Plan your trip
What to pack for Panama in April
An April packing list needs both halves: sun protection for highs near 96°F at the city’s station and a compact umbrella, since Panama City averages 65 mm (2.5 in), about 5 times March’s rain. If your trip is for Pesach, arrange sedarim and Pesach food with the community or Chabad well ahead; the calendar section below shows the dates for your trip.
Your list
April · Panama City · 2 adults · 34 items
- Panama City96° / 67°F · 65 mm
Documents
Heat and sun
Panama City averages 65 mm (2.5 in) of rain in April.
Average daytime highs of about 96°F in April.
Clothes and shoes
Casco Viejo’s streets are cobbled.
Health and sun
Panama is about 9° north of the equator, so the midday sun is high all year.
Some nature reserves ask visitors to bring them.
Shul
Modest dress is expected.
For Shabbat (most stays include one)
Or ask your hotel first what it allows in rooms.
Yom Tov and the calendar
Outside Israel, as in Panama, most Yamim Tovim are two days.
On a second night, candles are lit after nightfall from a flame that was already burning. Yom Tov times
We haven’t confirmed what will be available, so arrange it early.
Food
Phones, plugs and power
Panama uses Type A and B sockets at 120 V and 60 Hz, like the US and Canada. Source: WorldStandards
Buying a local SIM needs a passport.
Shabbat and Yom Tov in April 2027
Shabbat · Shmini
Fri, Apr 2 – Sat, Apr 3, 2027
Candles 6:10 PM on Fri, Apr 2. Ends 7:04 PM (Shevet Ahim · Beth El) or 7:00 PM (Chabad).
Shabbat HaChodesh
Shabbat · Tazria
Fri, Apr 9 – Sat, Apr 10, 2027
Candles 6:09 PM on Fri, Apr 9. Ends 7:03 PM (Shevet Ahim · Beth El) or 7:00 PM (Chabad).
Shabbat · Metzora
Fri, Apr 16 – Sat, Apr 17, 2027
Candles 6:09 PM on Fri, Apr 16. Ends 7:03 PM (Shevet Ahim · Beth El) or 7:00 PM (Chabad).
Shabbat HaGadol
Pesach I–II and Shabbat
Wed, Apr 21 – Sat, Apr 24, 2027
Candles 6:09 PM on Wed, Apr 21. Ends 7:04 PM (Shevet Ahim · Beth El) or 7:01 PM (Chabad).
Chol Hamoed Pesach
Pesach VII–VIII
Tue, Apr 27 – Thu, Apr 29, 2027
Candles 6:10 PM on Tue, Apr 27. Ends 7:04 PM (Shevet Ahim · Beth El) or 7:01 PM (Chabad).
Festivals and fasts in these dates
- Ta’anit Bechorot: Wed, Apr 21, 2027
- Pesach: Thu, Apr 22 – Thu, Apr 29, 2027 (begins the evening before)
Day trips in April
- Panama City
- Some rain: 65 mm, wetter than March (13 mm); rain on about 5 days at the station. Sea about 80°F. From Paitilla or Punta Pacífica, the Cinta Costera waterfront is a walk, with no transport needed, so it works on Shabbat too.
- Boquete
- Some rain: 157 mm, wetter than March (73 mm). Too far for a day: fly to David or drive about six hours, and stay over with Chabad Boquete’s kosher food.
- Pacific beaches
- Some rain: 162 mm, wetter than March (23 mm). Sea about 80°F. No kosher food on the way: pack a cooler.
- Gamboa
- Some rain: 131 mm, wetter than March (21 mm). About 25 km from the city; go at dawn for wildlife, and bring all your food.
- San Blas (Guna Yala)
- Rainy: 331 mm, wetter than March (160 mm). Sea about 83°F. A very long day by 4x4 and boat from Cartí: bring every passport, all your food and drinking water.
- Bocas del Toro
- Some rain: 188 mm, wetter than March (100 mm). Sea about 83°F.
Questions people ask
- Do I need a rain jacket for Panama in April?
- A compact umbrella is worth packing. Panama City’s weather station averages 65 mm (2.6 in) of rain in April: some rain, but not the daily downpours of the wet season.
- What should I wear in Panama in April?
- Light, breathable clothes, sun hats and sunglasses: Panama City’s weather station averages 96°F by day and 67°F at night in April (WMO, 1971–2000). Add modest clothes for shul, a light layer for strong air-conditioning, and a warmer one for Boquete.
- Which Jewish holidays fall in April 2027?
- Pesach: Thu, Apr 22 – Thu, Apr 29, 2027 (begins the evening before), from Hebcal’s calendar for outside Israel. The packing list adds what each one needs.
Lists by month
Where the numbers come from
- Monthly averages: NASA POWER daily data for 2016–2025 (fetched Tue, Nov 10, 2026), averaged by us: the average day’s high and low, the month’s total rain, humidity and cloud. Each figure covers a grid square of roughly 55 by 70 km of land and sea, so Panama City’s afternoons come out about 4.2°C cooler than at the city’s own weather station.
- Panama City’s figures lead with its weather station normals (1971–2000): World Meteorological Organization, from Panama’s weather service (IMHPA). A rain day there is a day with at least 0.1 mm.
- Left out on purpose: NASA POWER’s rain-day counts, because its model drizzles on most days and counts about 27 “rain days” in a wet-season month where Panama City’s station records 14 to 20; and its UV index, which is a 24-hour average far below the midday peak you feel. Rain days on these pages are the station’s, for Panama City only.
- Our rain bands: “dry” is under 60 mm in the month, “rainy” over 200 mm, and “some rain” in between.
- Forecasts: Weather data: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), refreshed at most every half hour.
- Sea temperature: NOAA OISST v2.1 (NOAA NCEI’s daily 0.25° sea-surface temperature analysis, Version v02r01), 2016–2025, averaged by us for one grid cell per sea: Panama Bay (Pacific) (8.625°N, 79.375°W, the open bay south of Panama City); Guna Yala coast (Caribbean) (9.625°N, 78.875°W, off the San Blas islands); Off Bocas del Toro (Caribbean) (9.625°N, 82.125°W, just north of the Bocas del Toro islands). Fetched Tue, Nov 10, 2026. US government data, free to use.
Talk to a person
Questions about Panama? Ask us.
Two people answer: Jack and Shlomo. WhatsApp is usually fastest. You can also write to info@panamaunpacked.com.