There are sunsets, and then there are Panamanian sunsets.

You can spend weeks traveling around Panama and eventually realize that one of the most memorable parts of your trip has been something that happens every single day. Around the same time each evening, the heat begins to soften, the light changes, clouds start glowing from underneath and the sky slowly turns into something that looks completely unreasonable.

And then, about twenty minutes later, it is gone.

The funny thing about sunsets in Panama is that they are rarely exactly the same. One evening might be a blazing orange explosion over the Pacific. The next might be a deep purple sky behind enormous tropical clouds. Another might produce a thin golden line between the mountains before disappearing into the mist.

You never really know what you're going to get.

That's part of the fun.

Panama Is Almost Perfectly Positioned for Sunsets

Panama's location near the equator means the length of the day doesn't change dramatically throughout the year. You don't get those enormous summer evenings where sunset seems to happen at 10 PM, nor those winter afternoons where darkness arrives before you've finished lunch.

Instead, sunset tends to arrive at roughly the same general time throughout the year.

For travelers, this is wonderful.

You can plan your day around it without having to completely reorganize your itinerary every few months.

And because Panama has two coastlines, enormous mountain ranges, islands, jungle and open countryside, you have an incredible variety of places from which to watch the sun disappear.

Pacific Sunsets Are Something Special

If you're looking for the classic giant orange ball dropping into the ocean, the Pacific coast is where you want to be.

The beaches around destinations such as Santa Catalina, Playa Venao and other Pacific coastal areas can produce spectacular sunsets, particularly when there are clouds on the horizon.

The Pacific has another advantage.

There is often a huge open view toward the horizon.

You can sit on the sand with nothing between you and the distant ocean while the entire sky changes colour.

The sun starts dropping.

The water becomes gold.

The clouds turn pink.

Then orange.

Then red.

And suddenly the whole horizon looks like somebody has set it on fire.

But Don't Ignore the Mountains

One of the biggest mistakes visitors make is assuming that the best sunsets have to happen at the beach.

They don't.

Panama's mountains can produce extraordinary sunsets.

In the highlands around Boquete and other mountainous areas, you can watch the final sunlight hit distant peaks while clouds collect in the valleys below.

Sometimes the clouds become almost as spectacular as the sunset itself.

The last sunlight catches the tops of the clouds and turns them brilliant orange while the valleys underneath are already dark.

It can look almost three dimensional.

And then, as the sun disappears, the colours move upward through the sky until everything becomes pink, purple and deep blue.

Cloud Forest Sunsets Are Different

There is something particularly strange and beautiful about watching sunset from the cloud forest.

You might not even see the sun itself.

Instead, you see the forest slowly change.

The afternoon light becomes golden.

Birds become more active.

The shadows become longer.

The mist begins moving through the trees.

And somewhere beyond the forest, the sun is disappearing.

In places surrounded by mountains and jungle, the sunset can feel less like watching a ball of fire and more like watching the entire landscape switch itself off.

Panama City's Skyline Adds Another Dimension

Sunsets in Panama City are completely different again.

Here you have skyscrapers, ocean, ships, bridges and the modern skyline all competing for attention.

The buildings catch the final sunlight and become illuminated against a darker sky.

From the right viewpoint, you can watch the sun disappear while the city gradually begins turning its lights on.

For a country famous for jungle and beaches, Panama City can produce some remarkably cinematic sunsets.

The Canal Can Be Beautiful at Sunset

The Panama Canal isn't necessarily the first place people think about when they hear the word sunset, but the combination of water, ships, jungle and enormous skies can be spectacular.

Watching a ship slowly move through the landscape while the sky changes colour is one of those moments that reminds you how unusual Panama actually is.

You can be standing beside one of the world's most important pieces of infrastructure while tropical forest surrounds you.

Then the sun starts going down.

Suddenly nobody seems particularly interested in the engineering anymore.

Everyone is looking at the sky.

Bocas del Toro Has a Different Kind of Sunset

The Caribbean side has its own personality.

Around Bocas del Toro, sunsets can involve islands, mangroves, palm trees, boats and calm tropical water.

Instead of watching the sun disappear behind an uninterrupted ocean horizon, you may see it sink behind islands or distant clouds.

Boats become silhouettes.

The water turns reflective.

The sky stretches across the Caribbean in enormous layers of colour.

And because so much of life around the islands revolves around the water, sunset often becomes a social event.

People gather on docks.

Boats head out.

Music starts playing.

Someone orders another drink.

And nobody seems particularly interested in going anywhere.

The Clouds Are Half the Show

One of the reasons Panama produces such interesting sunsets is its tropical atmosphere.

You don't necessarily need a perfectly clear sky.

In fact, completely clear evenings can sometimes produce less dramatic sunsets than evenings with clouds.

When sunlight hits clouds from below, they can become enormous glowing structures.

The clouds may turn yellow, orange, pink, red or purple while the sky around them becomes progressively darker.

Sometimes the entire horizon looks like an enormous volcanic eruption made of colour.

And sometimes the clouds completely block the sun and you get almost nothing.

That's Panama.

You don't get to order your sunset.

Rainy Season Can Produce Incredible Skies

People sometimes assume that the rainy season is terrible for sunsets because of the clouds.

That's not necessarily true.

Some of the most dramatic sunsets happen when the afternoon has produced thunderstorms or heavy clouds.

The sun can break through a gap just before disappearing, sending enormous rays across the landscape.

The contrast between dark storm clouds and brilliant golden sunlight can be spectacular.

You may have spent the afternoon hiding from a tropical downpour and then suddenly find yourself standing outside under one of the most beautiful skies you've ever seen.

Panama occasionally likes to apologize for the rain.

This is one of the ways it does it.

Don't Leave Too Early

This is an important sunset rule.

Don't assume that the show is finished the moment the sun disappears.

Often the most intense colours arrive after the sun has gone below the horizon.

The clouds can continue glowing while the lower sky becomes dark.

Orange fades into pink.

Pink becomes purple.

Purple becomes deep blue.

And then, quite suddenly, night arrives.

Give yourself another fifteen or twenty minutes.

You may be glad you did.

Sunset Is Also When Panama Comes Alive

Something else happens around sunset that has nothing to do with colour.

The temperature starts dropping.

People emerge from air conditioned rooms.

Restaurants become busier.

Backpackers gather outside.

Locals sit around talking.

Birds become active.

And nocturnal creatures begin preparing for their shift.

In the jungle, sunset is not simply the end of the day.

It is a transition.

The daytime forest gradually quiets while a completely different world begins waking up.

This is particularly noticeable in areas of Panama where you are surrounded by forest.

You may hear birds calling as the light fades.

Then insects become louder.

Frogs begin.

Something moves through the vegetation.

The forest that looked familiar in daylight suddenly feels completely different.

Sunset and Wildlife

If you're staying somewhere surrounded by nature, sunset can be a surprisingly good time to pay attention to what is happening around you.

Diurnal animals are settling down while nocturnal animals begin becoming active.

Insects become more noticeable.

Bats start flying.

Birds head toward roosting areas.

And in some forests, animals that are rarely seen during daylight begin moving around.

It is one of the reasons sunset in Panama can be more than simply a beautiful photograph.

It can be the beginning of another part of the day's adventure.

The Best Sunset May Be the One You Didn't Plan

You don't necessarily need an expensive beach resort or famous viewpoint.

Some of the best sunsets happen while you're doing absolutely nothing special.

You're sitting outside your hostel.

You're walking down a road.

You're eating dinner.

You're sitting on a mountain terrace.

You're beside a river.

You're on a bus and suddenly see the sky through the window.

Then somebody says:

"Look at that."

Everyone stops.

Phones come out.

Conversation stops for a minute.

And for a few moments, everyone is watching the same thing.

That is one of the wonderful things about sunsets.

They are completely free, impossible to reserve and different every night.

Bring a Camera, But Don't Spend the Whole Sunset Using It

Of course you'll want photographs.

Take them.

But don't spend the entire sunset staring at your phone.

Some sunsets photograph beautifully.

Others somehow look much better with your own eyes.

Put the camera down occasionally.

Look around.

Notice the temperature dropping.

Listen to the sounds changing.

Watch the clouds.

Watch the people around you.

Then take another photograph.

Sunset Is One of Panama's Great Free Attractions

Panama has plenty of attractions that cost money.

Tours.

National parks.

Boats.

Museums.

Waterfalls.

Adventures.

But sunset remains stubbornly free.

You don't need a ticket.

You don't need a reservation.

You don't need a guide.

You don't need to book six months ahead.

You just need to be somewhere with a decent view.

And preferably somewhere where you can stop for a cold drink afterward.

That makes sunset one of the easiest experiences to build into a Panama trip.

And Then Comes the Night

Perhaps the best thing about a Panamanian sunset is what comes immediately afterward.

The sky gets dark.

The stars begin appearing.

The jungle starts making different noises.

The temperature becomes more comfortable.

The nightlife begins.

On the coast, people head toward bars and restaurants.

In the mountains, fires and lights begin appearing in the distance.

In the jungle, the nocturnal world takes over.

The sunset isn't really the end of the day.

It's the handoff between two completely different versions of Panama.

And that may be why sunsets here are so memorable.

You arrive expecting beaches, jungles, mountains, wildlife and adventure.

You don't necessarily expect to become obsessed with standing around every evening waiting for the sky to change colour.

But after a few days in Panama, you may find yourself checking the horizon around sunset, wondering what the sky is going to do tonight.

And that's the thing about Panama.

You can spend a fortune planning an adventure.

Or you can simply find a good viewpoint, sit down and watch the sun go home.Sunsets in Panama: The Daily Show You Never Have to Buy a Ticket For