Sights in Panama
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Casco Viejo
Following the destruction of the old city by Henry Morgan in 1671, the Spanish moved their city 8km southwest to a rocky peninsula on the foot of Cerro Ancón. The new location was easier to defend as the reefs prevented ships from approaching the city except at high tide. The new city was also easy to defend as it was surrounded by a massive wall, which is how Casco Viejo got its name.
In 1904, when construction began on the Panama Canal, all of Panama City existed where Casco Viejo stands today. However, as population growth and urban expansion pushed the boundaries of Panama City further east, the city's elite abandoned Casco Viejo, and the neighborhood rapidly deterio…
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Panama Canal
The Canal is both an engineering marvel and one of the most significant waterways on the planet. Seeing a huge ship nudge its way through the narrow canal with vast tracts of virgin jungle on both sides is truly an unforgettable sight. As impressive as it is now, an ambitious expansion plan is set to completely transform the the canal.
Stretching 80km (49mi) from Panama City on the Pacific coast to Colón on the Atlantic coast, the Canal provides passage for nearly 14,000 ocean-going vessels per year. The easiest and best way to visit the canal is to go to the Miraflores Locks, on the northeastern fringe of Panama City, where a platform offers visitors a good view of the l…
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Summit Botanical Gardens & Zoo
The botanical gardens were founded in 1923 to introduce, propagate and disseminate tropical plants from around the world into Panama. They contain more than 15,000 plant species, and many of these are marked along a trail.
Also at the park is an expanding zoo that contains animals native to Central America. Its greatest attraction is its harpy eagle compound, which opened in 1998 in the hope that conditions would prove conducive to breeding; at the time of writing, there were no baby harpies to report.
The harpy eagle is the national bird, and many ornithologists consider it the most powerful bird of prey. Also at the zoo is a roomy jaguar compound and a remarkably spaci…
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Isla Bastimentos
Although it's a mere 10min boat ride from the town of Bocas del Toro, Isla Bastimentos is a different world. The northern coast of the island is home to palm-fringed wilderness beaches that serve as nesting grounds for sea turtles, while most of the southern coast consists of mangrove islands and coral reefs that fall within the boundaries of the Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos.
The main settlement on Bastimentos is the historic West Indian town of Old Bank, which has its origins in the banana industry. Here, you'll hear Gali-Gali, the distinctive Creole language of Bocas del Toro Province that combines Afro-Antillean English, Spanish and Ngöbe-Buglé. The island …
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Chorro El Macho
The most famous waterfall in the El Valle area is the 85-high Chorro El Macho, which is located a few kilometers north of town near the entrance to the canopy tour. As its somewhat humorous name implies, this towering waterfall is more dramatic than its dainty counterpart, and makes for some excellent photographs. If the summer sun is beating down more than usual, you can take a refreshing bath at the base of the falls.
Here below the falls, you'll find a large swimming pool made of rocks, surrounded by rainforest and fed by river water. There are also a series of short hiking trails here that wind into the surrounding forest.
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Parque Nacional Coiba
This national marine park contains Panama's largest island, the 493-sq-km Isla de Coiba, as well as astounding biodiversity; 23 species of dolphin and whale have been identified, including humpback, killer and sperm whales. Several species of crocodile and turtle, and 15 species of snake roam the island as well as myriad birdlife.
Santa Catalina is the best place to base yourself if you're interested in informal trips into the park and onto the island.
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Museo El Valle
On the eastern side of El Valle's conspicuous church is the very modest Museo de El Valle, which contains exhibits of petroglyphs and ceramics left by the indigenous peoples who lived in the area hundreds of years ago. There is also some religious art (the museum is owned by the church next door), mostly statues of Christ and the Virgin, as well as some historical and geological information on El Valle's volcano.
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Aprovaca Orquídeas
For the best selection of orquídeas (orchids) in the area, visit the pleasant Aprovaca Orquídeas. Some 32 volunteers work to maintain the lovely flowers inside the greenhouse and the grounds, and they welcome visitors to show off the 96 varieties of orchids cultivated - it's well worth a visit. Look for the 'Orquídeas' sign on the way into town.
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Panamá Viejo Ruins
The center of power resided at the Casas Reales (Royal House), a complex ringed by timber ramparts and separated from the city proper by a moat. Within the complex were the customs house, the royal treasury, a prison and the governor's house. Despite the obvious historical importance of the site, past governments have allowed sections of the property to be used as a landfill and for horse stables. Only scattered walls remain of the once-impressive structures.
The Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Cathedral of Our Lady of Asunción), built between 1619 and 1626, is the best-preserved building of the ruins. In traditional fashion, it was designed so that its two sid…
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Centro de Exhibiciones Marinas
The Centro de Exhibiciones Marinas, a marine exhibitions center operated by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), includes an informative marine museum with signs in English and Spanish, two small aquariums and a nature trail through a patch of dry forest containing sloths and iguanas.
There are many exhibits at the center, including a small six-sided building with sweeping views of the Bahía de Panamá that was built by Noriega for intimate gatherings. Today it houses a museum containing exhibits on the history of Panama's indigenous cultures.
At the museum you can also learn about the role that Panama's marine resources play in the country's economy, and t…
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Panama Canal Murals
The story of the monumental effort to build the Panama Canal is powerfully depicted in murals mounted in the rotunda of the Panama Canal Administration Building.
The murals tell the story of the canal's construction through four main scenes: the digging of Gaillard Cut at Gold Hill, where the canal passes through the Continental Divide; the building of the spillway of the Gatún Dam, which dammed the Río Chagres and created Lago Gatún; the construction of one of the giant lock gates (the canal uses some 80 of these gates); and the construction of the Miraflores Locks near the Pacific entrance to the canal. A frieze located immediately below the murals presents a panorama o…
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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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Reserva Natural Punta Patiño
On the southern shore of the Golfo de San Miguel, this 26,315ha (65,025 acre) wildlife preserve is owned by the private conservation group ANCON. It contains species-rich primary and secondary forest, and is one of the best places in Panama to spot harpy eagles. Even if the big bird doesn't show, there's a good chance of seeing everything from three-toed sloths to capybaras, the world's largest rodent.
In the waterways, you'll almost certainly see brown pelicans, magnificent frigate birds and laughing gulls - bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales also frequent these waters. Other birds to keep an eye out for include terns, American oystercatchers and waders.
In the mang…
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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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Parque Nacional Sarigua
This small national park is arguably the most important Pre-Columbian site in Panama - the Sarigua site has been dated back 11,000 years based on shell mounds and pottery fragments. In contrast to many of Panama's other national parks, this is not the place to encounter lush forests or abundant wildlife. The desert-like wasteland exists as a sad and potent reminder of the future of Panama if greed wins out over environmental responsibility.
The park was once dry tropical rainforest and coastal mangrove. Sarigua is the end product of slash-and-burn agriculture. People moved into the area, cut down all the trees, set fire to the debris, planted crops for a few harvests and …
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Río Sambú
Traveling the wide, brown Sambú River is a heart-of-darkness experience: you'll pass through spectacular jungle while gliding past traditional Emberá and Wounaan villages. Be forewarned: it's not everyone's cup of tea. If riding in a boat that's loaded down with leaking gasoline cans bothers you, you should probably pass on the Sambú - you'll need to bring several large containers of gas from La Palma to fuel the canoe you hire upriver.
This journey has other minor hardships, such as a lack of showers and toilets, and an abundance of creepy crawlies. But, a trip up the Río Sambú is a true adventure, something that may not be possible anywhere in the Tropics 50 years fr…
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Pirre Station
The Rancho Frío sector of Parque Nacional Darién is home to Pirre Station. Rancho Frío is, to steal a line from the famous naturalist guide Hernán Araúz, 'Panama's foremost theater of life'. There are a number of rare bird species here including the crimson-bellied woodpecker, the white-fronted nunbird and the striped woodhaunter.
Pirre Station has a network of accessible trails. The trail to Pirre Mountain ridge takes most hikers two days to reach, while another winds through thick jungle to a series of cascades about an hour's hike away. Neither should be attempted without a guide - if you get lost out here, you're finished.
If you intend to visit Pirre Station, you…
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Parque Nacional Soberanía
This 22,104ha (85 sq mi) park is one of the most accessible tropical rain-forest areas in Panama. It extends much of the way across the isthmus, from Limón on Lago Gatùn to just north of Paraíso. It features hiking trails, the Río Chagres, part of Lago Gatùn and a remarkable variety of wildlife.
Known residents include 105 species of mammal, 525 species of bird, 55 species of amphibian, 79 species of reptile and 36 species of freshwater fish. Hiking trails in the park include a section of the old Sendero Las Cruces (Las Cruces Trail) and the 17km Pipeline Rd, providing access to Río Agua Salud, where you can walk upriver for a swim under a waterfall.
In order to ful…
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Parque Nacional Volcán Barú
Volcán Barú is Panama's only volcano and the dominant geographical feature of western Panama. It has not one but seven craters. Its summit, at 3478m (11,410ft), is the highest point in Panama, and on a clear day it affords views of both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts.
Volcán Barú is no longer active; its last eruption was about 500 years ago. The fertile volcanic soil and the temperate climate of its mid-altitude slopes support some of Panama's most productive agriculture, especially in the areas around Cerro Punta and Boquete. Large trees dominate the volcano's lower slopes, giving way on the upper slopes to smaller plants, bushes, scrub and alpine wildflowers.
The…
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La Piedra Pintada
The Coloured Stone or La Piedra Pintada is a huge boulder adorned with pre-Columbian carvings. Locals often fill in the grooves of the petroglyphs with chalk to facilitate their viewing, but their meaning isn't clearer. That doesn't prevent children from giving their interpretation of the petroglyphs, (in Spanish only).
One of these interpreters, Seneida Milena Rivera, says she learned the 'story of the rock' at school. Amid a 10-minute explanation of the graffiti-like carvings, she takes her bamboo pointing stick and identifies an x carved into the rock. It represents the burial site of a powerful chief who died many centuries ago, she says. 'The site moos like a cow eve…
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Calzada
At the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, a 2km palm tree-lined Calzada connects the four small islands of Naos, Culebra, Perico and Flamenco to the mainland. The Causeway is the popular place to be in the early morning and late afternoon when residents head here to walk, jog, skate, and cycle or simply escape the noise and pollution of the city.
The Causeway also offers sweeping views of the skyline and the old city, and you can see flocks of brown pelicans diving into the sea here most times of the year. Others arrive here simply to savor the pleasant breeze at one of the Causeway's many restaurants and bars.
At the Causeway entrance, Bicicletas Rali operates a booth…
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Los Pozos de Caldera
The Boquete area's most famous attraction is the Los Pozos de Caldera, natural hot springs renowned for their health-giving properties. The springs are located on private land near the town of Caldera. If you get overheated in the springs, the pleasant Río Caldera is just a stone's throw away, and makes for a pleasant spot to cool off.
Along the road to Boquete, there are two popular swimming spots. Balneario Majagua, 3.9km (2.4mi) north of David, is a stretch of waterfall-fed river that's been outfitted with a bar. Not to be outdone by its neighbor, Balneario La Cascada, 8.4km (5.3mi) north of David, offers similar waterfall-side swimming, and also features a small bar.…
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Wizard Beach
The most beautiful beach on Isla Bastimentos is Wizard Beach (also known as Playa Primera). Awash in powder-yellow sand and backed by thick vine-strewn jungle, Wizard Beach is connected to Old Bank via a wilderness path. The mere 30min walk can turn into an all-day trek through the muck if it's been raining heavy.
Assuming the weather is cooperating, you can continue walking along the coast to Playa Segunda (Second Beach) and Red Frog Beach. Like Wizard, both beaches are stunning and virtually abandoned, though this will change as development on the island continues. If the weather isn't cooperating, you can access Red Frog Beach by water taxi via a small marina on the so…
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Changuinola Canal
The boat ride from Changuinola to Bocas del Toro travels through the old canal formerly used by the banana plantations - it's a scenic trip that's well worth taking. The canal was abandoned years ago, and until the mid-1990s it was a bird watcher's dream. Today however, much of the jungle on both sides of the waterway has been cleared for cattle pasture, though there is still wildlife in the area.
In 1903, a 15km (9mi) canal connecting the Río Changuinola and Bahía de Almirante was dug parallel to the Caribbean shoreline, running within several hundred meters of it for most of its length. The work was begun six years earlier by the Snyder Brothers Banana Company to facili…
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