Panama
Panama enjoys tropical climate throughout the year and is divided into two seasons: a dry season from January to April, and a rainy season from May to November. We visited Panama in February and it was definitely hot with temperatures in the high 80s; but a cool breeze prevailed the entire day.
We visited Panama City and San Blas Islands on this trip, but if you have more time, would add Boquete (Panama Highlands) or Bocas Del Toro to the itinerary. I could have re-arranged my trip to fly into David upon landing from NY and visited a coffee plantation in Boquete which would have still given me time in Panama City to capture the major sites. Well, maybe will plan a quick trip to Boquete to visit the coffee plantations and Volcan Baru.
Quick Notes:
• Uber is very convenient and cheap in Panama City.
• Panama’s official language is Spanish; not many people speak English. So, communication could be a little tricky if you don’t know Spanish.
• We found Panama fairly safe; although we did see a lot of police in Panama City mainly due to the Carnival weekend.
• Don’t miss going to Miraflores Locks while in Panama City; watching the ships go through the Canal is amazing.
• Yes, getting to San Blas islands is a struggle and definitely expensive; but it is so worth it. Go to San Blas!
• Bring cash especially if you are going to San Blas Islands as there are no ATMs on the islands.
• Sailing conditions could get rough, so remember to bring your motion sickness medication and don’t forget that sunscreen.
Panama Itinerary Overview
Day 1: Panama City
Day 2: Panama City
Day 3/4: San Blas Islands
Day 5: Panama City
Day 6: Panama City/Fly home
Day 1 – PANAMA CITY
Panama City has a lot to offer with the canal to the archaeological site of Panama Viejo to Casco Viejo and the urban center with huge skyscrapers.
We flew into Panama City from New York on a 5-hour direct flight via Copa Airlines; Panama’s national airlines. We landed early in the morning and took an Uber from Tocumen International Airport to our hotel, Hilton Panama City. The hotel has a great location overlooking the Panama Bay. Being a Diamond Hilton Member, we were upgraded to the executive floor with beautiful views of the Bay. Though our rooms were not ready when we arrived, we were able to have breakfast at the Executive Lounge.
While waiting for our rooms to be ready, we went to Café Unido(https://cafeunido.com/) to try Panama’s famous Geisha Coffee. Geisha is a variety of coffee believed to be originated in Ethopia, then brought to Costa Rica and is now grown in the Boquete region of Panama. It is one of the most expensive coffee, but if you are passionate about coffee, you should definitely try it out while in Panama. You will find Geisha coffee at every coffee place in Panama. The coffee had a very fruity flavor and a certain sweetness to it that you can enjoy it without milk and sugar.
After checking into our rooms and getting ready we left to explore the city. CintaCostera is a pedestrian walkway next to the water which is frequented by tourists and locals. People come to hang out here or ride bicycles and enjoy the different recreational parks they have along the way. We took the overhead walkway from our hotel, picked up an orange flavored raspodos (shave ice) from a street vendor and walked along the pathway for about an hour or so until we reached the iconic Panama sign. This pathway takes you all the way to Casco Viejo; however due to the sweltering heat we decided to Uber to Barrio Pizza(http://www.barriopizza.com/)for lunch. Am glad we picked this place for lunch with its cool interiors, cold beer and sangria and fresh, thin crust pizza. They have the menu posted on a huge board on the wall and you order your pizza at the counter (yeah not a fancy restaurant). But the fresh and crispy brick oven pizza was excellent.
One of the best things to see and do in Panama City is visiting the Panama Canal, truly an engineering marvel. The Panama Canal is a passageway between the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean which was opened in 1914. The Atlantic side of the Panama Canal is very much lower than the Pacific side and with the help of the Lock Gates, the ships entering the canal are lifted to a higher level and later dropped down to the sea level at the other end of the canal.The Panama Canal is approximately 48 miles long and there are three main places (i.e., Miraflores Locks, Gatun Locks and Pedro Miguel Locks) where you can see how the ships are lowered or elevated. In addition, the new Agua Clara lock opened in 2016; designed specifically for big sized ships to pass. A ship takes an average of 8 to 10 hours to transit the Panama Canal. The most popular place to visit is the Miraflores Locks which is closest to Panama City.
It is important to time your visit to the lock as the ships do not pass by the entire day. Typically, the canal is busy between 9AM to 11 AM and 3 PM to 5PM. But these change daily and it is best to find out the exact time (ask your hotel concierge) so you can schedule your visit accordingly.
At Miraflores, in addition to the viewing platform, you can see an IMAX movie and visit an impressive 4 story museum here; which will cost about $30 per person.The 45-minutes long film about Panama Canal was ok, but the museum detailing the history, construction and technical aspect of the canal was amazing. From the viewpoint, you can see the ships traversing the canal are either raised or lowered depending on their routes. There is also an announcer who narrates the details of the ship that’s passing through (i.e., its nationality, cargo etc.). Some ships are so wide they are only a few inches from the concrete sides of the canal; while some are small tourist boats.
Visiting the Miraflores lock was fun and a great learning experience; definitely a not-to-miss stop in Panama.
We took a taxi back to the hotel, relaxed a bit and then left for dinner at Tacos La Neta (https://www.tacoslaneta.net/en/) in Casco Viejo. It’s a little hard to find as it’s on the top floor of a hostel, but it’s a nice rooftop place with great drinks and good food.
DAY 2 – PANAMA CITY
After grabbing some breakfast at the hotel, we left around 10 am for Panama Viejo, the first European settlement on the Pacific side of America. This original Panama City was built over 500 years ago and it became an important port for the Spanish who brought all the gold/silver they had stolen from South America here before being taken to Spain. However, this city was invaded by a pirate Henry Morgan who burnt the place and tortured the locals. Hence the residents decided to abandon the city and they built a new community which is now called Casco Viejo.
There is a $20 entrance fee ($2 for kids) to the complex which includes access to the archaeological park and museum. There is a shuttle that takes you from the entrance to the complex. We started with the museum which gives a good insight to the history of Panama Viejo. We noticed a lot of tourists had a private guide which we thought was a good idea and something I would recommend incase you visit the ruins.
There are set pathways throughout the grounds which provides access to the still standing cathedral bell tower and ruins of the neighboring buildings and structures. You can climb to the top of the tower which provides stunning views of modern Panama City. The neighborhood around Panama Viejo is quite dicey and we were warned by the shuttle driver not to venture out of the fenced in grounds.
A visit to the ruins provided good knowledge on the history of the country, but if you are short on time this site can be missed.
Back at the hotel, we grabbed lunch at Al Bashaa Lebanese restaurant close by. The menu was in Spanish but the staff was helpful and helped us with placing the order. All menu items were 40% off (maybe because we came during lunch) which was great. The restaurant had a very Moroccan vibe with hookahs and they even have belly dancers in the evening. The pita breads were freshly baked and the rest of the food was amazing; would definitely recommend this restaurant.
After lunch the kids went to the rooftop pool, while we took a nap. Energized we were ready to explore Casco Viejoin the evening. Casco Viejo was built in 1673 on the southern tip of Panama City after local residents abandoned the first Panama City. This area is relatively small and is best explored on foot.
The Old Town has colonial era buildings with high front doors and gorgeous street facing balconies. This neighborhood has gone through significant restoration in recent years and now has multiple hotels and restaurants along with some original ruins on display. You will also find many shops selling the iconic Panama hats and local women selling handicrafts.
There are many private walking tours that will take you the major city spots but we decided to follow our own path. We started at the main central plaza, Plaza de la Independencia which is surrounded by the Cathedral of Panama City, the Central Hotel, the Panama Canal Museum and the Panama History Museum. We visited the Cathedral (only surviving church that features its original façade) after which the kids grabbed ice cream from Granclement and then we headed north to the Palace of the Herons, where the President of Panama lives. Note: you can’t enter the Palace. We then made our way to Plaza Simon Bolivar before taking the scenic path lined with bougainvillea on the old city wall along the ocean to Plaza de Francia; a French Memorial dedicated to the 22,000 workers who lost their lives while building the canal.
In time for drinks, we stopped Finca del mar to cool off. Loved the atmosphere of this place with swinging barstools, hammock and nice shaded area to enjoy the outdoors. The ceviche with cold beer and margaritas was just what we needed to feel refreshed.
Heading back, we stopped at the Convent of Santo Domingo andArco Chato; there is nothing much to see here except a shell of ruins. The arch and its resilience is what puzzles many engineers as it has withstand many earthquakes. You can enter the complex and walk around; however,
it was already closed when we got there. Time for a sugar rush, we stopped for freshly baked cookies at the Cookie Jar and thenwent to Iglesia San Jose; the church that holds the Golden Altar that was supposedly saved by a priest when pirate Henry Morgan sacked Panama.
While walking around we peaked into unique art galleries and gift shops and saw the Spanish influence; its an amazing area with lots of history and amazing architecture.
Back at the hotel, we went to Sabor de la India; an Indian restaurant for dinner. Regret my choice for picking this place, they had an extensive menu but the food was way below average.
DAY 3 and 4 – SAN BLAS ISLANDS
San Blas islands is an archipelago located on the Caribbean side of Panama. They comprise of 365 islands of which only 49 are inhabited. These islands and the tourism here are governed by the Kuna, a tribe indigenous to Panama. Some islands are small with only the sand and a few palm trees, some have small shacks while a few are developed with the Kuna communities. Most of these islands do not have its own water supply and many have just started getting electricity using solar panels. There is no sanitary system to get rid of the waste and guess what..the toilet waste goes directly into the water.
The two days in San Blas Islands were the highlight of this trip. A visit to these paradise islands should definitely be on everyone’s travel list; where else can you say you traveled to islands so remote, they are not even on google maps.
Getting to these islands was not easy; even though the roadsare paved; the winding roads through the mountains (amazing landscape along the way) with huge potholes made all of us very queasy. Not to mention a lancha (boat) ride from the port to the islands where we were soaked.It all depends on the tide and the water currents which I guess that day were not in our favor. So please pack a rain gear just in case. But once you see how beautiful these islands are, the 4+ hour travel ride was definitely worth it. We booked our transfers through Lam Tours (http://www.lamtourspanama.com/) and worked with Judy (lamtourspanama@gmail.com) who was very helpful with providing the necessary information. The entire transportation seemed a bit unnerving especially since we didn’t know the language and there were locals running around with a paper and pencil making notes but these people know what they are doing. Transportation to the islands run between $65-$75 per person one way plus a $20 charge to enter the San Blas border and a $2 port tax.
You will need to carry your passport to the islands as you will cross a Kuna checkpoint where they check everyone’s passport. Also, you need to pack light for the trip and leave all the extra luggage at the hotel in Panama as neither the car nor the boat ride has room for big suitcases. In any event you don’t need much on these islands except a few swim suits, light dresses, a light cardigan and sunscreen.
You can do a day trip from Panama City to these islands, but in my opinion one day is not enough to see these beautiful islands and I recommend at least a one-night stay. There are a bunch of accommodation options on the Islands which provides basic facilities; there are no big chain or fancy hotels here but that’s the part of the experience. We decided to spend our time sailing on a catamaran; which was a great way to see more of these islands in the limited time there. We booked our accommodation through AirBNB(https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/21675848?source_impression_id=p3_1583350522_k0fNRsdcWXVt5zVN) and paid about $250 per person per night which included all meals, limited drinks and island hopping. You can also book monohulls to sail around the islands which are a little cheaper; but tend to be less stable and hence if you are prone to seasickness, catamaran is a better option.
Ourcatamaran was owned by a young couple (Captain Sebastian from France and Hostess Krista from Finland); they were really nice and friendly people who took such good care of us especially when my daughter was sick. The communication before the trip was good, answering all our questions and on the catamaran, they treated us like family. They have left their careers back home and have been sailing for the last 7 years. The catamaran was in very good condition, very clean with plenty of area to relax. Krista was a great cook (vegetarian meals only) who prepared delicious pasta, lasagna and even Indian curry for us. They did provide us with a fish meal on the islands for lunch as an option.
Sailing on these islands comes with their own challenges. Electricity and running water are limited here which means no long showers, we barely could get WiFi service which means no connection to the real world and use of the manual toilet flush on the boat with direct outlet to the sea. Despite all this, we all had a great time.
During our stay we visited about 5-6 different islands including Cambombia, Demarachu, Pelican, Dog Island and the East Lemon Cays which was surrounded by several smaller islands. Sebastian also took us to a unique area called the “pool” which was essentially a small section in the middle of the ocean with only 2’ of water. All the islands were gorgeous with clear blue water and soft sandy beaches. My favorite island of all was the Pelican island. Dog Island was very commercialized with lots of tourists. There is not much to do on these islands except swim, snorkel, walk the perimeter of the islands and relax on the beach.
San Blas is definitely one of the most stunning places I have been too with turquoise water and soft, white sand. And they are still relatively untouched by mass tourism which adds to the appeal.
DAY 5 – PANAMA CITY
We left the catamaran around 8:30 AM and it took us about 3 hours to get back to Panama City. The ride back wasn’t as bad as the ride to the islands.
We checked into the Sortis Hotel, Spa & Casino where we were upgraded to a luxurious 2-bedroom apartment. We stayed here for only 1 night, but Sortis is in a great location with beautiful modern décor, spacious rooms and many restaurants inside the hotel.
After a much-needed long shower, we went to Pizza Athens, a nearby restaurant for lunch. It is a Greek restaurant serving salads, gyros and pizzas. It’s a very casual restaurant and the food was average.
Back at the hotel, we rested in the afternoon and left around 4PM to check out the Carnival celebrations. Carnival is a big celebration throughout Latin America and takes place four to five days leading up to Ash Wednesday (which ended up being the weekend we were in Panama). The biggest celebration in Panama is in a small town called Las Tablas.
Many people leave Panama City and go back home to celebrate with their families. In Panama City, parties take place in clubs and bars and there are parades with floats and live band. We saw a huge police presence and there were security check points at several locations along Avenida Balboa, the 4-lane road that runs along CintaCostera. We arrived here around 5PM, and it seemed like things were just getting started. The entire street was lined with food stalls selling soda, water, cerveza and local food including hot dogs and grilled chicken. Music was blaring from everywhere and there seemed to be an air of excitement all around. We saw the “pollera” parade where young girls and women were dressed in the Panamanian national costume and walked along the street.We saw some local people especially kids dressed up in colorful and creative costumes. We didn’t stay for too long, and I am sure later in the evening the area gets crowded, but was a nice first-time carnival experience for us.
Leaving the kids back at the hotel. We went to Tantalo Hotel and Kitchen (http://tantalohotel.com/roofbar/) for drinks and dinner. They have a restaurant on the first floor, though we went to the rooftop which provided great views of the old and new city. They don’t have a full menu at the rooftop and service was a little slow but the place had a cool vibe and the cocktails and food was good too. I really liked the funky décor at the place; definitely a place to enjoy the nightlife in Panama City.
Day 6
After a light breakfast at the hotel, we headed to Ancón Hill, the highest point in the city which provides excellent views of Panama City. The best time to go is in the morning to avoid the heat and humidity later in the day. Don’t forget those water bottles!
We took an Uber from the hotel to get there (Mi Pueblito) from where a short flight of stairs leads you to the start of the trail. There is no cost to enter Ancon Hill. It’s a fairly easy hike to the top through lush vegetation and the road is paved and well maintained too. Note: cars are not allowed to drive to the top. It took us about 30-35 minutes to get to the top which offers amazing views of the city and the canal. Along the way keep an eye out for the different species of monkeys, birds and insects that can been seen hidden among the vegetation. There are two viewpoints here; the first looks down above Casco Viejo and provides view of the Panama Canal and the Bridge of Americas. The second provides sweeping view of downtown Panama City. A huge Panamanian flag (roughly the size of a basketball court) is hoisted at the top of the hill.
It was a fun morning adventure for our last day in Panama.
Back at the hotel we showered and then checked out at 1PM. We had lunch at Fenecia; a restaurant adjacent to our hotel where they have a wide variety of choices including sushi, Mediterranean, sandwiches, wraps, as well as seafood. The restaurant was nice with fair prices and the food was good as well.
We checked out of the hotel after lunch for the airport to catch our 6:30PM flight back home.
