Things to Do in Panama

The rectilinear grid system of Panama Viejo, contains a site, which, according to UNESCO is of outstanding historical importance. For it was here that in 1826 (over 100 years before such an institution materialized), Simon Bolivar unsuccessfully attempted to establish a Pan-American congress.

Somewhat the result of trial and error, the idea of the canal was first proposed when Spanish king Charles V realized that greater riches could be made from expeditions into Peru, Ecuador and Asia if the Panamanian isthmus was traversed. Eventually completed (several hundred years later) in 1914, the canal remains a marvel of human endeavor and a key component of global trading.

The last major eruption of Volcan Baru was in 500AD, so the chances are it's pretty safe to visit. Panama's tallest mountain (at 3,474 meters high), it offers the amazing experience of being able to see both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea from its peak on a clear day.

Constructed during the reign of Spanish monarch Philip II (1566-1598), as part of his bid to protect the riches being swiftly accrued in the new territory, the fort was taken, after a bloody struggle, by the pirate Henry Morgan in 1671. Further attacks meant that the fort had become delapidated by 1740. Rebuilt by the Spaniards in 1761, the fort is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

With 86,000 acres of parkland extending along the Atlantic coast, the park is an ideal attraction for keen photographers as its waters are home to an astonishing variety of colorful underwater life.