Historic Casco Viejo

Casco Viejo (Old Town), Panama is the historic district of Panama City. In 1997 UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site. And rightly so as Casco Viejo is rich with history.

If you are not familiar with Panama, you may want to check out the Panama Tourist Map. It provides a quick overview of the country and points out many of the key sights. You will also find Pananainfo.com very useful. You can find an excellent map of Casco Viejo here.

In 1671, the pirate Henry Morgan attacked and destroyed what was then known as Panama Viejo. The resident moved "the city" to what is now known as Casco Viejo in the hopes of this being a safer location and one that would be easier to defined against future attacks.

We visited Casco Viejo in February 2012. We arrived late on Sunday evening and the streets were largely deserted. Many of the buildings we saw appeared to be very old, abandoned and falling apart. Initially, we wondered what we had gotten ourselves into!! The next morning as wondered the city we discovered that while many of the buildings are indeed old, abandoned and falling apart there is also a massive renovation effort underway in Casco Viejo.

The building across the street from our Casco Viejo apartment looked abandoned at night, but during there there is a small business selling Panama hats. 

On the surface, Casco Viejo can look like a bit rough and a little scary, but after two days we found ourselves quite comfortable in the area and found the people all very friendly and welcoming. When visiting, be sure to enjoy one of the many recommended walking tours to fully experience Casco Viejo. 

Seeing "new" Panama City through the old.

One of Casco Viejo's old buildings that are being reclaimed.

While many sell their crafts in public places such as the plazas, at no time was anyone "in our face" trying to push their crafts. 

Panama hats for sale a the Plaza Independencia
(Independence Plaza, also called Cathedral Plaza).

Molas handcrafted by the Kuna Indian Tribe.

While neither us are really history buffs, we did find the Casco Viejo literally packed with history everywhere you turn. There are many plazas, sculptures, museums and other historical sites scattered through out this relatively small area.

Teatro Nacional (National Theatre).

Catedral de Panamá en la Plaza Independencia
(Cathedral of Panama on the Independence Plaza, also called Cathedral Plaza).

The Golden Alter at Iglesia San Jose (San Jose Church) is a spectacular site to see.

The French Plaza is dedicated to the French effort to build the Panama Canal.

Central Casco Viejo viewed from the French Plaza.

On the west side and across the bay from central Casco Viejo you will find Mercado de Mariscos (Seafood Market). It is an amazing market with many varieties of fresh seafood. 

The fish are constantly being fileted.

Many varieties of fish at Mercade de Mariscos.

Fisherman making their delivers to the Mercade de Mariscos.

Rather than stay in a hotel in Casco Viejo (not that there were many to choose from) we found the Los Cuatro Tulipanes apartments which provided a bit more of feel for what it might be like to actually live there…though we were still clearly tourists. We very much enjoyed both the apartment and the people who managed the property. Right next to the apartments was the wonderful little Grandclement Ice Cream Shop that served Gelato ice cream in many very unusual flavors. I think we visited it 3 times in two days! 

The delicious Grandclement Ice Cream Shop.

Tne Puente de las Américas (Bridge of the Americas) over the Panama Canal viewed at sunset from the French Plaza.

While there is much to see and do in Casco Viejo, the real highlight is simply getting to know your way around the area and feeling comfortable in it. After a couple of days you will begin to recognize other tourists as well as residents from the local business. 

In the next and final post in this series on Panama we will explore the Pedasi area of of the beautiful Azuero Peninsula.

Valley of the Flowers, Boquete

Welcome to the Valley of Flowers, Boquete. This post in the series on Panama will provide an introduction to Boquete, which is located in the highlands of the Chiriqui Province in western Panama. It is located on the Caldera River. 

If you are not familiar with Panama, you may want to check out the Panama Tourist Map. It provides a quick overview of the country and points out many of the key sights. You will also find Pananainfo.com very useful. 

You can reach Boquete by car, or if you prefer to fly you will fly into the airport at David.  From Panama City, you can take Air Panama direct to David. When we visited Boquete in 2008 we came from Bocas del Toro and arranged ground transport. It was long but very scenic and interesting drive. The roads throughout Panama overall are quite good and some of the best in Latin America. 

Boquete is almost 4000 feet above sea level. As a consequence the climate is a bit on the cool side. Many of the local Panamanians that live in Panama City will travel to Boquete to escape the summer heat. The town of Boquete is relatively small with around 19,000 residents. It is relatively easy to navigate, provides a nice selection of restaurants and if you need, ATM machines.

One of the highlights within Boquete itself is the residence of Eduardo Gonzales who has turned the gardens of his home into a whimsical world he calls the Villa Marta. It is open from 9am to 6pm, no entrance fee (at the time of this post) and the sign above the entrance states "Mi jardin es su jardin" (My garden is your garden). 

Entrance to the beautiful Villa Marta. 

The Villa Marta is filled with beautiful gardens and whimsical sculptures.

A private chapel for the family. 

One of the many whimsical figures at the Villa Marta. 

When we visited Boquete in 2008 we stayed at the Boquete Garden Inn Hotel, which is located just a bit out of the town's main area. There are about 15 or so other hotels to choose from as well. If you have rented a car (which we did not) it is about a 3-minute drive from town. It is a short and pleasant walk so long as you do not get rained on as we did!! Being in the highlands, light rains are a frequent occurrence in Boquete. 

The Boquete Garden Inn Hotel is a wonderful little boutique hotel.  

Beautiful grounds of the Boquete Garden Inn Hotel. 

Volcan Baru is the only volcano in Panama. At 11,398 feet is the tallest mountain in Panama. While it is very cloudy and lightly misting the while we were in Boquete it was worth a trip the Volcan Barau National Park. 

A nice little waterfall on the way to Parque Nacional Volcan Baru. 

We could not see the top of Vulcan Baru through the thick clouds.

The hiking trails in the park were worth the trip.

A typical farm in the Chiriqui Highlands. 

Panama grows some of the worlds best coffee and it is in the Chiriqui Highlands were much of it is grown. We toured the Cafe Ruiz and learned how coffee was grow, harvested and roasted. We had the opportunity to sample espresso brewed form coffee beans that had just been roasted the previous day. It was without a doubt, the best coffee I have ever tasted in my life, anywhere. 

Fresh picked coffee beans at Cafe Ruiz. 

Watching a small coffee roaster in action. 

Boquete in the Chiriqui Highlands is one of the most temperate and beautiful areas of Panama. it is a bit off the beaten path, but if your schedule allows it is worth the visit. If you are coffee lover then a tour of Cafe Ruiz is very much worth your time, and you will likely pick up a few freshly roasted bags to bring home. 

The next post in this series on Panama will explore the vibrant Casco Viejo (Old Town) are of Panama City. 

Bienvenidos a Bocas del Toro

Welcome to Bocas del Toro, Panama! The first post in this series on Panama provided a quick introduction to Panama and explored Panama City. This post will provide an introduction to Bocas del Toro. Bocas del Toro is a province in Panama on the Caribbean side of the country. It consists of mainland, as well as nine islands. Panama has been receiving a lot of press lately as both a travel and retirement destination.

If you are not familiar with Panama, you may want to check out the Panama Tourist Map. It provides a quick overview of the country and points out many of the key sights. You will also find Pananainfo.com very useful. A good map of Bocas del Toro is hosted on Wikipeida.

Most visiting Bocas del Toro will likely be arriving by air at the Bocas del Toro Internal Airport on the Isla Colon. From Panama City, you can take Air Panama direct to Bocas del Toro’s International Airport. If you are visiting one of the neighboring islands, you will have to arrange transport by boat or water taxi form Bocas del Toro town to your destination.

Bocas del Toro International Airport in 2008. 

We visited Bocas del Toro in February 2008. At that time, it was relatively undeveloped from a tourism perspective. Now Bocas del Toro has become one of the top tourist destinations in Panama. We stayed at the Eclypse de Mar Aqua Lodge on the Isla Bastimentos. It was very new at the time at one of the few choices. Now many more options are available. A short water taxi drive brings you to Bastimentos Town where there is small handful of restaurants.

The beautiful Eclypse del Mar Aqua Lodge.

An afternoon snack delivered to our bungalow. 

One of the highlights of Bocas del Toro is surely the Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park. Here you can boat through the mangroves in pristine and clear water, seeing hundreds of starfish in the sand below. 

Coming into Bastimentos Town to hire a boat to take us snorkeling. 

Another view of Bastimentos Town. 

You can stop to snorkel, see dolphins and the to top of the day make a stop at Cayos Zapatilla. Cayos Zapatilla is completely uninhabited with thick jungle and beautiful white sand beach around the entire island. It takes about an hour to walk around. Be advised some areas are a bit difficult to cross and you will be in the water.

The beautiful and uninhabited Cayos Zapatillo. 

The next post in this series on Panama will explore Boquete in the Chiriqui highlands. 

Bienvenidos a Panamá

Welcome to Panama. This is the first in a series of posts that will explore Panama. Panama has been receiving a lot of press lately as both a travel and retirement destination. We first traveled to Panama first in February 2008 and and again February 2012. Panama is our favorite Latin American destination. I say "Latin" America as neither Mexico nor Panama are considered to be part of "Central" America.

Panama City skyline developing in 2008.

Panama City in 2012 with more glimmering skyscapers.

If you are not familiar with Panama, you may want to check out the Panama Tourist Map. It provides a quick overview of the country and points out many of the key sights. You will also find Pananainfo.com very useful.

Panama is probably best known to many for the Panama Canal, often referred to as the Eight Wonder of the World. The Panama Canal has a rich and interesting history. There is however so much more to Panama than the Canal. While you can (and should) visit Panama City and the Canal, you should also go to the relatively unspoiled Caribbean side, the moderately developed Pacific side and into the Chiriqui Highlands for views of scenic mountains and some of the world’s best coffee.

Panama is fast becoming a top-rated tourist and retirement destination. There is much development underway to attract both tourist and retirees. Within Panama City itself you will see hotel, car rental and restaurant names that you recognize. They have major shopping centers that feature brands that are familiar, and of course many that are not. Outside of Panama City it is very different. Here you will not find many car rental locations, chain restaurants or hi-rise, all-inclusive hotels where the staff all speak English.

Panama is often described as the two Panamas; the modern city and the rest of Panama. Panama City itself could easily be described as two cities; the modern Panama City in and around the Canal Zone and Financial District, and Casco Viejo (Old Town). In this post, we will touch briefly on the modern Panama City. We will cover Casco Viejo and other areas in future posts.

Residential housing on Balboa Avenue between the modern Panama City and Casco Viejo.

Towers, towers and more towers!

New towers under construction in 2012.

If you wish to see the Panama Canal you should plan a day or two within Panama City. For a view of the modern Panama City the Financial District is a convenient location to center out of, with hotels such as the Marriott and others available.

In the Financial District you will experience a very cosmopolitan city that blends old and new, Latin culture and the influences of many other international cultures. There are plenty of restaurants and nightlife options but as always when travelling to a foreign destination, do your research and be safe. Panama City is after all, a city. As such it has all of the advantages and all of the ills of any major city. 

Floats getting ready for Carnival.

From the Financial District, you can take a taxi to the see the Panama Canal. As always, verify the fee before getting into the cab. 

The Canal Visitor Center has 4 exhibit halls, and they are all worth seeing. Here you will also see the Miraflores Locks. The Panama Canal itself is an impressive political, economic and engineering achievement. 

Those that have travelled by boat through locks on a river however might be a bit underwhelmed by the locks themselves. Simply put, they do not appear as massive as one expects. There is a major Canal expansion project underway to enable the Canal to support today’s larger cargo ships. It is scheduled for completion in December 2014. 

Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal.

Waiting in the locks.

Arial view of the Panama Canal.

Along the Amador Causeway you can enjoy spectacular views of the Bridge of the Americas and the many ships that are entering and exiting the canal at this point. If you would like to stay right on the Causeway, one convenient location is the Country Inn and Suites. During the day you can enjoy a poolside view of the Canal. In the evening watch the sunset while enjoying your favorite beverage on their expansive patio. 

Bridge of the Americas at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.

2008 Panama City skyline as viewed from the Amador Causeway.

If you are not apposed to walking, you can cover a lot of ground within Panama City quickly and easily by foot. Being located near the equator, it is very hot so dress lightly and be prepared to make frequent stops to pick up a bottle of water.  

The stark contrast of the modern Panama City in the background and the fisherman in their modest and simple boats.

If you prefer, taxis are plentiful. However, be forewarned that many of the taxi drivers speak little if any English. While many local residents do speak some English, Spanish is the national language Panama. Please be a polite tourist and remember as the foreigner, the language barrier is your issue, not theirs.

We have touched only briefly on the glimmering, bustling and modern Panama City. One could easily spend several days or more exploring Panama City itself. But as we all know our travel time is always too short and we must move one. 

2012 Panama City night skyline as viewed from Casco Viejo.

The next post in this series on Panama will introduce Bocas del Toro.