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Trip Report
City and ocean highlights in Panama
5 days short summary of Panamas beach and city life
+ 12
North AmericaPanama5 days / December 2018
Highs & Lows
Palmar Beach Lodge - great atmosphere, relaxed vibes and yoga with ocean view
Ocean-to-ocean tour to Colón to see also the Caribbean side of the Panama Canal - too much time spent on the highway
Itinerary Overview
Following a Costa Rica trip, I took the opportunity of the nearby border and spent another 5 days in Panama. From Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica you can book a transport including border crossing to Bocas with several tour providers. From there you can easily get to the islands of Bocas del Toro with small speedboats. I chose Isla Bastimento, where I spent 3 days in a beautiful Eco Camping.
After that I went by plane to Panama City - I couldn't miss to see the famous Panama Canal live once. The old town is also interesting and so different from any other old town I have visited. Since I was there during the pre-Christmas season, the city was nicely decorated in a kitschy way - with oversized plastic Santas.
Even though I could only get a brief impression of the country, I was fascinated by nature and culture. The climate is a bit hotter and more uncomfortable than in Costa Rica and I also found the people in Costa Rica to be more open and relaxed. Nevertheless, it was great to have been there once!
Isla Bastimentos To relax and enjoy beachlife after a three weeks trip to Costa Rica
4+Bastimentos is one of the largest islands in the province of Bocas del Toro and a true paradise. I was at Red Frog Beach - a long sandy beach on the north coast of the island, where very little is going on, because it is only used by the guests of the three accommodations on the beach.
Here you can sunbathe, play beach volleyball or walk along the beach. One afternoon I took a short hike into the Isla Bastimentos National Park to see a little more of the island. If you're even more enterprising, you can take boat tours to the other islands. I took a tour to Zapatilla Islands - a wild group of islands with paradise beaches. We stopped in the middle of the ocean to snorkel to coral reefs. Great new experience for me, only unfortunately I hurt my feet on the reef.
My accommodation Palmar Beach Lodge was awesome: yoga in the morning with sea view, afterwards a healthy breakfast with fruits and muesli, in the evening sitting together at the campfire and falling asleep with the sound of the sea in my ears - the perfect day! There were drinking bottles for sale with the slogan "Sleep in the jungle - swim in the sea - find your flow" - that was exactly what I did. After 3 days I was so in the flow that I would have loved to stay, but I had to catch my flight to Panama City.
Panama City The closing point of a Costa Rica an Panama Trip
5+Panama City is of course a must have of every Panama stay. Once see the famous canal, grasp its dimensions and see the ships in and out of the city - that is something special. However, I had not paid attention when booking my tour: It was called "Ocean to ocean"- which sounded to me like a long boat ride on the canal. In reality, it was mainly a long car trip with stops at two locks - one at the gateway to the Pacific and one at the exit to the Caribbean. In between, though, we boarded a small boat and traveled a bit on the canal to a winding section of river where we could watch monkeys up close. This was my personal highlight of the tour ;)
The old town of Panama City was also absolutely worth the trip. Many houses have super nice facades in the basement, but the upper floor is completely dilapidated or the roof is completely missing. You get an idea that there is a lot of poverty in the city beyond the neighborhoods with offices, hotels and skyscrapers. There are plenty of sights to see: Churches, administrative buildings with imposing architecture and museums.
The old town also has a lot to offer in terms of cuisine: At lunch I went to a very authentic restaurant with only locals and had a very creamy seafood stew with curry coconut sauce. One evening I sat on a rooftop terrace with a fabulous view of the city lights and enjoyed a perfectly made Peruvian-style ceviche.
Q & A
What would you have changed?
The expensive Ocean to ocean tour was not worth the money - to visit the dock close to Panama City should be enough to get an impression of the canals hugeness.Tips you would give a friend?
Stay at Palmar Beach Lodge and go with the flow ;)Packing tips?
Bring a high sunblocker and - the sun's rays are very intense in this part of the world.Transportation Tips?
To go to Islas Bastimento you have to take a "collectivo boat", which means that it runs when it's full. So look for people with the same route on your bus and go together.Any surprises?
In Palmar Beach Lodge we had a visit from a sloth every evening - i didn't know these animals could be so trusting ;)
Lodging
Palmar Beach Lodge is an eco-camping directly at Playa Reg Frog with a great sustainability concept. Rainwater showers, electricity from solar energy and vegetarian, local food - everything has been thought of. They also organize tours and in the evenings there are campfires or quiz nights. Highly recommended!
I stayed at Lunas Castle Hostel, which has a perfect location at the entrance gate to the old town. From the balcony on one side you had a great view of the sea and the skyscrapers, from the other side into a quiet courtyard. My room had a fan and the atmosphere in the hostel was quiet and relaxed, so it was a good balance to the hustle and bustle of the city.