What are the most spectacular roads in Panama?

Tucked away in Central America, Panama is a country that covers an area of 75,417 square kilometers and shares borders with two countries: Costa Rica and Colombia.

With mountain roads and coastal drives, the country offers challenges for each driver. When travelling to Panama, Volcancito Road is a tricky scenic drive, climbing up to Volcán Barú (also called Volcán de Chiriqui), the tallest mountain in Panama, at 3.474m (11,398ft) above sea level.

Another jewel in the country is the enigmatic Darien Gap, a 60-mile stretch that interrupts the Pan-American Highway, making overland travel across Central America nearly impossible. Home to guerrilla fighters and drug runners it has only been crossed a handful of times by expeditions with off-road vehicles and special forces personnel. The country experiences a tropical climate, with wet and dry seasons. The country is known worldwide for the canal, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, that plays a significant role in global maritime trade.

Darien Gap is a break in the Pan-American Highway with a length of 60 miles (96 km) without roads, making overland travel across Central America nearly impossible. This gap, a near-impenetrable jungle that guerrilla fighters and drug runners call home, has been successfully crossed only a handful of times, usually by expeditions equipped with off-road vehicles and staffed by special forces types.

Volcán Barú is a dormant volcano at an elevation of 3.474m (11,398ft) above sea level, located in the Chiriquí Province of Panama. It is one of the few places in the world where, on a clear day, you can see both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea from the summit.

Sixaola-Guabito International Bridge is a rickety old bridge with moving wooden planks located on the Costa Rica-Panama border. It’s one of the most spectacular bridges in the world.

The challenging Pan-American Highway is one of the biggest adventures in the world. It’s a network of roads covering almost 30,000 kilometres (19,000 mi) from North America to South America. It’s said to be the longest road on Earth.

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