I was out for lunch the other day at one of our favorite restaurants in Panama city, Pompei. It is run by a very personable young Italian (he is the chef) and his lovely wife (she runs the front). While enjoying a delicious salad I was chatting with a Panamanian friend about the weather, and lack of rain. OK, ok, it is a world favorite subject, the weather. Anyhow, Panama is known to have 2 seasons. December through April is sunny, dry and with reference to travel and tourism, the high season. The amount of rain or lack of it varies from place to place. It rains very little to none on Taboga Island (just 12 miles from the city), during dry season, while it rains a little in the city, but maybe only once or twice a week and very lightly. In dry season the cloud cover is lighter , therefore sometimes hotter from direct sunlight; the air is also dryer.
The rainy season and how the misconception of the weather affects tourism. Our conversation at lunch led us to discuss how comfortable the weather can be during rainy season (May through November) but yet often visitors do not travel here during that time because they have visions of floods and day-long rainstorms. In general that kind of weather is not seen on the Pacific side which has dry areas. But on the Caribbean coast, it can rain a lot. Panama has a number of varying micro climates. One of the dry areas is found on Taboga Island where it can be just about perfect during most of the year. It is a delightful time to visit many locations in Panama, especially for those of us who are not sunbathers anymore (at least quite careful about not searing our skin). We felt that this special season is vastly under-marketed so I took it upon myself to mention it today.
During rainy season, it rains more, but not like many of us picture before we move here. I live in Panama City and on Taboga Island and look forward to this season. In Panama City and surrounds, for much of the year the rain is quite bearable and lasts one or two hours a day. Although more humid (good for our skin), this cools off the country, waters our gardens, fills our wells, and the strength of the sun is tempered by some clouds. On Taboga it rains much less during the rainy season. Crowds are limited because the Panama schools are in class (in Panama the school year runs from March through December) and tourism numbers drop, rooms are easier to find, so it is a nice time to travel here (Tip: don´t forget to ask hotels for their low season rates).
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