BEACH
COMBING | BIRD WATCHING |
BOATING
| EXPLORING |
FISHING
| RESTAURANT
| SCUBA DIVING | SNORKELING
Beach
combing...The
favorite pastime of Panamanians and visitors is enjoying the Caribbean and
Pacific Beaches. Both coasts have beautiful beaches with crystal clear
waters, white sand, coral reefs and coconut palm trees. These qualities make
places such as Bocas del Toro, Portobelo and the San Blas islands in the
caribbean ideal vacation spots for sun-seekers and scuba divers.
On the other side and only few minutes drive from Panama City, you can find
80 kilometers (50 mi) of Pacific Beaches stretching from Punta Chame to
Farallon offering resort hotels, sport facilities, and restaurants for your
enjoyment. Sailing enthusiasts can have their fun too in those quiet waters
and visit the flower-island of Taboga or the enchanting Pearl Archipelago.
Surfing is the most exciting sea encounter, and it is one of the most
interesting alternatives for tourism adventure in Panama. This is the most
exciting sea encounter, and it is one of the most interesting alternatives
for tourism adventure in Panama. If you are a professional surfer or a
surfing fan, Panama provides a singular variety of beaches on both oceans
that have the ideal surge for surfing. National and international matches of
high technical and professional quality are held annually in Panama taking
advantage of the enormous waves of the Panamanian Pacific.
Exotic bird
watching...Panamá, the ideal country for the
closest contact to a
rainforest. It's the only Latin America capital surrounded by rainforest
less than ten minutes away from its center and with a easy access to three
National Parks.
If your idea is to get in the rainforest, Panamá offers you Nationals Parks,
declared Biosphere Reserve and Mankind Heritage. Our Rainforest have the
richest variety of flora and fauna around the world (Darién National Park)
where more than 10,000 species of plants and 1000 species of birds live
together.
You can walk and enjoy the Rainforest of the Barú Volcano National Park, and
International Park La Amistad in Chiriqui Province Highlands. Panama is
recognized world-wide for having several "world records " for bird count and
observation. Similarly it has occupied the first places as far as the number
of birds observed in 24 hours, since 1970.
The Audobon Society a scientific organization specialized in the observation
and conservation of birds undergoes the traditional Christmas count in the
River basin of the Panama Canal, having divided this area in three
observation sectors: Pacific sector,Central Sector and Atlantic Sector. The
country has scientifically registered more than 940 species of birds, that
are mainly located in: the Sovereignty National Park, Metropolitan National
Park, Chagres National Park and Darién National Park.
Along the old Pipe line, Plantation Road (Soberanía National Park), and
Gamboa (that provides lodging facilities), you can experience being at the
location where the maximum amount of birds can be observed within a reduced
area and in a short period of time. These sites are readily accessible from
the capital city (15 to 30 minutes away) where you will find comfortable
hotels and tour operators with specialized guides.
The Harpía Eagle (harpya Harpia), one of the most impressive birds of prey
of the humid tropics has its habitat in the Darién National Park, where it
is possible to encounter the specie if you invest a little time and patience
in a trip full of adventures. But if time is a constraint, you can observe
it in captivity at the Summit Botanical Garden, in adequate exhibition
facilities where the majesty of this bird that’s in danger of extinction, is
explained in detail.
The famous quetzal (phraromachrus Mocino), can be observed in the high lands
of the Province of Chiriquí, as well as in the Baru Volcano National Park
and in the Amistad International Park whose trail bears its name. Nearby
there are hotels, cabins, and tour operators that will prepare bird watching
tours to observe the species in their natural habitat.
Most
importantly, Panama offers:
·
The land of
933 native bird species and the "Juega Vivo" (no it is not a dance)
1200 orchid species,
heliconia, gingers and all types tropical flora
·
Rich marine
life: Fishing for lobsters, shrimp, clams, Black Marlin, tuna, barracuda,
sailfish, and college age women...or men if you like.
·
A jungle
boasting monkeys, pumas, ocelots, armadillos, wild boars, anteaters, "waskly
wabbits", sloth, deer and overpaid crooked politicians!
·
Scarcely
tapped mineral deposits of gold, copper, basalt, manganese, lime, granite,
Panama Red along with the possibility of large oil reserves (yea, right!
coconut oil maybe.)
·
A duty free
zone for the manufacture of your goods or re-packaging and decoding to
divert to other countries. You can set up a tax-free business in Panama and
divert your parallel goods back to the country where you bought them.
·
Salsa
dancing, sailing, surfing, deep-sea fishing, diving, river rafting, hiking,
biking, horseback riding, exploring the ecological wonders of Panama,
birding, beach combing, skinny dipping, mountain climbing, tennis, golf,
island hopping, college women chasing you (unless you're broke)...for
once..! It has hundreds of islands, many pristine and pure, friendly
get-togethers with a growing community of like-minding tax avoiding, freedom
searching, partying, lazy expatriates.
And lastly, one of the
world’s leading bank centers with over 110 international banks all with
horrible customer service
Boats are available for charter from local people for fishing,
snorkeling, diving, and exploring. Also, taking kayak trips along the shoreline, allow many opportunities for bird watching
and fishing.
Ethnotourism, the first settlers of Panamá date from
approximately 9.000 years B.C. Come to Panamá to meet one of the richest
cultures in America. The first settlers of Panama date from
approximately 9.000 years B.C. From that moment on human presence in the
country has left interesting elements in important archaeological sites,
like the ceremonial centers of Barriles and el Caño in Chiriquí and Coclé
provinces.
The Darién National Park is inhabited by the emberá-wuonán or chocoes ethnic
group that live in communities within the forest where they conserve their
ancestral hunting, fishing and food harvesting customs, as well as their
traditional huts that transport us to the indigenous past of America.
The Natives of the ethnic group Ngobe-Bugle or Guaymíes inhabit the
highlands of the provinces of Chiriquí, Veraguas and Bocas of the Toro where
they live amidst green mountains and beautiful landscapes. Their feminine
wardrobe presents a variety of colors and geometric forms while male attire
presents the " chaquira " ( a multicolor necklace) that can be acquired
easily in their communities and crafts shops. They still practice ancestral
rites like the " traditional Balsería " and other rituals.
Near the Ngobes there is the small indigenous community of the Bokotas,
scattered in small villas similar to those that existed when the first
settlers arrived on the Isthmus of Panama. To get to the Bokotas village you
have to journey into the deepest sector of the tropical forest that is full
of adventure, surprises and unpredictable natural consequences.
The Kunas are the best known indigenous group of Panama. Famous world wide
for their handmade Molas and a culture that is very rich in rites and
traditions. They have been the subject of anthropological research and
extensive T.V. and news articles from the greatest world-wide television
networks. They inhabit the Archipelago of San Blas (Kuna Yala Region) in the
Eastern Caribbean coast of Panama, in islands with coralline white sand and
crystalline blue waters, where you can stay at hotels and cabins located in
paradise like tropical islands (in the island villages).
The indigenous community of Teribe inhabits the rough terrain of the Bocas
del Toro Province mountains and the margins of the Teribe River. This group
is led by a " King " who governs the community by decree preserving the
groups original traditions. In order to visit them it is necessary to
undergo the extraordinary adventure of sailing through the Changuinola River
on small boats with ouboard motors, where you can observe the impressive
rainforest, with its exotic animal sounds, a site worthy of taking
photographs to preserve this memorable experience of the humid tropical
forest of Panama.
ECOTOURISM:
Primeval rainforests, mystical cloud forests,
cool mountain retreats, pristine beaches and islands, and seven thriving
indigenous Indian cultures, support tremendous opportunities for the
development of ecotourism. Although Panama has only comparatively recently
been “discovered” by mainstream tourism, it was has long been a choice
destination for knowledgeable experts.
River
Rafting,
if once you dreamt of doing it, this is the best place to experience it.
Hiking and golfing are becoming big tourist attractions.
Summit
Golf & Resort is a World Class championship golf course near Panama City,
Panama. Summit Golf & Resort has a long history, originally opened in 1930's
for Americans working in the Panama Canal Zone. When the United States
withdrew from the Panama Canal Zone in 1999, it left behind more than the
canal. There was a radar station, rows of barracks at Fort Clayton and, in
the middle of the rain forest, an abandoned golf course. The Panamanians
knew what to do with the canal; it took them a while to figure out the rest.
The radar station became a lodge for bird-watchers. The barracks are being
converted to an industrial park. And the course has been devoted to another
novel concept here: public play. The course has been completely renovated to
world class standards. The winning combination of a superior redesign by Jeffrey
Myers with the ultimate in construction by Gregori International have
created a championship course of the highest caliber. Other attractions
include the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, Cruise Port Colon 2000, Cristobal Port
Dock 16, and Colon Free Zone and the Canal's Miraflores and Pedro Miguel
Locks (5 minutes drive). In addition, the Panama Canal Railway, a 143-year
old transcontinental railroad, passes by the golf course.
Panama is one of the most important and renowned
places for fishing in the world. The variety of different fish species as
well as their world record size is the main attraction.
Fishing can be done done from a yacht or a small boat on the ocean, on
rivers, and on lakes.
There are many places where you can rent different types of boats for
different purposes with all the necessary equipment so that you can really
enjoy this activity
Scuba
dive through an incredible landscape of submarine flora and fauna.
Panama is a maritime country par excellence. Its history and its economy are
linked to the sea. It has coasts on the Caribbean (1.207 km) and the Pacific
Oceans (1700,6 km). This privileged geographic condition has generated
important marine and coastal zones full of aquatic and land ecosystems like
marshes, beaches and coral reefs that form incredible landscapes of
submarine flora and fauna on both coasts.
In the Panama Caribbean specialists are astonished with the extraordinary
submarine beauty of the North and South Zapatilla Keys in the province of
Bocas del Toro within the Maritime National Park of Bastimento Island, as
well as around the waters of Punta Vieja (Old Point), Punta Hospital (
Hospital Point), Donato, Crawl Cay, Stern Island, Tiger Cay, Wild Cane Cay
and Agua Oeste Cay. On Colon Island tour operators provide equipment and
guides for safe scuba diving any time of year.
The San Blas Archipelago is famous all over the world for its wonderful
islands of coralline origin and its crystalline waters where scuba diving
and snorkelling are some of the main activities. The best months for diving
are April, May, November and December.
There are meeting sites for scuba diving and snorkelling like Portobelo Bay,
Isla Mamey and Isla Grande. It could turn out to be a great adventure to
dive in these waters full of the history of pirates and privateers from the
XVII century, where stormy battles took place and where the mortal remains
of the famous pirate Sir Francis Drake, were laid to rest at sea in a leaden
casket. The best diving months are April, May, November and December.
In the Pacific Ocean there are ample zones of subaqueous beauties like Coiba
Island, in the Coiba National Park, that has the most extensive coralline
reefs of the Central American Pacific becoming a great natural aquarium.
Another possibility is to visit the Chiriquí Marine Gulf National Park where
there are species of great size like whales and dolphins among others, or
enjoy scuba diving or "snorkelling " to feel the emotions of being in a
multicolored aquarium. In these two areas the best months for diving are
December to March. The Islands of Contadora and Taboga in the Archipelago of
las Perlas (the Pearl Archipelago), are the diving sites nearest to Panama
City. These Islands have facilities for the full-featured sport of scuba
diving with or without a tank.
In the Wild Life Refuge of Iguana Island there are very well preserved coral
reefs that can easily be observed at shallow depths, an excellent and calm
site to dive.
The waters next to the Panama Canal, specifically Gatún and Alajuela lakes
are also a unique diving destination. Perhaps this is a different diving
experience, because the attraction consists in seeing at the depths the
remains of the first trans-isthmian railroad and the old dredges that
excavated the Canal pathway
Early History and Spanish
Control
Panama was densely inhabited by different indigenous peoples before the
arrival of the Spanish. The first European sighting of Panama was by the
Spaniard Rodrigo de Bastidas in 1501, and Columbus dropped anchor off the
present-day Portobelo in 1502. Martín Fernández de Enciso and Diego de
Niuesa failed in their efforts at colonization in Darién. Vasco Núñez de
Balboa established the first successful colony in 1510 and became governor
of the region. The indigenous population was soon devastated by the Spanish
and by the diseases they carried from Europe.
In 1513, Balboa made his momentous voyage across the isthmus to the Pacific,
thus highlighting the dominant factor in the nation's history–the short
distance from sea to sea. Under the governorship of Pedro Arias de Ávila,
Panama City was founded (1519). Soon the isthmus became the route by which
the treasures of the Inca empire were transferred to Spain, attracting the
unwelcome attention of English buccaneers–such as Sir Francis Drake, William
Parker, Sir Henry Morgan, and Edward Vernon–who swooped down on the
gold-bearing galleons and the treasures of Portobelo. Panama was
subordinated to the viceroyalty of Peru and remained in this status until
1717, when it was transferred to New Granada.
Attempts at Scottish settlement in the Darién Scheme of the 17th cent.
failed wretchedly. With the decline of the Spanish Empire, Panama lost much
of its importance in the carrying trade. Panama became a part of independent
Colombia in 1821. Its significance as a crossroad was enhanced again when
U.S. settlers bound for Oregon and the goldfields of California passed
through Panama. W. H. Aspinall built (1848—55) the Panama RR, and the
question of a canal across the isthmus became paramount. The project
ultimately led to a revolution against Colombian sovereignty and the
establishment of Panama as a separate republic .
