How safe is the general area of Kalu Yala and surrounding area?

It is in the jungle and safe. It is a short hike to the small town of san miguel where many interns teach. It is safe in that there is no crime and there are constant directors around if you need help. Also it was a rule to always go places with a buddy incase you fell or came across a snake etc.

Safe from crime, yeah unless the other interns are sketchy. Definitely you are in the rainforest jungle so it can be dangerous from wildlife or twisting an ankle.

So, about how safe is the area around Kalu Yala you ask? I think it's among the safest places I've ever seen abroad, for the sort of places I personally would go to. I would usually travel with my intern group friends, and as long as you have this sort of network, it inspires teamwork and establishes safety for the wilderness hikes to have good allies supporting each other.

In the city, there are instances of questionable safety, but this should be overcome if you maintain decent group communication.

If you want to go to the El Balboa Mall by walking from the Hispania Company HQ, or to Pacífico Mall by taxi, there will be no issue with anyone as there is a regular number of security personnel along those roads. Do you want to enjoy Panamanian nightlife at the UNESCO heritage site of Casco Viejo while dining on cerviche y bebidas finas? No problem, I did so with a young blonde lady in my company, and neither of us had a a problem walking a mile back along the shoreline to our Hostel Urraca in Hispania Park where the former president of Panama lived in 1930. In fact, the grandson of Noriega (head of state in 2013 when I was there) would visit our Kalu Yala company, and even invited us all to his elegant luxury yacht party @ the Trump Ocean Club. Certainly safety becomes much less of an issue when you keep presidential company nearby.

As long as you do a good job keeping away the mosquitoes and staying dry in the rain, there is no need to ask that silly question of whether or not it is safe. It's like asking whether any U.S. city is safe or not. The real question is, how much wit do you have to avoid doing foolish things abroad? I personally lived for four months there along with twenty others of diverse backgrounds and we all had a spectacular time. I'm sure that if you can influence your peers there to be wise by avoiding foolish things that American frat boys do for fun, then you can shape your experience of Kalu Yala to your liking as a great leader to succeed in what you go there for. I personally met a great blonde girl from Holland who had an easy time to mingle with the fellows of Kalu Yala, and to separate herself and travel alone on buses for long distances to go to environmental labs to do her science experiments for water quality. The setting of Panama City allows this to happen as long as you have the wits to handle it.