Overview to Panama: Travel Guide and Tourist Information
Panama is almost totally overlooked by backpackers in Central America. Which is a shame, really, as it proves to be a fascinatingly diverse and rich country, full of natural riches, a smattering of top-class sights and an incredibly friendly population.
The traveler in Panama is basically in for an unexpected delight. There’s plenty here to cater for most travelers’ wishes: unruly rainforest, engaging cities, indigenous culture and colonial splendor. And the country is helpfully split more or less into two.
Seeing as two thirds of Panama’s population lives around the famous Canal, it’s best to head there for any kind of tourism that involves human interaction! Panama City itself is a thriving cosmopolitan enclave that demands to be thoroughly explored.
Alternatively, head away from the Canal and a host of impressive natural landscapes come into view. There’s the thick, almost impassable rainforest of the Darien frontier (excellent canoeing territory), or the gorgeous sun soaked Caribbean Coast to the north east.
While some of the country’s fabulous natural terrain is tantalizingly hard to reach for many of the traveling hordes – who often simply don’t know about it – the small area around Bocas del Toro is popular as a surfing and snorkeling resort of the highest quality.
Panama may not seem as cheap as other countries in the area, nor is it quite as exotic as neighboring Costa Rica, but it’s a safe and rewarding country – great for acclimatizing to this part of the world before heading off to more challenging American countries.
