We arrived in Panama City via a flight that transited through an extremely cold Atlanta. The first few months of the year are some of the best to visit Central America, in that it is the dry season and also it is less hot than in the northern hemisphere summer months. Panama, is an ideal starting location for a journey through Central America, our journey took us overland from Panama through to Guatemala. The Panama Canal is awe inspiring even for those not into engineering masterpieces. In addition Panama is so much more than just the Canal, with the well preserved Casco Viejo in Panama City and away from the City unspoiled landscapes, coffee fincas and attractive highland towns.
Panama City, Panama
Panama City and Casco Viejo
Panama City is really a city in two parts, the modern Panama full of tall skyscrapers of glass fronted offices and apartment blocks and the old city, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The modern Panama economy of international finance and shipping has created one of Latin America’s wealthiest cities, which compares with many European countries. However, the old city centre retains all its old charm of small colourful buildings dating back to the old colonial times. The UNESCO World Heritage Status has led to most of the buildings in the old centre being cleaned up, renovated etc., many into boutique hotels, restaurants, bars etc. The process is on going, as more and more properties are renovated, often with the consequence of the existing owners being priced out and then moving out into more affordable parts of the city. Police patrol the old city in large numbers, there are also a number of government buildings there too, and the city feels very safe by Latin American standards.
Catedral Basílica Metropolitana Santa María La Antigua, French Embassy, Casco Viejo, Panama
At night, the old city’s bars and restaurants fill up with both young Panamanians and tourists. There are also many microbreweries in Panama, particularly fun is La Rana Dorada, or golden frog which serves a variety of craft beers and bar snacks to go with the beer. There is a good restaurant scene, though for some of the better ones it is important to book ahead. We had a particularly good meal at the Spanish restaurant Santa Rita, not cheap but tasty and interesting food.
Nearby is the fish market, which also contains many restaurants, all serving basic local fish dishes. Fine dining it is not, but the fish is fresh, large and simply cooked. Lots of locals eat there, so lunch times may be better, and the food is excellent value.
Fish Market, Panama City
The principal churches, in particular the cathedral – Catedral Basílica Metropolitana Santa María La Antigua, has been lavishly restored, so much so that some of the stone carvings look brand new. Other churches are not quite so pristine but have also been renovated. The altar piece, Altar de Oro, in the Iglesia de San José has a particularly interesting story in how the local priest protected it from the English pirate Morgan by disguising it by painting it black and telling him that it was stolen by another pirate and convinced Morgan to donate for its replacement. Today it is fully restored with its secret cabinet for the cross, which is opened on special holy festivals.
The old town was originally walled, but many of the stones in the walls have long since gone, mainly reused to protect buildings from the sea. However, the walls on the Pacific Ocean side still stand and offer great views of all the ships waiting to go into the Canal, as well as offering nesting sites for local pelicans and other sea birds. By these walls is the rather elegant French Embassy, together with a memorial to the many French workers who died in the first attempt to build the Panama Canal.
Also, there is the Instituto Nacional de Cultura, which James Bond fans will recognise as the hotel in La Paz in the film A Quantum of Solace. Further round the bay is the old Officers Mess used by General Noriega and his troops – it was destroyed in the counter coup to restore Panamanian democracy but has now been fully restored as an up market hotel.
Old Officer’s Mess, Panama City
We stayed in the Magnolia Inn, just behind the cathedral. It is a lovely hostel with a well equipped lounge and kitchen that guests use. The upper floor rooms are well appointed and offer great skyline views of the city.
The Panama Canal
About 20 or kilometres out of the city is the Miraflores Visitor Centre, where you can observe at close quarters the operation of the Panama Canal. You will need to time your visit to coincide with the tides etc. as it is only at certain times of the day that ships can pass through the canal. Intense security over the canal means that it is not really possible to see the locks of the intimate workings of the canal other than at the Visitor Centre. It is a simple Uber ride from the City to the Visitors Centre.
The Panama Canal, Miraflores
The visit will start with a 3D IMax film narrated by Morgan Freeman on the history of the canal. In particular the 3D images of the yellow fever and malaria mosquitos are particularly interesting. In many ways the management of disease was key to making the building of the canal successful and was the principal reason why the earlier French attempts failed. The canal works on a simple principle of damming the river to create Lago Gatún in the centre of Panama where ships wait before descending the locks to the Pacific at Panama City or the Caribbean at Colón, this approach minimised the amount of digging and earth movement and instead tried to make as much use of natural water flows. Today there has been a serious drought which has meant that water levels in Lago Gatún are dangerously low for some of the larger ships.
The whole job of manoeuvring ships into the locks and canal is extremely skilled and throughout their transit through the canal, the ships captain’s hand over full control over to the Panamanian pilots. Ships move very slowly through the canal and in the locks are manoeuvred by special small engines acting as tugs.
While the Canal is the big not to be missed site in Panama, the country offers a lot of natural unspoiled countryside and some good fertile agriculture, especially coffee in the hills near Boquete in the West of the country.
Boquete
The main bus terminal in Panama City is at Albrook. Local busses run fairly frequently and operate pretty much on a turn up and board basis, it is often not possible to book these in advance. International buses however to book up quickly and it certainly pays to book these in advance. Tica Bus have a reasonably simply web site to book buses to Costa Rica and beyond. Often you may need to show a bus ticket out of the country particularly if you arrive by land. We went to Boquete in the West of the country, which is near Panama’s second city of David. However, to pick the bus up to San José and Costa Rica, it was simply a bus shelter on the side of the Pan American Highway. However, notwithstanding the bus being late arriving, everything went smoothly with the pick up.
Boquete Flowers
Boquete is famous for its coffee fincas and flowers, as well and a number of retired Americans at 1,000 metres plus has a pleasant climate. We hit Boquete on the last day of its fiesta de cafe y flores, so the town was crowded and at the queues for buses from David snaked all round the bus station. The main festival area has beautiful flower beds, with many of the plants that grow as house plants or just in high summer back home.
Coffee, Dom Pepe Estate, Boquete
The day after the festival we arrange a coffee finca tour at Dom Pepe Estate. The tour started with a tasting of six different coffees, including their speciality a geisha coffee which apparently attract some very high prices. The tour round the estate covered the life cycle of the coffee bushes and the beans from flower to ripe red cherries. It then went through all the drying and sorting. The bushes are all tended by hand, as is the whole process. The different types of flavours are largely influenced by the washing and drying processes and the amount of fermentation that takes place. Also, the age and size of tree impacts the bean type too.
In Boquete we stayed at Oasis Hotel y Restaurante a very prettily located hotel by the river and next to the festival grounds. The gardens in the hotel were very beautiful and peaceful.
Final Thoughts
Panama offers a blend of bustling urban life, rich history, and serene natural landscapes. From the UNESCO-listed old quarter of Panama City to the marvel of the Panama Canal, there’s much to captivate travellers. Boquete, with its lush coffee estates and cool highland climate, provides a tranquil retreat and insight into the country’s famed coffee culture. Panama’s diversity, safety, and accessibility make it an ideal destination for both city explorers and nature enthusiasts.
Dates 17th January 2024 to 23rd January 2024