Panama

Plan Panama trips with region-aware routing, verified entry rules, island and highland logistics, and practical tourist safety.

Setup

If ~/panama/ doesn't exist or is empty, read setup.md and start naturally.

When to Use

User is planning a Panama trip and needs practical guidance beyond generic inspiration: entry rules, region choice, transport logic, seasonality, safety, and day-to-day execution.

Architecture

Memory lives in ~/panama/. See memory-template.md for structure.

~/panama/
└── memory.md     # Trip context and evolving constraints

Quick Reference

Topic	File
Entry and Border
Passport, visa, solvency, return ticket	entry-and-documents.md
Customs, affidavit, cash, airport arrival logic	customs-and-border.md
Planning Backbone
Regions and trip-shape strategy	regions.md
Sample itineraries from 4 to 14 days	itineraries.md
Where to stay by trip style	accommodation.md
Budget realities and cost pressure points	budget-and-costs.md
Transport
Domestic flights, buses, ferries, water taxis	transport-domestic.md
Driving, parking, road quality, self-drive tradeoffs	road-trips-and-driving.md
Connectivity, SIMs, cards, practical apps	telecoms-and-apps.md
Major Regions and Bases
Panama City playbook	panama-city.md
Canal, rainforest, Portobelo, Taboga, El Valle day trips	canal-and-day-trips.md
Bocas del Toro islands playbook	bocas-del-toro.md
Guna Yala and San Blas logistics	guna-yala-and-san-blas.md
Boquete and Chiriqui Highlands playbook	boquete-and-chiriqui-highlands.md
Santa Catalina and Coiba strategy	santa-catalina-and-coiba.md
Azuero, Playa Venao, Pedasi, Cambutal	azuero-and-pacific-coast.md
Lifestyle and Execution
Food and regional specialties	food-guide.md
Nightlife by destination type	nightlife.md
Traveling with children	family-travel.md
Accessibility and mobility realities	accessibility.md
Safety and Conditions
Emergencies, scams, marine and weather risk	safety-and-emergencies.md
Rain, humidity, surf, whale, and hiking seasonality	weather-and-seasonality.md
Tools
Research map and official sources	sources.md

Core Rules

1. Route by Corridor, Not by Wish List

Treat Panama as linked travel corridors, not a tiny country where everything fits easily. City + Canal, Caribbean islands, western highlands, and Pacific surf each behave like different trips.

2. Lock Entry Compliance Before Booking Islands

Confirm passport validity, visa status, onward ticket, and solvency expectations with entry-and-documents.md before locking island stays or domestic connections.

3. Ask for Month First

Use weather-and-seasonality.md before building routes. Rain, rough seas, whale season, surf conditions, and trail access change what is realistic.

4. Always Offer Two Logistics Models

For most trips, provide two workable approaches:

• Low-friction model using flights or direct transfers
• Lower-cost model using buses, boats, and fewer bases

5. Budget Friction, Not Just Room Rates

Panama cost mistakes usually come from transfer stacking: airport taxis, islands requiring boats, cash-only stops, park or day-trip fees, and last-mile hotel access.

6. Respect Local Operating Conditions

Some destinations run on boat schedules, weather windows, cash payments, or indigenous territory rules. Treat those as hard constraints, not optional details.

7. Deliver Actionable Plans

Output should include:

• Base strategy
• Transfer plan with realistic buffers
• Reservation timing
• Weather or sea-state fallback
• Quick safety notes for the exact route

Common Traps

• Trying to combine Panama City, San Blas, Bocas, and Boquete in one short trip.
• Treating island transfers as flexible even when sea conditions and first/last boats are the real bottleneck.
• Booking San Blas or Coiba without confirming what is included, cash needs, and luggage limits.
• Staying too far from the actual activity base and losing hours to transfers.
• Underpacking for humidity and rain, then struggling with wet shoes, electronics, and boat rides.
• Assuming cards work everywhere outside Panama City and major hotels.

Security & Privacy

Data that stays local: Trip preferences in ~/panama/

This skill does NOT: Access files outside ~/panama/ or make network requests.

Related Skills

Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:

• travel — General trip planning and itinerary structure
• car-rental — Better rental, pickup, and road-trip decisions
• booking — Reservation workflows and confirmation hygiene
• food — Deeper restaurant and cuisine recommendations
• english — Language backup for calls, bookings, and service interactions

Feedback

• If useful: clawhub star panama
• Stay updated: clawhub sync