High-Risk Areas To Avoid
The vast majority of Panama is straightforward for travelers, but a small number of specific areas warrant real caution:
- The Darién Province: the jungle border with Colombia, known for trafficking and armed groups. All travel here is strictly discouraged.
- The city of Colón: high rates of urban crime and gang activity. Avoid walking around outside of secured port areas.
- Specific Panama City neighborhoods: El Chorrillo, Calidonia, Curundú, and San Miguelito require absolute caution day and night.
- The Mosquito Gulf: a remote Caribbean coastal area heavily affected by drug-trafficking routes.
Safety in Chiriquí and Boquete
The mountainous Chiriquí province enjoys a very peaceful reputation. Boquete is one of the safest towns in Panama, highly popular with expats and retirees — active local neighborhood watches and a visible police presence keep crime exceptionally low.
The main hazards up here are environmental rather than criminal: slippery trails during the rainy season, or getting lost in sudden mountain fog. That’s exactly the kind of terrain Wild on the Farm, Boquete Cloud Forest Lodge is built into — an organic farm and cloud forest lodge in the heart of one of the safest, most peaceful corners of the country, where the only thing to really watch for is the weather.
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Key Crime Statistics
- Global Peace Index: Panama consistently ranks as one of the top three safest nations in Central America.
- Crime Index: scores around 45–47 out of 100, considered moderate and comparable to major global tourist destinations.
- Targeted crime: over 85% of recorded offenses involve non-violent property theft rather than violent crimes against individuals.
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