Do You Need to Learn Spanish to Travel in Panama?

The short answer? No. You can survive your vacation to Panama without knowing a word of Spanish.

When I decided to start my solo journey in Panama, I certainly didn’t. Okay, so I knew “¡Hola!” and “Habla Inglése?” and “Dónde está el baño?” But that hardly counts.     Everyone asked me, when I announced my travel plans, if I knew how to speak Spanish and responded with skeptical comments when I answered ‘no.’ I wasn’t worried about it, to be honest. On my , most everyone I met spoke English. Of course, I made the effort to learn the niceties in each country. But beyond the basics, I didn’t often need a more thorough understanding of any of the languages I encountered.     Here in Panama it’s a different story. Do I NEED to speak Spanish here? No. There are people who don’t and they travel here and have a grand ‘ol time. Is it easy to travel here knowing not a lick of Spanish?   Absolutely not.

Many people who live here simply don’t know English. It’s just not necessary for them. And I can understand that coming from the USA where a majority of the population speaks only one language.     Therefore, when trying to accomplish even the most basic task here, you’re going to be faced with a language barrier. If you don’t know any Spanish, it becomes a challenge to do almost anything. Gestures are used to communicate so frequently that you feel as though you’re in a constant game of Charades.

I, personally, have been in tears quite a few times simply because I felt so frustrated by my inability to assert exactly what I meant.

But far beyond the challenges of everyday activities, I wanted to learn Spanish for another reason: to get to know the local culture.     Since the start of my trip, I’ve been able to witness both sides of tourism here. Traveling by myself as a person with no knowledge of Spanish, and traveling with other people who speak the language fluently. It’s become clear to me that the people who can really speak the language get to see a side of Panama that us non-speakers rarely get a glimpse of.

For instance, that who basically acted as a tour guide on our trip to the Panama Canal? He didn’t speak English. The only reason he showed us around in such depth was because we had two Spanish speakers in our group. Through their translations I learned so much more about the Canal than I would have otherwise. But what if I could speak Spanish myself? I would have had an even more informative experience!     On my bus ride from Panama City to David, I sat next to a woman who spoke not a word of English. We communicated through gesture and what few words I actually knew in Spanish, and I still got an interesting look into the life of real Panamanian. If I could have really understood what she was saying, however, I would have learned so much more.     And there have been countless other times where I have been standing in a group of people all speaking Spanish to each other while I stand by helplessly waiting for someone to translate the conversation into English for me. Not a good feeling, I can assure you!

So am I saying that you absolutely MUST know Spanish, or you shouldn’t travel to Panama? Of course not! I myself didn’t know any Spanish when I arrived, and I am endlessly glad that I chose to come here.

However, if you want to have an experience beyond what the typical tourist sees, I highly encourage you to learn Spanish.     If you’re like me and come to Panama without knowing the language, you’re in luck because there are a lot of great options to learn Spanish while traveling in Panama!

I have been studying for the past two weeks at Spanish School. They have locations in Panama City, Boquete, and Bocas del Toro.     Habla Ya isn’t only about learning Spanish, however. It’s really an all-inclusive experience where Habla Ya will provide you with optional accommodation and excursions! One super cool option is to live with a local family. I have stayed in hostels instead, which Habla Ya will also set up for you, but I think the ability to live with locals is very special and can only help speed up your Spanish comprehension skills.

As far as excursions go, I will be going into more detail on the options in the next couple weeks, but there is a weekly list up for the whole school to see and sign up for various outings depending on your location.     In Boquete, you can take advantage of the mountainous region and go zip-lining or tour a coffee farm, like I did. In Bocas del Toro you can island hop and see how cacao is made. In Panama City you can tour the and take yoga classes.     In the past couple weeks I have gotten so much better at speaking Spanish, with Habla Ya’s emphasis on Spanish for travelers. A majority of class has been us conversing in the language, not the boring hours of conjugation that you remember from your High School Spanish class.     I can’t wait to continue my Spanish journey as I travel through Central America, with my newfound ability to really get to know the people who call this region of the world home.

So…do you need to learn Spanish to travel in Panama? Not really. But if you want to have the experience of being a temporary local in a foreign place, I think the answer is yes.

Have you had any experience traveling somewhere you didn’t know the language? How did it affect you? Or did you ever learn another language in a foreign country? Leave me a comment below!

Happy Exploring, Wherever You Are!

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Full Disclosure: Habla Ya contacted me about taking Spanish lessons in exchange for writing about my experience on this website. All opinions are my own!