I’ve heard rumors of a mythical off-the-beaten-path beach destination for years. A tiny town where the local fishermen outnumber the tourists. Where people haven’t even heard the words “spring break” or “digital nomad.” I’ve traveled the globe for years looking for this mythical beach town, only to be sorely disappointed. I have to say that Santa Catalina, Panama, isn’t quite the beach town of legend, but at least it didn’t disappoint.

Santa Catalina is a former fishing village on Panama’s Pacific coast. It’s well-known as a surfing destination, but it’s also the gateway to the magnificent Coiba National Park. Despite these two major draws, Santa Catalina still manages to retain a lot of local charm and as of yet hasn’t been overrun by digital nomads and spring breakers. Yet, there’s still enough tourist infrastructure to make traveling comfortable without feeling all gentrified and phony.

What to Know about Santa Catalina

Santa Catalina is a small town. The town center is essentially just a corner where the two main roads intersect. There’s a coffee shop, a couple of restaurants, a supermarket and an ATM and that’s about it. Further down the road towards the ocean there are some sea food restaurants and rather ramshackle tour agencies. It’s great.

We did notice, however, some new development along the edges of town. It’s very possible that the wonderful secret of Santa Catalina might get out soon, especially since asshole travel bloggers keep writing about it.

We don’t want Santa Catalina to become another Bocas del Toro. I suggest you burn your cellphone or laptop after you finish reading this blog post.

Santa Catalina is also incredibly safe. It’s a close-knit community and crime is virtually unheard of. I have, though, heard of women having problems with street harassment and cat calling. Unfortunately, this is a big problem in all of Panama. On behalf of enlightened men everywhere, I’m sorry to everyone who has to put up with it.

How to Get to Santa Catalina, Panama

The one thing that might keep Santa Catalina from overdevelopment is that it’s a little bit of a pain to get to. There’s only one road into town, and there are no direct buses from any of Panama’s other tourist destinations. You can sometimes find a shuttle from Boquete, but for some reason shuttles to Panama City were sporadic at best.

Thankfully, the public buses in Panama are cheap and safe. You can reach Santa Catalina via the town of Soná. Buses run between the two about six times a day. If you’re coming from Panama City, you might find a direct bus to Soná. Otherwise, you’ll have to transfer in the city of Santiago. Schedules change regularly, so ask locally before setting out.

Don’t let the vague, somewhat complicated, transportation directions put you off visiting Santa Catalina. You won’t regret it.

Where to Stay in Santa Catalina

Santa Catalina doesn’t have a ton of accommodation options, which is one of the downsides of not being as developed. However, there are a reasonable number of hotels and hostels, including some fancier resorts outside of town.

We stayed at Hostal Familiar Rolo. The location was right near downtown, or what passes for a downtown in Santa Catalina, anyway. Staff was friendly helpful setting up our tour to Coiba National Park. The rooms were nice enough, even though we were cheapskates and opted for the simplest rooms with shared bathrooms. They also have ocean front cabañas which looked very romantic.

You can book your stay at Hostal Famliar Rolo using this link. If you do, I’ll get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for booking and helping out an independent travel blog.

What to Do in Santa Catalina

The nicest thing about Santa Catalina is that there isn’t really a ton to do. Besides visiting Coiba National Park, that is. When you finish your tour of the national park, you can laze away in a hammock with a cold beer and watch the sunset over the pacific. If you’re a surfer, which I’m not, you’ll probably have no trouble keeping busy. For the rest of us, there’s always the national park beckoning.

I’m generally a fan of booking tours through hostels or in person. However, sometimes that’s just not possible. If you want to book your activities in advance, Get Your Guide has a range of activities for a reasonable price. If you book through the following link, I’ll get a small commission at no cost to you, and you’ll support an independent travel blog. Click here to explore tours in Panama.

Take a Day Tour to Coiba National Park

The absolute number one best thing to do in Santa Catalina, and maybe all of Panama, is visit Coiba National Park. This national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site is a marine reserve consisting of 38 islands in the Gulf of Chiriquí. The main island, Coiba Island, used to be a penal colony, which kept development at bay and led to the creation of the national park once the prison closed.

You can spend the night on the island if you want. I believe they’ve improved accommodations since the prison days. Otherwise, it’s very easy to book a day trip from Santa Catalina. We paid about $85 and it was worth every penny.

We started early in the morning and boarded our boat from the beach. We set off into the mighty Pacific and saw a number of dolphins along the way. A bit later, a Minke whale splashed out of the water. The area is also home to Humpbacks and other species of whale who come to Coiba National Park to breed at certain times of the year.

After the impromptu whale watching, we stopped near the island for some amazing snorkeling. We got to see not only hundreds of colorful fish, but reef sharks and sea turtles. The snorkeling near Santa Catalina and Coiba National Park was easily the best snorkeling in all of Central America. It might be the best snorkeling I’ve done outside of the Galapagos.

Afterwards, we had landed on the island for some lunch and a brief tour of the former prison camp. I’m not a beach guy, but I enjoyed the beach on Coiba Island despite the whale skeleton laying outside one of the park buildings.

At some point, our guide gathered us to a small lagoon just past the beach. He had us look into the muddy water, then made a loud croaking sound. Soon, the terrifying head of a crocodile emerged from the murk. We all felt a little weird about going back in the water after that.

Hang Out on the Beach

The beach in town is nowhere near as nice as the beach on Coiba Island. On the plus side, though, we didn’t see any crocodiles. The sand is dark brown and the waves are a bit rough, but it’s still a pretty good beach. Some rocky sections down the coast are fun to explore during low tide.

I’m not a beach person, but I appreciate that the beach in Santa Catalina is very much a local’s beach. You won’t find beach chairs or crowds of sexy, tanned Europeans. It’s the kind of beach where the local kids gather at sunset to play barefoot soccer.

Wander to the Ruins of an Old Resort

A small trail leads from the beach along the shore. Follow it and you’ll stumble across the remains of what looks like it used to be an old beach resort. Broken concrete stairs lead down to the water. The cement hulls of various buildings, walls covered with graffiti, still stand amid groves of palm trees. Maybe not the typical beach town activity, but still a creepily beautiful place to wander around.

Is Santa Catalina Worth Visiting in Panama?

Santa Catalina was undoubtably a highlight of my time in Panama. Coiba National Park was truly astounding and worth the visit on its own. On top of that, Santa Catalina’s laid back, local vibes were a breath of fresh air after spending weeks slogging through over-touristed beach nightmares. I think a two-night stop in Santa Catalina is entirely worth adding to your Panama itinerary. Maybe longer if you’re a surfer or just want to chill out for a bit.

That being said, it might not be for everyone. If you want non-stop action and hordes of drunken 18-year-olds on pub crawls. Or miles of white sand backdrops for your Instagram photos. Or towering resort hotels. In that case, Santa Catalina probably isn’t the place for you.

Final Thoughts on Santa Catalina

Unfortunately, the towering resorts might be coming for Santa Catalina. We saw a lot of construction in the area, and it seems like word is getting out about Santa Catalina. Hopefully, the lack of direct buses will keep development from encroaching too far. I’d hate for Santa Catalina to turn into just another beachy tourist trap.

For now, though, Santa Catalina is refreshingly free of over-tourism. There’s enough infrastructure to be comfortable, without feeling gentrified. Santa Catalina might not be Panama’s mythical off-the-beaten-path beach town of legend. It’s still a wonderful place to spend a couple of days.

Ready to move on from Santa Catalina? Read more about Panama here: Passing Through Panama: A Travel Guide to the Country that Connects the Americas