Festive Season in Panama: How We Celebrate at Islas Secas
T he holidays take on a different rhythm in the Gulf of Chiriquí. Twenty miles off Panama’s Pacific coast, our private 14-island archipelago is a world away from the usual festive rush – warm, unhurried and surrounded by open ocean. Yet the traditions that make the season so special remain: long meals, time with family, and the simple pleasure of celebrating together, with a distinctly Panamanian character and serious adventure, to boot.
Long, calm days
December marks the beginning of Panama’s dry season, bringing warm days, clear skies and calmer seas. Visibility improves underwater, making it an especially good time to explore the reefs, while the longer hours of daylight invite days spent almost entirely outdoors.
A festive adventure
The journey is part of the experience. Guests arriving in Panama City are met with VIP assistance, transfers and onward travel with our private plane offering a seamless arrival.
Once you’ve settled into your beautiful Casita, you’ll realize there is no holiday stress. A morning could start with outdoor yoga, followed by snorkelling around the surrounding reefs or kayaking through a secluded bay, with the chance of spotting dolphins, turtles and birdlife. You might spend the afternoon on a nature hike, trying scuba diving, or relaxing in our Secascent Spa.
Later, a sundowner cruise around the islands brings everyone back together, before a celebratory feast at Terraza beneath the starry December skies. We tailormake every itinerary around you, so each day can flow and ebb as you choose.
How does Panama celebrate Christmas?
The festive celebrations begin well before Christmas. Throughout December, homes, streets and public spaces throughout Panama are embellished with lights, Christmas trees and nacimientos, or Nativity scenes.
December 24 is traditionally the climax of the festive celebrations. Known as Nochebuena, Christmas Eve brings multiple generations together for a long evening revolving around food, music and spirited conversation. Celebrations peak at midnight, when gifts are exchanged and families might head to Midnight Mass.
December 25, meanwhile, is a quieter affair, reserved for visiting relatives and continuing the feasting, which might include delicious cornflour pastries, slow-roasted pork and rice with chicken.
A Panamanian Christmas at Islas Secas
We bring some of Panama’s festive spirit to the islands, weaving local traditions, flavors and music into the season.
Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena, is a night for gathering around a table, sharing a long meal and staying up late together. At Secas, that might mean a dinner of tamales and other Panamanian favorites, followed by music beneath the stars. Traditional Christmas songs and Panamanian rhythms bring an easy, celebratory energy to the evening.
During the day, younger guests can take part in festive baking and ornament-making, while coffee lovers can settle in for a tasting of some of Panama’s exceptional coffees, including high-quality Panamanian Geisha brewed with a precision pour-over method.
We also customize the tradition of the nacimiento with a distinctly tropical setting, and invite guests to learn more about the customs that make Christmas in Panama so distinctive.
And then there is our own Secas tradition. We invite guests to write a wish for the upcoming year and place it inside a coconut shell before sending it on its way, the perfect way to end one year and look ahead to the next one, together.
Perhaps that is the greatest luxury of the holidays at Islas Secas: having the time and space to be together, with nowhere else to be.
