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Where to go
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Some two-thirds of PanamA?'s population live in the narrow corridor on either side of the canal, most of them in the capital, PanamA? City, or in the well-developed Pacific coastal plain west of the canal. The rest of PanamA?, east of the canal and north of the rugged mountain chain that runs like a spine down the length of the country, is heavily forested and sparsely inhabited, a virtual wilderness.
Cosmopolitan and contradictory, PanamA? City is perhaps the most exciting capital city in Central America, combining the intrigue and frenetic energy of its international banking centre with the laid-back street-life of its old colonial quarter and the antiseptic order of the former US-controlled Canal Zone towns. Surrounded by some of the most accessible tropical rainforest in the Americas, it is also the best base from which to explore the rest of the country. Without doubt PanamA?'s best-known attraction for visitors, the monumental PanamA? Canal can easily be visited from the city - you can watch mighty ships being raised and lowered through the locks or, even better, take a cruise yourself. Also within easy reach from the capital are the colonial ruins and pristine Caribbean coastline of the province of ColA?n. East of PanamA? City stretches DariA©n , the wild, rainforest-covered frontier between Central and South America. Stretched out along its beautiful Caribbean coastline is Kuna Yala , the autonomous homeland of the Kuna, who live in isolation on the coral atolls of the San Blas Archipelago, accessible by light aircraft from the capital.
West of PanamA? City and the canal, the Carretera Interamericana to Costa Rica runs through the Pacific coastal plain, PanamA?'s agricultural heartland. Densely populated in comparison with the rest of the interior, and with a decent road network, the attractions of this region include the folkloric traditions and coastal nature reserves of the
Azuero Peninsula
and the protected cloudforests of the
ChiriquA Highlands
, close to the Costa Rican border. The Caribbean coast west of the canal is virtually uninhabited except in the extreme northwest corner, in the isolated archipelago of
Bocas del Toro
, fast emerging as one of the most popular parts of the country amongst visitors thanks to its virtually unspoiled rainforests, beaches, coral reefs and unusual population of indigenous and West Indian-descended inhabitants. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Panama,
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