Panama Travel Guide

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Top Things to See

• Discover Panama City’s curious blend of old Spain, modern America and the eastern bazaar. The historic old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, full of narrow, cobble-stoned streets and colonial buildings.

• While in Panama City, see the Plaza de Francia, the Paseo de las Bóvedas along the massive stone wall, San José Church, with its magnificent golden Baroque altar, and the Santo Domingo Church, next to which is the Museum of Colonial Religious Art.

• Visit the President’s Palace, the most impressive building in Panama City; and further along the waterfront take a turn around the colorful public market. Then explore the fascinating Museum of the Panamanian Man north of the market.

• Take an excursion to the ruins of Panama Viejo, including the square tower of the old cathedral, 6km (4 miles) from the capital. This is the original Panama City, sacked in 1671 by celebrated Welsh buccaneer Henry Morgan, who helped undermine Spanish control of their colonies.

• Visit the interesting Panama Canal Museum in the Casco Viejo area. The canal was opened in 1914, and an average transit takes eight hours to complete. On 31 December 1999, Panama took over full control of the canal from the USA.

• Take a day trip from Panama City to the island of Barro Colorado in Gatun Lake, a vast manmade stretch of water created during construction of the Panama Canal. The island is a biological reserve and reputed to be one of the world’s leading natural tropical laboratories.

• Marvel at Chiriquí Province’s scenery, characterized by volcanic highlands, with many waterfalls, rivers and spectacular mountain scenery, known for its cattle and thoroughbred horses, as well as banana and coffee plantations.

• Notice Panama’s Spanish legacy in Portobelo, a colonial garrison town with three large stone forts facing the harbor. Also in town are an old Spanish cannon, and the treasure house where gold and silver from Peru and Bolivia were stored before being shipped to Spain.

• Learn about tropical flora and fauna in the Gamboa Tropical Rainforest Reserve and the Soberanía National Park. The Antón Valley (El Valle de Antón) is also famous for its orchids.

• Roam the Darién National Park in the sparsely populated wilderness of the Darién Gap, which contains an exceptional variety of habitats, ranging from sandy beaches, rocky coasts, mangroves and swamps to tropical rainforest. The park is also home to two Choco Indian tribes.

Top Things to Do

• Make the most of Panama’s excellent shopping. Its position as a crossing point between oceans has made it a major commercial route. Panama City’s Central Avenue, Colón’s Front Street, newer shopping sectors and Tocumen’s duty-free stores have grown as a result.

• Attend one of the many fiestas in Panama’s various cities - in particular, Panama City‘s Carnival is superb. This is held on the four days before Ash Wednesday. Others are held to celebrate local patron saints.

• Witness Las Balserías, a Ngöbé-Bugle Indian celebration held in the Chiriquí Province every February, that includes feasts and a contest in which the young men toss balsa logs at one another; those who emerge unscathed may choose their partners.

• Go birdwatching: the country is considered one of the world’s best birdwatching spots, with about 950 species. Recommended sites include Soberanía National Park (40km/25 miles north of Panama City), and the Baru National Park in the Chiriquí Province, famous for its Quetzal birds.

• Take a boat trip along the Panama Canal, 80km (50 miles) long. The scenery is beautiful, and the mechanics of the canal fascinating. Crocodiles, birds and other wildlife lives along the banks. Also recommended are bus or train rides alongside the canal.

• Enjoy some excellent diving and snorkeling locations, including: Isla Grande near Portobelo, where there are a number of dive centers offering excursions to the best reefs; the Bocas del Toro archipelago; and the San Blás Islands (off the northeast coast).

• Breathe in the sea air of the island of Taboga, where fine beaches and quality hotels abound. The main method of transport is by water taxi, known locally as panga. A longer trip by launch is necessary to get to the Pearl Islands, which are visited mainly by sea-anglers.

• Go surfing: good locations include Santa Catalina, Venado and Rio Mar in the Pacific and Isla Grande, Bluf and Careneros in the Atlantic; waves can reach 4.5m (15ft).

• Climb the dormant Baru Volcano (3,475m/11,400 ft) on horseback; it is located in beautiful Chiriquí Province, near the popular resort town of Boquete and the mountain resort, Cerro Punta.

• Embark on a tree canopy adventure in the El Níspero Botanical Gardens, where participants are fastened into a harness, pulled up to the treetops and swung from one platform to another in order to enjoy particularly ‘green’ views.