Azuero Peninsula, Panama: Everything You Need To Know 2025

In Azuero, the international expat community is expanding rapidly and eclectically. Israelis, Dutch, French, Canadians, Chinese, Colombians, Brits, and Americans have all embraced life here and are blazing a trail where few expats had gone before them.

The towns of Chitré, Las Tablas, and Pedasí on the eastern side of the Azuero Peninsula have become popular among foreign retirees looking for an affordable beach lifestyle.

Chitré is the capital of Herrera Province. Over the course of history, it’s been the capital of the entire Azuero district and even Los Santos Province. Today it’s still considered the capital of Azuero.

Everything imaginable is available in this metropolitan town, and anyone living on the eastern side of the peninsula ends up shopping here. Every major grocery store is here, as well as hardware stores, furniture and appliances, fast food, great restaurants, hospitals, doctors, veterinarians, and all other service-related industries.

Las Tablas is a town that offers an irresistible mix of tradition, community, and natural beauty. Steeped in history, it’s famous for colorful festivals, particularly its world-renowned Carnival celebrations.

The town and corregimiento of Pedasí sits in a golden corner of the Azuero Peninsula. Home to a population of around 5,000 souls this is a great spot for those seeking a low-key, laidback lifestyle by the ocean.

The western (Pacific) side of the peninsula is known as the Azuero Sunset Coast. A four- to five-hour drive out of Panama City, it’s one of Central America’s best-kept secrets… Here you’ll find more affordable beachfront and a superior landscape—it’s also the only place in Panama where it’s possible to see the sun set on the water.

Western Azuero is in Veraguas Province—the only province in Panama with a coast on the Pacific and the Caribbean. Veraguas makes up the smallest portion of the Azuero, has the smallest population density, and is the most undeveloped area of the peninsula.

Torio is one of a few towns that dot this side of the peninsula. It’s the social center for 300-or-so foreign retirees that currently call this part of Panama home year-round. In Torio, you’ll find a handful of small expat-run bars, restaurants, and guesthouses.

The main attraction is the Pacific Ocean, with some of the best sunsets in the world seen from the undeveloped, west-facing shoreline. Expats on this coast spend their days surfing, swimming, diving, beach combing, fishing, and looking for ways to get involved with the local community.

Development in this part of the country is slowly moving forward—there are talks of repaving the rutted road out to here and providing a link road to the eastern side. But, for the foreseeable future, this part of Panama remains a frontier and a top option for someone looking to get away from it all.

One thing you won’t find out here in abundance is gated communities. But here again, progress is afoot…

If you’ve been reading Live And Invest Overseas publications for some time, you may have heard of Los Islotes—the five-star, master-planned community being developed by Kathleen Peddicord and Lief Simon.

Covering 215 acres along the Pacific, Los Islotes has two beaches—one running for five-and-a-half miles to the south, allowing for long, uninterrupted walks on the sand. The other is in a secluded cove where the waters of the Pacific are calm and warm… perfect for swimming.

Nestled among these rolling hills, with stunning views over the Pacific, Kathleen and Lief are building a community for their family, friends, and like-minded folks who appreciate what this special corner of Panama has to offer.

A handful of homes have already been built here, adopting the traditional Spanish-colonial style. Roads are installed, internet is available, and the community is protected by 24-hour security. Residents and visitors can gather at Panama Jack’s bar to watch the sun set from this private piece of paradise.