Sights in Colón Province
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Iglesia de San Félipe
Every October 21, pilgrims from all over Panama arrive in Portobelo to partake in the Festival de Cristo Negro (Black Christ Festival), which honors the 1.5m-high statue of the Black Christ housed in the Iglesia de San Félipe. The exact origins of the Black Christ statue are a matter of speculation, especially since all definitive church records were lost in the fire that followed Henry Morgan's sacking of Panamá in 1671.
However, there's no shortage of fanciful stories surrounding the origins of the statue.
One story has it that a ship bound for Cartagena, Colombia tried to leave Portobelo five times, but on each occasion a mighty storm blew the ship back to the town's …
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Real Aduana de Portobelo
The handsome, two-story Real Aduana de Portobelo was originally built in 1630 to serve as the contaduría (counting house) for the king's gold. It was in this building that the treasure brought across the isthmus was recorded and stored until it could be placed on galleons and sailed to Spain. According to early records, no less than 233 soldiers were garrisoned in this building alone.
The customs house consists of two main rooms, which are now used as permanent exhibition halls. One room displays dozens of purple velvet robes, which are placed on the statue of the Black Christ every October when thousands of devotees descend on Portobelo to worship the icon. Among the do…
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Zona Libre
Colón's free-trade zone is a huge fortress-like area of giant international stores selling items duty free. In fact, it's the world's second-largest duty-free port after Hong Kong. However, most of these stores only deal in bulk merchandise; they aren't set up to sell to individual tourists and the window-shopping is not very interesting.
If you do buy something, the store usually sends it to the Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, where you can retrieve your purchase before departing the country. You can enter the Zona Libre by presenting your passport at the security office.
In 1948, the Zona Libre was created on the edge of Colón in an attempt to revive the c…
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Gatún Locks
The Gatún Locks raise southbound ships 29.5m (96.7ft) from Caribbean waters to the level of Lago Gatún. From there, ships travel 37km (23mi) to the Pedro Miguel Locks, which lower southbound ships 9.3m (30.5ft) to Lago Miraflores, a small body of water that separates the two sets of Pacific locks. The ships are lowered to sea level at the Miraflores Locks.
Not only are the Gatún Locks the largest of the three sets, but their size is simply mind-boggling. In his superlative book, The Path Between the Seas, David McCullough notes that if stood on its end, a single lock would have been the tallest structure on Earth at the time it was built, taller by several meters than …
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Fuerte San Lorenzo
The Fuerte San Lorenzo was built in 1595, by order of Felipe II of Spain, to fortify the Río Chagres and the trade route to the city of Panamá. Despite its violent history, which includes constant pirate attack (and occupation by Sir Francis Drake himself), much of San Lorenzo is well preserved, including the moat, the cannons and the arched rooms.
Together with Portobelo, Fuerte San Lorenzo was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1980. Like its contemporary fortresses at Portobelo, San Lorenzo was constructed of blocks of cut coral, and armed to the teeth with rows upon rows of cannons. If you inspect the cannons closely, you'll notice that some of them are actual…
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Fuerte San Fernando
To defend his bullion and galleons from pirates, King Félipe II ordered forts to be constructed at Portobelo based on Italian engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli's recommendation. In 1601, Fuerte San Félipe and Fuerte San Diego were built near the mouth of the bay, but were subsequently destroyed by British Admiral Vernon in 1739.
In the years to follow, Fuerte San Fernando was built on top of these ruins, though sadly much of the fort was later taken down by American engineers, who used its walls to create the breakwater protecting the northern end of the Panama Canal. Still, it's a scenic spot worth visiting and boats can be hired from the water's edge to bring you acros…
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Fuerte Santiago
As you approach the town from the west, the first fort you'll see is Fuerte Santiago, which was built after an attack on the city by Admiral Edward Vernon (during which earlier forts were destroyed). Several of its walls are 3m thick and made entirely of cut coral. Known to the Spaniards as 'reef rock', coral was extensively used as a building material since it's tough as granite yet light as pumice and it can easily be shaped with a saw.
The ruins at Fuerte Santiago include officers' quarters, artillery sheds, a sentry box, barracks and several watchtowers.
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Mirador Perú
On a hill overlooking Santiago and much of the bay is a small but well-preserved watchtower called Mirador Perú, which was built after an attack on the city by British Admiral Edward Vernon (during which earlier forts were destroyed). There are steps carved into the hillside to reach the lookout and the views of the coastline from here are expansive. Unfortunately for the Spanish, however, the views weren't good enough to save their city from being repeatedly sacked by the English.
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Gatún Dam
The Gatún Dam, constructed in 1908 to shore up the Río Chagres and to create Lago Gatún, was the world's largest dam until 1940. When created, it submerged 262 sq km (163 sq mi) of jungle, entire villages (the people were relocated first) and large sections of the Panama Railroad. Although the dam is always impressive, it's especially worth coming out here if the spillway is open - the sight of millions of gallons of water rushing out is amazing.
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Fuerte San Jerónimo
This was the largest fortress ever built to protect the bay. Facing the mouth of the bay are 18 cannon embrasures, some of which remain exactly where the Spanish troops left them when they returned home in 1821 - the year Panama declared its independence from Spain. Beyond the impressive gateway of San Jerónimo are the remains of the officers' quarters, barracks and a guardroom.
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Panama Canal Yacht Club
This is a safe haven for 'yachties' heading through the canal. It has a restaurant, bar, showers and a bulletin board with notices from people offering or seeking positions as crew. This is the place to inquire about work as a line handler. Don't expect to show up and get work; it can often take several weeks. Still, seeing the canal from the inside is the best way to experience it.
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