Misdemeanors are more common than violent crimes. Take care of your belongings, especially at transportation hubs. Violent crimes include armed robberies and assaults. Be more careful in Panama due to crime.
Visiting the country of Panama is usually fine. The score is 3.0. Just keep your eyes open, obey local rules and you'll most likely be fine. Panama City is known for having some good hospitals and clinics, but medical facilities outside the capital are limited.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people enjoy full legal rights in Panama. People, there are a lot nicer places where you can go and spend your money and have a good and safe time. However, Panamanian law does not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, and there is social discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The worst part of Panama City is the nightclub areas and, as in ALL countries, if you're going to a nightlife area and frequent places where they're dedicated to sex and drug trafficking, you're going to meet bad people and you can't hope to be safe.
We live in Belize and spent two months in Panama, and clearly Panama is much safer than most of Central America. When you arrive in Panama City, the Casco Antiguo Spanish school, in the old town, has an express Spanish program for travelers to learn the basics during a half-day class. Currently, no cases of SARS-CoV-2 (or coronavirus) infections have been officially reported in Panama. If you are traveling between Colombia and Panama by sea, be aware of the fact that your crew may be trafficking drugs. The Irish government increased its current alert for Panama to 4.0 (from 5.0) from the previous rating of 3.0 (+1.0)).
I walk a lot day and night and I never, I repeat, never saw anything happen that made me feel insecure. I thoroughly researched several locations before narrowing down my options to Belize, Costa Rica and Panama. Taxis in Panama City don't have a meter, so check the price before getting on to avoid any disagreement. Driving in Panama is often dangerous and difficult due to heavy traffic, unruly driving habits, poorly maintained streets, and a dearth of effective traffic signals and signals.
If you have an emergency at sea or know of someone who is experiencing an emergency off the coast of Panama, contact Panamanian authorities.
