Your Tropical Tour

Panama has it all. History that goes back to Columbus, Spanish galleons and pirates. The finest fishing in the world. A Garden of Eden with exotic wildlife, unspoiled beaches, rainforests and volcanic mountains. It’s the entertainment hub of Latin America–a New York City–with music, shows and performers.

Panama is the crossroads of the world. Come get a taste of what life might be like if you lived here.

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OCEAN
Panama is home to the Panama Canal because it is the narrowest land body between the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. So pick your pleasure: both the Pacific and the Atlantic are host to the best of the world sport fishing tournaments in the spirit of Hemingway. The Atlantic offers eco-tourism and turquoise waters. Both sides offer snorkeling, diving and countless beautiful beaches. Fans of surfing, windsurfing, stand-up paddle board and kiteboarding will find suitable waves along either of the coastlines. It’s so beautiful and untouched that the hit TV show Survivor was filmed here.

WEATHER
Panama is the very definition of a tropical paradise. The weather averages 82 degrees all year. It rarely dips below 73 degrees. The temperature is so predictable that WeatherSpark says “it’s almost not worth discussing.” Unlike Mexico and Caribbean islands, Panama does not have hurricanes because it’s located outside of the Atlantic Jetstream.

LAND
Surrounded on two sides by ocean, Panama’s volcanic mountains reach to the sky with amazing peaks. The highlands are a cool year-round and an ideal place for hiking and exploring and the headwaters of 500 rivers and streams. You’ll find world-class rafting and kayaking, golf, coffee farm tours, bird watching, horseback riding and even zipline canopy tours. There are many, many national parks and reserves.

WILDLIFE
Very few places in the world offer more biodiversity than Panama thanks to a string of volcanoes that connected Latin and South America 3 million years ago. Today, you can spend a lifetime exploring Panama’s rainforests, highlands and rivers. You’ll see monkeys, toucans, frogs, jaguars, sloths, whales and millions and millions of birds–many only exist here. There’s so much biodiversity that the Smithsonian Institute has study centers in Panama.

HISTORY
While it’s best known for the Canal which was completed by the Americans in 1914, there is depth to this country’s long history. Discovered in 1501 by Rodrigo de Bastidas, Panama has been the scene of dramatic conquests, colonization and cooperation for centuries. Columbus and Balboa charted its shores. Spanish Conquistadors used it as a base for conquering the Incas, stealing their silver and shipping it Spain. Pirate Henry Morgan pulled off one of the greatest military coups in history when he sacked the San Lorenzo fortress in 1671. Panama was once the site of a Scottish colony. All this history is still intact at Casa Viejo and other UNESCO sites in Panama.

PEOPLE
A warm and enthusiastically friendly people, Panamanians have a long and happy history with Americans. America assisted Panama to gain its independence from Columbia in the early 1900s. As a world crossroads, Panama is a melting pot of Spanish, Caribbean, Chinese and European cultures. Tourism makes up one-quarter of Panama’s economy. Local folklore is renowned its for native art and Spanish-African blended music and dance.

SHOPPING
You may want to bring an extra suitcase… Panama City is a duty-free shopping destination and features a number of major shopping malls. While the elite Zoho Mall features luxury brands like Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, conventional brands like Levis and Lacoste are also here. A North American passport will often get you an additional discount.