Panama naturist beaches

Playa de las Suecas ("Swedes' Beach") is a small, secluded beach on Isla Contadora in Panama's Pearl Islands, about 70 km off Panama City in the Gulf of Panama. It lies on the island's eastern side, hidden behind the far end of Playa Larga and reached by a short forest trail, and is the only beach in Panama widely known for nude use. The beach is wide white sand split into sections by large rock shelves; at high tide shallow sandy pools form, while low tide exposes sharp rocks and can leave decaying organic matter in the tide pools. Getting into the water is the main difficulty, as the entry from the Playa Larga side is rocky and slippery; the far side of the bay is easier. On calm mornings the snorkelling is good, and deer are sometimes seen at the treeline. There are no facilities, no shade structures and nothing for sale, so the beach often feels empty: visitors are mostly couples, solo naturists and a few adventurous travellers, and many have it to themselves for hours. Nudity is customary and generally treated as clothing-optional, although some accounts mention past signage saying nudity was expected.