Travel to Panama with essential travel insurance from Essential Travel

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Information on Panama with annaul travel insurance from Essential Travel

The capital, Panama City, is a cosmopolitan, booming commercial centre that stretches eight kilometres along the Pacific coast from the ruins of Panamá Viejo to the edge of the Panama Canal. There is a fine assortment of attractions here, including: the 17th century Metropolitan Church, the Interoceanic Canal Museum of Panama, the Plaza de Bolívar and the History Museum of Panama. The exotic cultural blend of Spanish, African, West Indian, Chinese, Indian and European influences makes this a truly unique city.

South of the capital, Isla Taboga is a magnificent historical island. Here, youll find beautiful sandy beaches, untouched rainforest, and lots of curious brown pelicans.

Another place worth seeing is Boquete, which offers an unspoilt natural environment that boasts relaxing activities such as: walking, bird-watching, horseback riding and taking in the scenery. An annual 10-day celebration in January known as Feria de las Flores y del Café, offers lots of excitement. Additionally, Boquete is a good base for climbing 3,475-metre Volcán Barú, which is situated 15kms to the west and is in a national park.

Of course, the highlight of any visit to Panama is the famous Panama Canal, an engineering wonder and one of the most important waterways on the planet. The canal stretches 80kms from Panama City on the Pacific to Colón on the Atlantic side. The Miraflores Locks offers a good view of the locks in operation, and there is also a museum with a model and a film about the canal. Boats leave Balboa in Panama City for a five-hour tour through the locks to Miraflores Lake. Alternatively, cruises that include a canal crossing are generally 10 to 14 nights long, with popular routes between Florida and Acapulco.

The Archipiélago de Bocas del Toro contains many untouched islands which are protected by the Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos. Here, you’ll find good scuba diving, snorkelling and swimming on offer, while the beaches are used as a nesting ground by several species of sea turtle.

The Archipiélago de San Blás is a chain of 378 islands which are home to the Kuna, who run them as an autonomous district called Comarca de Kuna Yala. They maintain their own economic system, language, customs and culture. Tourism is popular here and there’s lots of good swimming and water sports. The tiny Isla Grande is just seven square kilometres and has around 300 inhabitants. If you want to get away from it all, this is the place to be.

Areas near the Colombian border can be risky for travellers. Additionally, parts of Panama have malaria and you should either avoid these areas or take the proper precautions.

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