Your Next Jungle Island Escape Should Be in Panama

The Gulf of Chiriqui, off of Panama’s Pacific coast, has always been a draw for hard-core divers and sport fishermen. It’s one of the few places on earth that still feel “unexpected” in the truest sense, with dense rain forests and deep blue waters filled with wildlife. In the past year, two sustainably minded micro-resorts have brought serious luxury to the area, all while trying to leave as few footprints as possible on the surrounding environment. Isla Palenque sits at the tip of an island just off the mainland town of Boca Chica, where guests have their run of a 400-acre untamed jungle and seven beaches. The entire hotel is made up of eight casitas and a villa that sleeps 14, with rooms opening up onto their own private stretch of sand. It’s the launch point for spending an afternoon casting for red snapper on tricked-out fishing boats and cruising over to Coiba National Park to dive with sharks at one of the biggest coral reefs in the eastern Pacific. Fifteen miles farther offshore, there’s the even more ambitious Islas Secas, an entire archipelago owned by conservationist Louis Bacon. One main pavilion is for drinks and dinner, with a constellation of one-, two-, and three-bedroom setups scattered around a peninsula. There are 14 uninhabited islets, where you can be left for a few hours with a well-stocked picnic, paddleboards, and snorkeling gear laid out by the hotel’s intuitive staff. The untouched part does require a trek, though: From Panama City, it’s a short flight to the regional hub of David, then about two hours of combined car and boat transit before you actually arrive. But it’s worth it. There won’t be a condo (or, frankly, another person) in sight. Isla Palenque rates start at $500; islapalenque.com; Islas Secas rates start at $1,000; islassecas.com