Panama Travel Guide

Panama OVERVIEW

Here's where your adventurous spirit is going to be put to trial. By far one of the world's most awe-inspiring and savage rainforests, Parque Nacional Darién, borders the region enjoying particularly ill fame due to recent guerrilla activity. As usual, the devil's not so black as he is painted and you can save yourselves from trouble by pure virtue of common sense. If you dare, leave your fluffy slippers behind to not only witness the weirdest species and interact with native peoples of the remote jungle settlements but also experience the rough and tough of life that goes on much like it has for centuries.

If it sounds too extreme for your timid disposition, there are numerous other wildlife habitats at your disposal, including Coiba or Soberania National Parks, where you can dive and watch birds respectively without trembling for life. Should you have a penchant for serious trekking, head for Parque Internacional La Amistad, and if surfing is your thing, let the wave carry you to Santa Catalina, long kept secret and thus pleasantly old-fashioned. Finally, don't forget about the Panama Canal, one of the most challenging engineering projects ever undertaken, where the tropical waters of the Caribbean meet the treacherous Pacific. Awesome!

Travel the length and breadth of the country and be sure not to stumble upon tourist-packed, restless resorts that have long eradicated their originally Caribbean roots. Even Bocas del Torro or sweet-smelling Isla Taboga, tourist electrifying magnets, are steeped in history and still seem to be resisting the relentless desire for growth that in a way obsessed Panama's neighbors. Of course, there's the city of Panama, stunning in its architecture, intimidating with development, and tempting with nightlife, but it's the welcoming people and a sense of a secret that will make you dwell on your Panama vacation with a virtually blissful smile.