Find out more information about the index , or visit our security index league table of countries. Panama security index 60 best Ave. Do not carry large sums of cash or valuables in public. Deposit them in hotel safes wherever possible. Beware of pickpockets on buses and at bus stations.
Occasional holdups occur in restaurants elsewhere.
There have been recent muggings at the scenic viewpoint at the Madden Dam just off the main Panama-Colon road and visitors are advised not to stop there unless there is a police presence. Care should also be taken in Colon iteself, where unemployment and street crime are high. Do not try to travel to Colombia by transitting the Darien. The border area is unsafe and political and criminal violence in Colombia often spills over into Panama. There have been recent incrusions by Colombian guerrillas on the northern coast and in mid-Darien.