • There is no hospital in the district; the reference hospital is near Santiago.
  • The national park has no visitor facilities and the trails are rugged.
  • There is another Santa Fe district in Darién, so searches and listings can mix them up.
  1. Tourism Authority of Panama, visit page
  2. INEC, 2023 Census, table 10
  3. Ministry of Health, health facilities 2023
  4. IMHPA station Santa Fe (132-033)

CityCoclé

Penonomé

Penonomé is the capital of Coclé province, a working city of about 26,000 people (2023 census), and the district has over 100,000. Panama's tourism board calls it a hidden gem that most visitors overlook. It has a public hospital and a Social Security clinic, and the beaches of the Pacific Riviera and the mountain town of El Valle are both close. Panama City is about two hours away on the Pan-American Highway. It is warm, with a sharp dry season from December to April. An official food basket for Penonomé and other regional cities cost B/. 343.81 a month in July 2026.

Why it is a hidden gem

A provincial capital with a public hospital and a Social Security clinic, about two hours from Panama City and close to the Coclé beaches and El Valle. The tourism board itself calls it a hidden gem that most visitors overlook.

Before you decide

  • It is warm, and there is no official temperature series for the city itself.
  • It is a farming and services city, with little aimed at foreign residents.
  1. Tourism Authority of Panama, visit page
  2. INEC, 2023 Census, table 10
  3. Ministry of Health, health facilities 2023
  4. IMHPA station Sonadora (134-008)

BeachChiriquí

Puerto Armuelles

Puerto Armuelles is a Pacific port town of about 12,000 people (2023 census) in Chiriquí, near the Costa Rican border. It has its own Social Security hospital and a public health center. It is hot, about 27 °C (81 °F) on average, with a short dry season from January to March and a lot of rain the rest of the year. On the edge of town, a small municipal forest reserve protects green iguanas and monkeys. Panama's tourism board does not promote the town, so expect few services aimed at visitors.

Why it is a hidden gem

A Pacific coast town near the Costa Rican border with its own Social Security hospital, and searches for long-term rentals and the cost of living. Almost nobody chooses it because it gets no official promotion.

Before you decide

  • There is no official source on access or attractions; the tourism board does not cover the town.
  • The weather figures come from a station closed in 1997.
  • It is rainy from April to December, with only three dry months.
  1. Ministry of Environment
  2. INEC, 2023 Census, table 10
  3. Ministry of Health, health facilities 2023
  4. IMHPA station Burica Centro (100-136)

IslandColón

Portobelo and Isla Grande

Portobelo is a Caribbean town of about 4,900 people (2023 census) in Colón province, with Spanish colonial forts listed by UNESCO, a living Afro-Panamanian Congo culture and the Black Christ of San Felipe church. Beaches and islands are a short boat ride away, and Isla Grande, an island with no roads, is 15 to 20 minutes by boat from La Guaira. Panama City is about 1.5 to 2 hours by car. This coast is wet almost all year, about 3,600 mm (142 in) of rain, with February and March the driest months. The town has public clinics, and the nearest hospital is in Colón.

Why it is a hidden gem

The closest Caribbean coast to Panama City, with UNESCO-listed colonial forts, a living Congo culture and islands a few minutes away by boat. Few retirees choose it because it rains almost all year and services are limited.

Before you decide

  • Rain almost all year, about 3,600 mm by our calculation; only February and March are fairly dry.
  • The hospital is in Colón; Isla Grande has only a small health center, and leaving means a boat.
  • The tourism board advises carrying cash, because not many places accept cards.
  1. Tourism Authority of Panama, visit page
  2. INEC, 2023 Census, table 10
  3. Ministry of Health, health facilities 2023
  4. IMHPA station Portobelo (117-002)

IslandPanamá

Taboga Island

Taboga is a small volcanic island about 20 km (12 miles) from Panama City, with a hillside village of about 700 people (2023 census), flower gardens, murals and the church of San Pedro, built in 1685. The ferry from the Flamenco Island port on the Amador Causeway takes about 30 minutes, with four sailings a day on weekdays and one more on weekends and holidays, for about US$24. There are beaches, a large brown pelican colony and two hiking trails with views of the city. The island has only a public health center, so any hospital visit means a boat to the city.

Why it is a hidden gem

The closest inhabited island to Panama City: half an hour by ferry to a village without traffic, with beaches and a view of the skyline. Almost nobody moves here because everything, from the doctor to the supermarket, depends on the ferry.

Before you decide

  • There is no hospital on the island, only a Ministry of Health center.
  • Ferry times and fares can change; check them before you plan around them.
  • There are no weather records for the island itself.
  • A small village of about 700 people, with limited services.
  1. Tourism Authority of Panama, visit page
  2. INEC, 2023 Census, table 10
  3. Ministry of Health, health facilities 2023
  4. IMHPA station Balboa Heights (142-004)

IslandPanamá

Pearl Islands

The Pearl Islands are an archipelago of 39 islands and about 100 islets in the Gulf of Panama, mostly in a natural state, with fewer than 2,000 residents across the whole district (2023 census). Contadora is the main island, with more than ten beaches, rental homes and a small airstrip. A daily ferry from the Amador Causeway takes about two hours and costs a little over US$100 round trip; private planes fly from Albrook in about an hour. The dry season runs from December to April. There is no hospital: Contadora has a small Social Security clinic.

Why it is a hidden gem

White sand beaches and whales two hours by ferry from the capital, with Contadora as a base with services and rental homes. Few people settle here because there is no hospital and everything arrives by boat or small plane.

Before you decide

  • There is no hospital: Contadora has a small Social Security clinic, and an emergency means a plane or boat to the city.
  • The ferry costs a little over US$100 round trip, and planes are private charters.
  • A very small population, with limited services and island prices.
  1. Tourism Authority of Panama, visit page
  2. INEC, 2023 Census, table 10
  3. Ministry of Health, health facilities 2023
  4. IMHPA station San Miguel (150-001)

IslandBocas del Toro

Bastimentos Island

Bastimentos is a large island in the Bocas del Toro archipelago, ten minutes by water taxi from Isla Colón, home to about 2,600 people (2023 census). Much of it is a national marine park, with wild beaches such as Wizard and Red Frog, the Afro-Caribbean village of Old Bank and Indigenous Ngäbe communities that offer local tours. It is warm, about 27 °C (80 °F), and wet all year, with no real dry season. There is a public health center on the island, and the hospital and airport are on Isla Colón. Check carefully what land can be bought before making plans.

Why it is a hidden gem

Bocas without the noise of Bocas: wild beaches, an Afro-Caribbean village and Ngäbe communities, ten minutes by water taxi from the hospital and the airport on Isla Colón.

Before you decide

  • Much of the island is a national marine park, so not all land can be bought or built on.
  • There are Indigenous Ngäbe communities, and collectively owned land cannot be sold.
  • There is no dry season.
  • Everything, including a hospital visit, depends on the boat.
  1. Tourism Authority of Panama, visit page
  2. INEC, 2023 Census, table 10
  3. Ministry of Health, health facilities 2023
  4. IMHPA station Aeropuerto De Bocas (93-002)

TownLos Santos

Tonosí

Tonosí is a cattle-country town of about 2,200 people (2023 census) at the far southern end of the Azuero Peninsula, a little over an hour by car from Pedasí and about five and a half hours from Panama City. It has a small rural hospital. Nearby Isla Cañas is one of the few beaches in the world with mass sea turtle nestings, up to 2,500 turtles in a night, and the surf at Cambutal draws surfers looking for a quiet spot. It is one of the hottest places in this guide, about 28 °C (82 °F) on average, with a sharp dry season from December to April.

Why it is a hidden gem

A cattle town at the far end of the Azuero Peninsula with its own rural hospital, the surf of Cambutal and the mass turtle nestings of Isla Cañas. Few people settle here because it is more than an hour beyond Pedasí.

Before you decide

  • About five and a half hours by car from Panama City.
  • A small rural hospital in town; the regional hospital is in La Villa de Los Santos.
  • Very hot in the dry season.
  • Isla Cañas is a wildlife refuge, not a place to buy or build.
  1. Tourism Authority of Panama, visit page
  2. INEC, 2023 Census, table 10
  3. Ministry of Health, health facilities 2023
  4. IMHPA station Tonosi 2 (124-004)

HighlandsVeraguas

Calobre

Calobre is a rural district of about 11,700 people (2023 census) in Veraguas, north of the provincial capital, Santiago. Its best-known feature is La Yeguada Forest Reserve, Panama's first forest reserve, created in 1960, with pine forests around a lake at about 640 m (2,100 ft), where the long-term average is 23 °C (74 °F). The town itself is lower and hot. The dry season runs from December to April. Calobre has a public health center and small health posts, and the nearest hospital is near Santiago. Services for foreigners are very limited.

Why it is a hidden gem

A country district north of Santiago with Panama’s first forest reserve, La Yeguada, where the pine forest around the lake is much cooler than the coast. It is the least searched place on this list.

Before you decide

  • There is no official tourism information for the town.
  • There is no hospital in the district; the nearest is near Santiago.
  • Rural services: many communities have only a health post.
  1. Ministry of Environment
  2. INEC, 2023 Census, table 10
  3. Ministry of Health, health facilities 2023
  4. IMHPA station Calobre (132-010)

TownHerrera

Parita

Parita is a small colonial town of about 4,200 people (2023 census) in Herrera province, founded in 1558 and close to Chitré, the regional city. Its church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, from the 17th century, is a national historic monument, and much of the town dates from the 1700s. This is one of the driest corners of Panama, about 1,150 mm (45 in) of rain a year, with almost no rain from January to April, and it is hot, about 28 °C (82 °F). Parita has a public health center, and the hospitals are in Chitré, a short drive away.

Why it is a hidden gem

A colonial town in Azuero with a church that is a national historic monument, a short drive from Chitré and its hospitals, in one of the driest corners of the country.

Before you decide

  • It is hot and dry, and almost no rain falls from January to April.
  • Town services only: the hospital and larger stores are in Chitré.
  1. Tourism Authority of Panama, visit page
  2. INEC, 2023 Census, table 10
  3. Ministry of Health, health facilities 2023
  4. IMHPA station Parita (130-002)

How we chose them

We looked for places outside our main guide that appear in the official tourism listings and in searches by people planning a move, and ordered them by how often Google suggests searches about homes, rentals or the cost of living for each one. Population comes from the 2023 census, weather from the stations of the Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, and health care from the Ministry of Health list. We left out Darién, because of the US travel advisory for parts of the province, and the Indigenous comarcas, where land is collectively owned.

Thinking about one of these places? Tell us which one and we will check what changes for your residency and your health care there.

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