What if you could add another country to your vacation without paying for an extra flight?

That was exactly our thinking when we planned this trip.

Our final destination was actually Brazil, but since we were flying with Copa Airlines, we decided to take advantage of their Panama Stopover program and spend several days exploring Panama along the way.

Instead of simply connecting through Panama City and continuing on to Brazil, we turned our layover into an adventure!

And the best part? The stopover itself didn’t cost us anything extra in airfare!

Copa Airlines’ Stopover program allows eligible passengers traveling through Panama to add a stay in Panama of up to 15 days before continuing on to their final destination, essentially giving travellers the opportunity to visit two countries on one trip.

For us, it was a simple question:

If we’re already flying through Panama, why not stop and explore it? 🇵🇦✈️

So that’s exactly what we did.

What started as a stopover on our way to Brazil turned into several days of exploring Panama City, the Panama Canal, sloths, Casco Viejo and the beautiful San Blas Islands.

And honestly, Panama ended up being much more than just a stop between flights.

Exploring Panama City and the Panama Canal

We started our Panama adventure in Panama City, a fascinating destination where modern skyscrapers sit alongside colonial architecture, historic neighbourhoods and lush tropical rainforest.

The city itself was fascinating to explore. One minute you’re surrounded by the energy of a modern capital city, and the next you’re surrounded by centuries of history or immersed in the tropical landscape. Panama City felt like a place where completely different worlds came together.

Of course, one of the biggest highlights of exploring the city was visiting the Panama Canal.

No trip to Panama would be complete without seeing this incredible feat of engineering in person. Watching a massive ship slowly make its way through the locks is one of those experiences that’s difficult to fully appreciate until you’re standing there watching it happen. The sheer size of the ships, the locks and the entire canal system is incredible.

We visited the Miraflores Locks, where we were able to watch ships transit the canal while learning more about the history and engineering behind this remarkable waterway.

It’s easy to think of the Panama Canal simply as a shipping route, but seeing it in person gives you a completely different appreciation for what it took to build—and continues to take to operate—one of the world’s most important waterways.

For us, Panama City was the perfect introduction to the country: modern, historic, tropical and full of surprises, with the Panama Canal at the heart of it all.

Sloths and Panama’s Wildlife

One of the highlights of our Panama trip was venturing into the Gamboa Rainforest to visit the Sloth Sanctuary.

As you make your way through the rainforest, it quickly becomes clear that there is much more to see than just sloths. We spotted several of these incredibly fascinating animals, slowly moving through the trees and vegetation, but they were only one part of the experience.

We also came across some of Panama’s incredibly colourful poison dart frogs, which were easily among the most beautiful creatures we saw during our trip. Their bright colours almost seemed out of place against the lush green rainforest—but that’s exactly what made them so fascinating to photograph.

Beyond the wildlife, the rainforest itself was an experience. We explored the incredible variety of tropical plants, flowers and vegetation, with something interesting seemingly around every corner.

The visit to the Sloth Sanctuary gave us a wonderful glimpse into Panama’s incredible biodiversity and was a great reminder that sometimes you don’t have to travel far from the city to find yourself surrounded by nature.

For us, it was a completely different side of Panama—and one of the most memorable stops of our trip. 🌿🦥🐸

Exploring Casco Viejo (old quarter)

One of our favourite parts of exploring Panama City was spending time in Casco Viejo, the city’s historic old quarter.

Walking through its narrow streets felt like stepping into another time. We wandered past beautifully restored colonial buildings, colourful facades, historic churches and charming little plazas, with something interesting around almost every corner. The mix of old-world architecture and the modern Panama City skyline in the distance made Casco Viejo especially photogenic.

We also came across a small local marketplace where we could stop and take in an incredible view of the Panama City skyline. It was such a great contrast—historic Casco Viejo in the foreground with the city’s modern skyscrapers rising behind it.

And then there was the food.

Panama really flexed its culinary talent during our visit. We explored several restaurants throughout the city and were impressed by the variety of flavours, ingredients and influences that make up Panama’s food scene. From traditional Panamanian dishes to more modern interpretations of local cuisine, the food quickly became another highlight of the trip.

Casco Viejo ended up being more than just a place to see historic buildings. It was a neighbourhood we could walk, explore, eat, photograph and simply take in the atmosphere—all while having that incredible Panama City skyline as a backdrop.

It was one of those places where we didn’t really need a strict itinerary. We could just wander and see where the streets—and our appetites—took us. 🇵🇦🏛️🍽️

San Blas Islands: Paradise in the Caribbean

Then came one of the biggest highlights of our Panama stopover: the San Blas Islands.

After exploring the city, history and wildlife, we headed toward the Caribbean coast—and the scenery completely changed.

Crystal-clear turquoise water, white-sand beaches, palm trees and tiny islands scattered throughout the Caribbean make San Blas look almost too perfect to be real.

The San Blas Islands, also known as Gunayala, are home to the Indigenous Guna people and are made up of hundreds of islands and cays.

It was the perfect contrast to Panama City and gave us the chance to experience a completely different side of the country.

Why We Loved the Panama Stopover

The biggest lesson from this trip?

Don’t overlook the stopover.

If you’re flying through Panama on your way somewhere else, it’s worth looking into whether the Copa Airlines Panama Stopover can turn your connection into an entirely new travel experience.

We were already heading to Brazil.

We were already going to fly through Panama.

So why not stay a few days and explore another country?

That’s exactly what we did—and instead of simply saying we passed through Panama, we can now say we’ve actually experienced it.

From the Panama Canal to Casco Viejo, from spotting sloths to finally relaxing among the turquoise waters of the San Blas Islands, our stopover gave us an entire Panama adventure before we even reached our final destination.

And that’s one of the things we love most about travelling: sometimes the best experiences are the ones you didn’t originally plan for. 🇵🇦🌴✈️

Heading to Panama on your next flight? Don’t just connect. Stop over.