Traveling with Children

Panama [1] is a child-friendly country. There are many young families in the country, so lodgings often include little playgrounds, child-oriented activities, and guest rooms with multiple beds.

Vaccination recommendations and other preventative-care measures are often different for small children than for adults. Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s website (www.cdc.gov/travel [2]) or ask your doctor for information.

Panama’s warm weather and abundance of outdoor-recreation possibilities make the country a great place for kids. But parents need to be especially alert when traveling around Panama given the comparatively fewer safeguards for children than in more developed countries (missing handrails, sudden drop-offs, chaotic traffic, etc.).

Kids are welcome just about everywhere; only a few hotels and other establishments do not allow or at least discourage bringing children. These are usually ecolodges that don’t want the wildlife disturbed or are concerned about children falling off boardwalks into the water. I do not recommend taking small children to most parts of the Darién [3] or to Kuna Yala [4] (San Blas Islands) because of the rugged conditions and possible dangers from wildlife. Rats, for instance, are a fact of life in the San Blas Islands [4], and while the risk of a bite is small, rustling in the rafters has been known to shatter more than one worried parent’s rest.

Since 1995 Panama City [5] has had a nighttime curfew for those under age 18. Unattended minors are supposed to be off the streets 8 p.m.–6 a.m. Sunday–Thursday and 11 p.m.–6 a.m. Friday–Saturday. Exceptions are made for students and young workers, but only with proper documentation. The curfew is aimed at residents, but theoretically foreign minors could be stopped by the police if unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Violators are taken to a police station until picked up by their parents, who are subject to a fine.