Lighthouses of Southern Panamá

The Republic of Panamá is at the southeastern end of the isthmus of Central America, providing the crucial link between the continents of North America and South America. The country is aligned west to east, facing the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. This page includes lighthouses of Panamá's Pacific coast. There is another page for lighthouses of the Caribbean coast, including Gatún Lake.

As one might expect, many of the lighthouses of Panamá are associated with passage through the Panama Canal. The Canal opened on 15 August 1914 after ten years of U.S. construction following earlier work by a French company.

In 1903, shortly after winning its independence from Colombia, Panama granted the U.S. extraterritorial jurisdiction over the Panama Canal Zone. The Zone remained under exclusive U.S. control until the 1978 Panama Canal Treaty provided for its restoration to Panama in 1979. Under the treaty Panama assumed full operation of the Canal at the end of 1999. The U.S. Panama Canal Commission, which operated the canal until the reversion, was replaced by the Autoridad del Canal de Panamá (Panama Canal Authority).

The U.S. built about three dozen range lighthouses to guide ships through the Canal. Most of these lighthouses survive but the Canal Authority has completed a project to replace nearly all of them with skeletal towers. The deactivated lighthouses are painted black, making them somewhat harder to spot. They are not being demolished routinely (so far, anyway) but all of them should be considered endangered.

The Authority has doubled the capacity of the Canal, constructing two new sets of locks and widening and deepening the entire route. The original locks were not removed; to maximize capacity both sets of locks are operated. Groundbreaking for this enormous project was held in September 2007 and the new locks began operating in June 2016. Fortunately it was not necessary to remove any of the historic lighthouses to construct the new locks and channels.

Since the Isthmus of Panama runs west to east northbound on the Canal means toward the Atlantic and southbound is toward the Pacific.

Navigational aids in Panamá are maintained by the Maritime Authority (Autoridad Marítima de Panamá). Apparently this includes the lights of the Canal.

The Spanish word for a lighthouse is faro; isla is an island, cabo is a cape, punta is a promontory or point of land, péñon is a rock, arrecife is a reef, bahía is a bay, ría is an estuary or inlet, estrecho is a strait, río is a river, and puerto is a port or harbor. Also, the Spanish word canal means a natural channel, not an artificial canal.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals for the Panama Canal and from volume G for the Pacific coast. U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 111. The lights of the Canal are not listed by NGA.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Panama (Pacific) and Panama (Caribbean)
Photos by Eckhard Meyer and Capts. Peter Mosselberger (Capt. Peter) and Theo Hinrichs (Capt. Theo), posted by Alexander Trabas.
Panama Canal Range Lights
This report by Jan Rommers is a careful study of the lighthouses seen on a passage northward through the Canal on 29 January 2009. Photos are included for all the lighthouses seen.
Panamá Canal Lights - Page 2
Photos contributed by Jim and Hilari Seeri following an April 2010 passage through the Canal.
Panama Canal Lighthouses
Flickr album of photos taken by Larry Myhre in May 2012.
World of Lighthouses - Panama
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Lighthouses in Panama
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
Leuchttürme Mittelamerikas und der Karabik auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard views posted by Klaus Huelse.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart for Panamá.
Miraflores Range Front Light
 Balboa Northbound Front Light, Miraflores, May 2012
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Larry Myhre


Original Balboa Southbound Rear Light, Balboa, April 2010
photo copyright Jim and Hilari Seeri; used by permission

Eastern Gulf of Panamá Lighthouses

The Gulf of Panama is a broad bay, 250 km (160 mi) wide, bounded on all but the south by the twisting isthmus. Panamá City and the Canal entrance are at the head of the gulf.

Darién Province Lighthouses
Punta Cocalito
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 38 m (125 ft); white flash every 10 s. 12 m (40 ft) square skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available but Bing has a fuzzy satellite view. Located on a promontory at the mouth of the Río Cocal, about 13 km (8 mi) northwest of the Colombian border. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty G3153.5; NGA 0170.
Punta Piña
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 70 m (230 ft); white flash every 5 s. 12 m (40 ft) square skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a sharp promontory at the entrance to the bay of Puerto Piña, about 10 km (6 mi) northwest of Jaqué and 50 km (30 mi) northwest of the Colombian border. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty G3154; NGA 0168.

Panamá Province: Pearl Islands Lighthouse
Isla Galera
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 61 m (200 ft); one long white flash every 15 s. 12 m (40 ft) square skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available and Google has only an indistinct satellite view. This light is on the southeasternmost island of the Pearl Islands, a large archipelago in the eastern Gulf of Panamá. Located at the highest point of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS PAN-004; Admiralty G3187; NGA 0157.
Isla San José
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 70 m (230 ft); white light, 2 s on, 4 s off. 6 m (20 ft) "concrete tripod," according to NGA. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located at the southwestern tip of the Isla San José, also the southwestern tip of the Pearl Islands. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty G3188; NGA 0136.
Isla Señora
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 70 m (230 ft); white flash every 5 s. Approx. 12 m (40 ft) square skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available and the light is not seen in dense jungle in Google's satellite view. Located on an island on the west side of the Pearl Islands. Located at the highest point of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty G3188.5; NGA 0131.

Panamá Province: Panamá Canal Lighthouses

Panama Canal Entrance East Side Lighthouses
Flamenco Island (Pacific Signal Station)
1920s. Active; focal plane 47 m (154 ft); alternating white and red lights, occulting every 5 s. No tower: lantern mounted directly on the face of a steep bluff. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo (also seen at right), Myhre has a 2012 view from the sea, and Google has a satellite view. Located on an island about 8 km (5 mi) southeast of the Canal entrance. The island, site of a popular restaurant and marina, is connected to the mainland by the Amador Causeway, but we don't know if there is any public access to the signal station area. Site status unknown. ARLHS PAN-024; Admiralty G3198; NGA 0096.
Balboa Wharf (No. 24)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 19 m (62 ft); quick red flash every 1 s. Approx. 16 m (52 ft) square cylindrical white skeletal tower. Trabas has Capt. Peter's closeup photo, Tommie Head has a distant view, Erick Perez has a drone view, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. This light marks the inside of a turn in the course of the Canal. Located at the south end of the main quay at Balboa, the Panama City district at the Canal entrance. Site and tower closed. Admiralty G3199.
Miraflores Southbound Approach Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 25 m (82 ft); occulting yellow light. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) square skeletal tower carrying a rectangular daymark painted white with a black horizontal band. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Google has an indistinct satellite view. This range guides ships through the original Miraflores Locks. The front light is on a similar, shorter tower. Located on the east side of the canal in line with the locks. Site status unknown. Admiralty J6094.851.
* Balboa (Miraflores) Northbound Front
1914. Active; continuous green light. Roughly 9 m (30 ft) concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white on the front (south-facing) side and black on the rear. Myhre's 2012 photo is at the top of this page, Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo, a fine 2013 photo is available, Lightphotos.net has a closeup, the Rommers report has nighttime and daytime photos (page 1), and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse faces northbound (Atlantic-bound) ships approaching the Miraflores locks from the Pacific on the Balboa Reach. The new locks were built west of the old ones, not disturbing the historic lighthouses. Located on the east side of the Canal just south of the Miraflores Locks. Site open, and the view from ships passing through the locks is excellent; tower closed. ARLHS PAN-033; Admiralty J6094.84.
* Balboa (Miraflores) Northbound Rear
1914. Active; occulting green light. Roughly 15 m (50 ft) concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. Trabas has Hendrik Martin Porath's photo, Elisabeth D'Orcy has a closeup photo, a 2013 photo is available, the Rommers report has a photo (page 1), and Google has a satellite view. Myhre's May 2012 photo shows the lighthouse freshly repainted. Google's 2020 street view shows a new light installation mounted on the front of the lantern. The lighthouse is located about 500 m (0.3 mi) east of the Miraflores Locks beside the Avenida Omar Torrijos, the main road paralleling the canal. Site open; tower closed. ARLHS PAN-030; Admiralty J6094.841.
Flamenco Island Light
Flamenco Island Light, Balboa, December 2013
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission

Panama Canal Entrance West Side Lighthouses
Ships entering the Panamá Canal from the Pacific follow a long northwestward range that begins far out in the Gulf of Panamá. The range lights have been replaced at least four times as development has altered their surroundings.

Pacific Entrance Range Rear (1)
1914. Inactive since 1962(?). Roughly 25 m (82 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted black. Myhre's photo is at right, the Seerys have a photo (first row, right), and Google has a satellite view. Huelse has a postcard view of the original front light in which the original rear light is visible in the distance (lower right). This lighthouse is similar to the well-known Gatún Northbound Rear Light (see the Atlantic Panamá page), but it is abandoned, forgotten, and clearly endangered. Located about 1.6 km (1 mi) southwest of the Miraflores Locks. Site status unknown. ARLHS PAN-031.
Pacific Entrance Range Rear (4)
Around 2017 (station established 1914). Active; focal plane unknown; yellow light (or lights) occulting once every 5 s; also a continuous leading light, white, red or green depending on direction. Approx. 32 m (105 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower carrying two vertical white daymark panels extending down the upper half of the tower. Trabas has Douglas Cameron's photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on a slope west of the Balboa container terminal. Site status unknown. Admiralty G3200.05; NGA 0106.
Pacific Entrance Range Front (1) (lantern)
1914. Inactive since 1962(?). This was a 13 m (43 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted black. The Seerys have a photo (second row, left) and Myhre has a 2012 photo. The lighthouse was demolished sometime before 2017 as a large container terminal was built on the site, but the lantern can be seen in the parking lot of the terminal. Google has a street view and a satellite view. The lighthouse was located on the west bank of the Canal about 2 km (1.25 mi) north of the Bridge of the Americas. ARLHS PAN-032.
#Pacific Entrance Range Lights (Front, Middle, Rear) (2)
1962(?) (station established 1914). Demolished in 2010-11. This set of lights included an approx. 13 m (46 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower front light, an approx. 20 m (66 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower middle light, and an approx. 30.5 m (100 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower. The Seerys have a 2010 photo (second row, center) of all three range lights. It appears that the original range lights were replaced with these taller towers when the Bridge of the Americas was built (1959-62) in order to maintain visibility of the lights against the competing lights of the bridge. ex-Admiralty G3200 (front), G3200.05 (middle) and G3200.1 (rear).

1914 Pacific Entrance Range Rear Light, Balboa, May 2012
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Larry Myhre
#Pacific Entrance Range Lights (Front, Middle, Rear) (3)
2010-11 (station established 1914). Demolished about 2017. Front light focal plane about 25 m (82 ft); continuous green light; rear light focal plane about 45 m (148 ft); green light occulting every 3.5 s (white light occulting every 3.5 s during the day). Front light approx. 15 m (49 ft) and rear light approx. 30 m (98 ft) square cylindrical skeletal towers, both towers carrying rectangular white daymark panels. Myhre has 2012 photos of the front and middle lights. ex-Admiralty G3200 (front), G3200.05 (middle) and G3200.1 (rear).
Pacific Entrance Range Front (4)
Around 2017 (station established 1914). Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); eight continuous yellow lights in a vertical array between white vertical strip daymark panels. 20 m (66 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo (also seen at right) and Google has a satellite view. The tower appears taller than the listed height. Located at the southeast corner of the container terminal. Site and tower closed. Admiralty G3200; NGA 0104.
Balboa Southbound Front (2)
1962(?). Active; occulting green light. Roughly 9 m (30 ft) square skeletal tower carrying a rectangular white daymark, mounted on a square concrete platform supported by piles. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo, Erick Perez has a drone view, and Google has a satellite view. The range guides ships leaving the Miraflores Locks and departing the Canal. Located about 150 m (165 yd) northwest of the historic lighthouse (next entry). Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty G3198.5.
Balboa Southbound Front (1)
1914. Inactive, probably since 1962. Roughly 9 m (30 ft) concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted black, mounted on a square concrete pier. A 2005 photo is available, Lightphotos.net has a 2013 photo, Erick Perez has a drone view, and Google has a satellite view and a street view from the Bridge of the Americas. Clearly endangered. This range guided ships leaving the Miraflores Locks and departing the Canal. The range was probably deactivated around 1962, when the Bridge of the Americas was completed, requiring a small adjustment in the line of the range. The light was moved to a short skeletal tower (previous entry). Located on the west side of the Canal channel just north of the bridge in Balboa. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS PAN-038.
Balboa Southbound Rear (1)
1914. Inactive, probably since 1962. Roughly 13 m (43 ft) concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted black. The Seerys' photo is at the top of this page, Javier Lopez Troitiño has a 2014 photo, Myhre has a 2012 photo of both southbound rear lights, Isaac Valdes has a street view of the old and new lighthouses, and Google has a satellite view. Clearly endangered. This light is located perhaps 100 m (330 ft) south of the Pacific Entrance Range Front Light. Located on the west side of the Canal just south of the Bridge of the Americas in Balboa. Site status unknown, possibly open; tower closed. ARLHS PAN-039.

Pacific Entrance Range Front Light, Balboa
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger
used by permission
Balboa Southbound Rear (2)
1962(?). Active; occulting green light. Roughly 13 m (43 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower carrying a large white daymark facing the range line. The Seerys have a photo (third row, center), Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo, Myhre has a 2012 photo of both southbound rear lights, Isaac Valdes has a street view of the old and new lighthouses, and Google has drone view and a satellite view. Located a few feet northwest of the original lighthouse. Site status unknown, possibly open; tower closed. Admiralty G3198.51.

Western Gulf of Panamá Lighthouses

Panamá Oeste Province Lighthouses
Peñon Limoncillo (Isla Chama)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); white light, 2 s on, 13 s off. Approx. 14 m (46 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located atop a huge rock off the northern tip of Isla Chama, about 20 km (13 mi) south of the Canal entrance. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty G3216; NGA 111-0060.
Isla Boná
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 54 m (173 ft); white light, 3 s on, 10 s off. 12 m (39 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted white. Trabas has Capt. Theo's distant photo and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located atop a huge rock off the southern tip of Isla Boná, about 30 km (19 mi) south of the Canal entrance. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS PAN-001; Admiralty G3222; NGA 0052.

Los Santos Province Lighthouses
Isla Villa
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); white light, 1.8 s on, 16.2 s off. 12 m (39 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted white. Hector Villarreal has a distant view from the sea and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located atop a huge rock about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) off the west coast of the Gulf near Chitré. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty G3240; NGA 0046.
Isla Iguana
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 13 s. 12 m (39 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo, Yacdier Herrera has a 2018 photo, René De León González has a distant view, and Bing has a satellite view. Isla Iguana is a protected nature reserve also known for its beaches and its coral reefs. Located on the east side of the island, about 18 km (11 mi) north of Punta Mala. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS PAN-005; Admiralty G3243; NGA 0047.
Punta Mala (2?)
Date unknown (station established 1914). Active; focal plane 45 m (148 ft); white light, 5 s on, 15 s off. 33 m (108 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower mounted on a square cylindrical concrete skeletal base. The pyramidal portion of the tower is enclosed on at least 3 sides by a slatted daymark. Entire lighthouse is white. Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo (also seen at right) and Google has a satellite view. The Smithsonian Institution has a 1948 photo showing an earlier skeletal tower at this station. Note: Lighthouse Digest has a page with a photo by Nancy Rau of a concrete lighthouse; this is in fact a photo of the original Balboa Southbound Rear Light (see above). There was never a concrete lighthouse at Punta Mala. Located atop the headland at Punta Mala. Site status unknown. ARLHS PAN-013; Admiralty G3242; NGA 0048.
Punta Mala Light
Punta Mala Light, Pedasi
photo copyright Capt. Theo Hinrichs; used by permission

Western Pacific Coast Lighthouses

Los Santos Province Lighthouses
Frailes del Sur
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); red flash every 4 s. 12 m (40 ft) pyramidal concrete tower, painted white. A photo by Darién Montañez is at right, Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo, and Bing has a satellite view. The ruined doorway at left may be from a former keeper's house. Located on a rocky islet about 25 km (15 mi) southwest of Punta Mala. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS PAN-025; Admiralty G3246; NGA 0044.
Morro de Puercos
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 84 m (276 ft); white flash every 7.5 s. 15 m (49 ft) square cylindrical 2-stage skeletal tower, painted white. Trabas has Capt. Theo's view from the sea and Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory of the Azuero Peninsula near the southernmost point of Panamá. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty G3250; NGA 0040.

Veraguas Province Lighthouses
Punta Mariato
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 102 m (335 ft); white flash every 30 s. 12 m (39 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Trabas has Capt. Theo's view from the sea and Bing has an indistinct satellite view. Located on the cape at the southwestern corner of the Azuero Peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty G3252; NGA 0038.
Isla Jicarita
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 102 m (335 ft); white flash every 15 s. 15 m (49 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Trabas has Capt. Theo's view from the sea and Bing has a satellite view. Located at the southern tip of Isla Jicarita, an island south of Isla Coiba, the largest island of Central America. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Site manager: Isla Coiba National Park. ARLHS PAN-007; Admiralty G3262; NGA 0028.

Chiriquí Province Lighthouses
Isla Ensillada
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 62 m (203 ft); white flash every 5 s. 12 m (39 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a small island in the Gulf of Chiriquí. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty G3269; NGA 0022.

Frailes del Sur Light, Las Tablas, July 2008
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Darién Montañez
Isla Montuosa
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); white light, 2 s on, 5 s off. 12 m (39 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo of the island, but trees hide the lighthouse. Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a remote island in the mouth of the Gulf of Chiriquí. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty G3264; NGA 0020.
Isla Ladrones
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 65 m (213 ft); white light, 3 s on, 6 s off. 12 m (39 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. No photo available but Bing has a distant satellite view. Located on a remote island about 55 km (35 mi) northwest of Isla Montuosa and a similar distance east southeast of Isla Burica. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS PAN-015; Admiralty G3266; NGA 0012.
Isla Burica
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 34 m (111 ft); white flash every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) fiberglass tower. No photo available but Bing has a distant satellite view. The Burica Peninsula, about 35 km (22 mi) long, extends southward into the Pacific on the border between Panamá and Costa Rica. About 2/3 of the peninsula lies in Panamá, including Punta Burica at the end. The lighthouse is at the highest point of an island just off Punta Burica. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS PAN-002; Admiralty G3280; NGA 0004.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Northern Panamá | South: Western Colombia | West: Costa Rica

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key

Posted April 2001. Checked and revised October 10, 2023. Lighthouses: 34. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.