Panama in December
· Updated · BootsnAll
December is when Panama's weather turns, and it turns in your favour. The rainy season, which runs from roughly May to November, breaks in early December and the dry season takes over until April.
That makes December one of the best months to be here, and the country knows it, which is reflected in the prices.
The weather
Panama City sits around 30 to 32 degrees by day all year; what changes is the rain and the humidity. By mid-December the afternoon downpours have largely stopped and the trade winds pick up, which takes the edge off the humidity.
Two things to know about the geography. The Pacific side, which includes Panama City, has a clear dry season. The Caribbean side, including Bocas del Toro, does not follow the same pattern and can rain at any time of year, though it usually has a drier spell around this period.
The highlands around Boquete are cooler, in the high teens and low twenties, and get the bajareque, a fine wind-blown mist that produces the rainbows the town is known for.
What is on
The Christmas and new year period is a major holiday and Panama City empties towards the beaches and the interior as residents travel. That means the city is quiet and the coast is full.
Mothers' Day on 8 December is a public holiday here and is taken seriously. Independence celebrations run through November and trail into early December.
New Year's Eve on the Cinta Costera in Panama City is a large public event with fireworks over the bay and the skyline behind.
Prices and crowds
December is peak season and the second half of it is the peak of the peak. Accommodation in Bocas del Toro, the San Blas islands and the Pacific beach towns needs booking well ahead for Christmas and new year, and rates can double.
Early December, before about the 15th, is the sweet spot: the dry season has arrived and the holiday rush has not.
What to do with it
The Canal, obviously. The Miraflores visitor centre is the easy version; the Agua Clara locks on the Caribbean side show you the larger expanded locks that opened in 2016 and take the biggest ships.
Casco Viejo, the old quarter of Panama City, is a UNESCO site and has been steadily restored from ruin into the city's restaurant district.
Dry season is the right time for the San Blas islands in Guna Yala, for hiking around Boquete, and for the Pacific beaches. It is also the best time for boat trips, because the sea is calmer.
Money
Panama uses the US dollar. The balboa exists as coinage pegged one to one, so American visitors need change no money at all, and everyone else should think in dollars.