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Tourist and Travel
information in Panama Including
Services and Panama Virtual Tours
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Panama a small country with equal charm of
Costa Rica. High Mountain Vistas cascading down to pristine white sandy
beaches on both the Pacific and Caribbean oceans.
You will find enchanting high mountain towns like
Boquete, as well
as dolphin havens in
Bocas del Toro
and surfing destinations in the Caribbean.
Many of the locals are multilingual having earned their degrees in
American based schools during the USA's Panama Canal era.
Panama appears to be the lost country since the USA relinquished
ownership and control of the Panama canal.
This makes it a perfect place to visit and or
own
property. Panama's excellent strategic location, pension
programs, tax exemptions coupled with it's low cost of living,
tropical and highland climates and investment incentives have
contributed to the ongoing real estate boom that has been affecting
Panama City and the
rest of the country.
Besides Panama's real estate boom, tourism is fast becoming
one of Panama's rising economic activities. Small and amazingly
diverse, you can visit not only two different oceans in one
day, but be able to combine in less than a week a diversified
natural experience of white sand beaches, cloud or rain forest,
mountains and/or valleys.
Panama is home to a wide range of cultural experiences; seven Indian
tribes, like the
Embera Tribe of Paraga Puru,
Afroantillian and Spanish Colonial culture, several historic
monuments and a 300 year old World Heritage Site called
Casco Antiguo; also known as Casco Viejo, Panama Viejo, San
Felipe or Catedral.
In recent years the northwestern and northeastern regions of Panama
have drawn increasing amounts of tourism because of their beaches,
temperate and tropical rainforests, all within easy reach of popular
Costa Rica. Popular tourist destinations are
Bocas Del Toro,
Boquete,
San Blas and the other surfing areas of the west coast.
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Map of Panama
View Panama Province Map
Panama, officially the Republic of
Panama, with the Capital being
Panama City, with the older portion of the city,
Casco Antiguo being a popular tourist destination is the
southernmost country of Central America. Located on an isthmus
connecting North and South America, it is sometimes categorized as
a transcontinental nation and home to the
Panama Canal, that links the North Atlantic Ocean via the Caribbean
Sea with the North Pacific Ocean. The currency most widely used is the
US dollar.
It is bordered by
Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the
Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The
size of Panama is approximately 75,000 km.
Panama is home to an international business center and is the
fastest growing economy and the largest per capita consumer in Central
America.
Plan a Trip to Panama at our affiliate One Stop Shop Travel Booking
Panama Virtual Tours List
Click on Names to View Virtual Tour
Geography
The central spine of mountains and hills that forms the continental divide,
is the dominant feature of the country's landform. The spine that forms
the divide is the highly eroded arch of an uplift from the sea bottom, in which
peaks were formed by volcanic intrusions.
The crater rim around Santa Fé (Veraguas Province)The mountain range of the
divide is called the Cordillera de Talamanca near the Costa Rican border.
Farther east it becomes the Serranía de Tabasará, and the portion of it closer
to the lower saddle of the isthmus, where the canal is located, is often called
the Sierra de Veraguas. As a whole, the range between Costa Rica and the canal
is generally referred to by geographers as the Cordillera Central.
The highest point in the country is the Volcán Barú (formerly known as the
Volcán de Chiriquí), which rises to 3,475 meters (11,401 ft). A nearly
impenetrable jungle forms the Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia. It creates
a break in the Pan-American Highway, which otherwise forms a complete road from
Alaska to Patagonia.
Hotels
Panama Provinces Map Locator
View Panama Map
Panama is divided into nine provinces, with their respective
local authorities (governors) and has a total of ten cities.
Also, there are four Comarcas (literally: "Shires") which house
a variety of indigenous groups.
National Parks Information
Bastimentos Island National
Park
The Bastimentos Island National Marine Park, occupying approximately 13,000
hectares of land and sea is located in the Bocas del Toro archipelago.
The Marine Park comprises the central sector of the Bastimentos Island, both
Zapatillas Keys and the waters surrounding them, and the mangroves zone at the
south of Bastimentos island.
There are numerous beaches that provide ample space for boat landings, yet most
of the them can not be accessed due to rough seas and/or rocky shoreline;
between the months of August-Ocober the water conditions tend to be the calmest,
and at times you can access this portion of the island
Darién National Park
Darién National Park, about 325 kilometers from Panama City,
is a world heritage site in Panama. Darién is one of the most
important world heritage sites in Central America.
It was categorized in 1981 as a worldwide patrimony and in 1983
as a biosphere reserve. Its most common species include macaw,
parrot, and tapirs. The harpy eagle, the National bird, also
calls this national park home. It is noted for its incredible
genetic value. The sheer beauty of the landscape and forest
generally captivate visitors. To travel to Darién, you usually
fly into El Real, the closest town to the park.
La Amistad
International Park
The La Amistad International Park, formerly the La Amistad
National Park, is an international peace park in Latin America,
management of which is shared between Costa Rica (Caribbean La
Amistad and Pacific La Amistad Conservation Areas) and Panama,
following a recommendation by UNESCO after the park's inclusion
in the World Heritage Site list.
The park area is equally split between Costa Rica and Panama, as
part of the former La Amistad Reserves of the Talamanca mountain
range. It is highly inaccessible and partially unexplored,
however in Panama access is easier.
Parque Nacional
Volcán Barú
This National Park, located in the Province of Chiriquí,
(Panama's bread basket),consists of 14, 300-hectares and is home
to Panama's only volcano, named, Volcán Barú. The
no longer active volcano has 7 craters. Its summit, at 3478m, is
the highest point in Panama, and on a clear day you can see
views of both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts.
The national park hosts one of the most scenic treks in the
country, the Sendero Los Quetzales, being one of the best places
in Central America to spot the rare quetzal, especially during
the dry season (November to April). The park is home to over 250
bird species as well as pumas, tapirs and the conejo pintado, a
spotted raccoon-like animal.
Soberanía National Park
Soberanía National Park, near the banks of the
Panama Canal in the
provinces of Panamá and
Colón, some 25 km from Panama City. The Chagres River
runs through the park and it covers 55,000 acres
Established as a national park in 1980, . The park is
popular with birdwatchers due to the abundance of bird species
in the park, including motmots, toucans, trogons, flycatchers,
antbirds, woodpeckers, tanagers and hawks. Among the rarer bird
species in the park are yellow-eared toucanets, crimson-bellied
woodpeckers, sirystes and rarely seen harpy eagles. Mammals in
the park include white-faced capuchin monkeys, mantled howler
monkeys, Geoffroy's tamarins, two-toed sloths, three-toed sloths,
anteaters, coatis and agoutis. Green iguanas are also found in
the park. The trailhead leading to the summit of Volcán Barú is
best accessed from the town of
Boquete. The Sendero Los Quetzales is best from
Cerro Punta.
Traveling in Panama
Traveling in Panama is far easier than travel in Costa Rica.
The infrastructure and the roads in general are far more well
maintained. There is adequate bus transportation within the
cities and from area to area. Small local airlines fly to many
desired locations, like Bocas del Toro, San Blas and David, the
closest city to the border of Costa Rica, from Panama City, as
well as David, (approximately a 6 hour drive by car from Panama
City)
Weather and Climate in Panama
The temperatures range from 32 °C (90 °F) during the daytime to
21 °C (70 °F) in the evening practically year-round. Humidity is
always high at about 80 percent.
Rain Season: October and November
Best time to visit: mid-December and late March.
By Regions
In mountain areas the average annual temperature ranges from
10ºC to 19ºC (50-66ºF) at various mountain elevations.
Current Weather
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