If you are coming to Panama from a colder country, there is something you should probably know before you arrive.
You may see a cockroach.
You may see a spider.
You may see an enormous insect that causes your brain to briefly consider selling all your possessions and moving back to Canada.
Don't panic.
You are in the tropics.
Panama is warm, humid and covered in an absolutely ridiculous amount of vegetation. It is basically an all you can eat buffet for insects and other small creatures. And unlike in a cold climate, there is no winter coming along to politely murder most of them for several months.
So yes, tropical Panama has bugs.
Lots of them.
But that doesn't mean your vacation is about to turn into a horror movie.
Panama is supposed to have insects
One of the strangest things about visiting a tropical country is expecting it to look like a tropical country while somehow expecting the wildlife to have been removed.
You want jungle.
You want waterfalls.
You want cloud forest.
You want monkeys, sloths, toucans, hummingbirds and butterflies.
Well...
Those things don't exist in isolation.
The same ecosystem that produces spectacular wildlife also produces cockroaches, ants, spiders, beetles, moths and an almost unlimited selection of things with more legs than you would personally prefer.
That's actually a sign of a healthy tropical ecosystem.
The famous Panama cockroach
Yes, Panama has cockroaches.
Some are considerably larger than the little ones people are accustomed to seeing in colder countries.
And occasionally one may decide that your room looks like an excellent place to investigate.
This does not mean the hotel or hostel is dirty.
This is one of the biggest misunderstandings visitors can have about tropical countries.
A cockroach appearing in a tropical environment isn't automatically evidence of poor hygiene.
Sometimes it simply means that a cockroach exists.
They live outdoors.
They live around vegetation.
They can get inside through tiny openings.
And occasionally they apparently decide that humans have constructed some very interesting architecture.
And then there are the spiders
Panama has an impressive variety of spiders, from tiny harmless species that you barely notice to considerably larger ones that look like they have been designed by a special effects department.
You may see orb weavers with enormous webs stretched between trees.
You may encounter jumping spiders.
You may see long legged spiders moving around buildings.
And yes, there are tarantulas in Panama.
For many travelers, the first time they see a large tropical spider is an unforgettable experience.
The spider, meanwhile, is usually far less impressed.
It is simply trying to catch dinner.
Most spiders want absolutely nothing to do with you
This is worth remembering.
Spiders are not wandering through Panama looking for tourists to attack.
Quite the opposite.
Most spiders would much rather you leave them alone.
You are enormous.
You are loud.
You vibrate the ground.
You are generally terrible at catching insects.
From the spider's perspective, you are basically a giant unpredictable piece of furniture.
Most encounters involve the spider trying to avoid you or simply continuing whatever it was doing before you arrived.
The jungle is not your living room
If you stay somewhere surrounded by tropical forest, you should expect a little nature to occasionally cross the boundary between "outside" and "inside."
That is especially true in places such as cloud forest lodges, jungle hostels, cabins and eco lodges.
You might open a door and find a moth.
You might discover a beetle on the wall.
You might see a gecko hunting around a light.
You might find a spider in a corner.
And sometimes a cockroach will appear as though it has specifically booked the room.
This is part of staying in the tropics.
It doesn't mean you're sleeping in a biological disaster zone.
It means you're staying somewhere where nature is considerably closer than it is in a downtown hotel.
In fact, some of your roommates are useful
Spiders aren't just creepy decorations.
They eat insects.
Geckos eat insects.
Many other creatures around tropical buildings do exactly the same thing.
That enormous spider sitting quietly in the corner may actually be doing you a favour by catching some of the things you really don't want flying around your room.
The tropical food chain is working overtime.
What about dangerous spiders?
Panama does have medically significant spiders, as it does other potentially dangerous wildlife.
But this is where perspective matters.
The existence of a dangerous species doesn't mean that every spider you see is dangerous.
That's like saying you shouldn't visit North America because there are bears.
You don't walk through Vancouver expecting every bush to contain a grizzly.
Likewise, seeing a spider in Panama isn't automatically an emergency.
Don't handle unfamiliar wildlife, don't deliberately disturb animals and use sensible precautions.
That's generally enough.
The same goes for cockroaches
If you see one, you don't need to immediately assume your accommodation is infested.
Keep food sealed.
Don't leave food and drinks lying around.
Close doors and windows where appropriate.
Let accommodation staff know if there is an actual recurring problem.
And then get on with your vacation.
Because there is a very good chance that the cockroach you just saw is having a much worse day than you are.
Panama is alive
Perhaps the biggest mental adjustment for visitors is understanding just how biologically active Panama is.
The country has tropical rainforest, cloud forest, mangroves, rivers, mountains and coastline.
There are millions upon millions of organisms living in those environments.
You aren't entering a perfectly sterilized holiday bubble.
You're entering one of the most biologically rich parts of the planet.
That means you get monkeys overhead.
Hummingbirds beside you.
Butterflies on the trail.
Frogs after rain.
Bats at dusk.
And, yes...
A spider occasionally sitting somewhere you didn't expect it to sit.
That's the deal.
Don't let the creepy crawlies ruin the adventure
If you're visiting Panama and you're nervous about insects, don't let that stop you from exploring.
You might see something with eight legs.
You might see something with six.
You might see something that appears to have been assembled from spare parts.
Take a breath.
Back away if you're uncomfortable.
Call someone who is considerably braver than you.
And carry on.
Because the same environment that gives Panama its spiders and cockroaches also gives you sloths, monkeys, toucans, waterfalls, cloud forests, hummingbirds and some of the most spectacular wildlife anywhere in Central America.
Yes, Panama has bugs.
It would actually be much stranger if it didn't.
And once you get used to the idea that a tropical forest is supposed to be alive, that occasional cockroach or spider becomes less of a disaster and more of a reminder that you're genuinely somewhere wild.
Just don't give the cockroach a name.
That's how it ends up becoming your roommate.