BJJ in Panama City

October, 2022

Panama Canel BJJ

Duration: 6 days, 5 nights

Location: Panama City, PAN

Costs: Flight 550$, Hostel 175$

Next stop after Mexico; Panama City.

Thanks to Carlos from Medellin which I didn`t met at that point to bring me in contact with Cesar from Serpente Panama.

I stayed at Hostal Familiar Carmencita very close to the gym and fair prices.

Getting here

You can fly, take the boat or even the bus from Costa Rica.

I had to fly because of the distance from Mexico.

BJJ

Serpente Panama is located outside of a mall. The academy is around 100m2 and the mat area 80m2.

The Gym offers Monday to Saturday classes. They have morning, lunch and evening classes on their schedule. Tuesdays and Thursdays they have a funny 5pm class. Check it out.

I managed to train four times in three days. The classes are holden by Cesar Morris Perez, a 2^nd degree black belt and a very funny and kind guy.

On the mat you find all levels of BJJ. The most classes are Gi only Friday is NoGi.

Other gyms in Panama City:

Rilion Gracie, Atos and Leao.

Food and drinks

The food in Panama is a wild mix of cultures. You will find different Central and South American dishes. One of the typical Panamanian dishes is Sanconcho, it is a soup mostly with chicken witch comes with rice.

Thanks to the location of Panama there is also a lot of Seafood. At the end of the Causeway you will find some good restaurants. Also the local beer is awesome go to La Randa Dorada.

Nightlife

The best place in town is Casco Viejo or also Casco Antiguo it`s the old town.
You will find many bars and restaurant. Some of them play music.

Good to know

As Swiss you don`t need any visa. I guess for European in general it’s the same but please check it first.

What you have to show is how and when you will leave the country. They will ask you this at the customs before the let you pass. Oh and don`t forget to fill out the form next to the baggage claim.

January to march is the best time to go. The other 9 months are rain season. The weather goes crazy during those 9 months.

If you want to see the Panama Canal, go to marifere locks. You will have a great view over the canal with the boats and they have a small museum with the history.

The best and safest way to travel around the city is using UBER.

The currency is Balboa (PAB) and US Dollars $. The PAB is equal to $. I used Dollars all the time.

off to Bocas del Toro