At the start of last year I had this dream to take a trip around the world in celebration of paying off my student loans. That trip did end up happening, in some form, but at the time I was afraid that it wouldn’t. Enter, a well timed flight discount email- and my friend Rachel and I booked ourselves a spring break trip to Panama. Panama has been on my list for awhile because I heard it was nice and there are often cheap flights. If you read my post last week you may notice that Puerto Rico and Panama share several similarities.
One of my goals of this trip was to see if I could enjoy slow travel. My friend Rachel is a pro and is very good at savoring moments. I still have much to learn, I learned. It was a very hot and humid time of the year, so I can’t say I’d recommend that. But it’s a beautiful and interesting place, so I DO recommend that.
The Highlights
As with Puerto Rico, Panama has an old city, or Casco Viejo, that was colonized by Spanish conquerors. We took a walking tour through Guru Walk, which I enjoyed!
It also has a rain forest, within the city limits. Rather, several rain forests I believe. We didn’t see too much wildlife in the one we went to, but supposedly you can see sloths there.
Also like Puerto Rico, it’s capital is on the ocean. We took a ferry to a nearby island, Taboga, for a idyllic day in the sun.
In contrast to Puerto Rico, Panama has more cash flow with the Panama Canal generating income and bringing foreigners to it’s country for decades. This brings more options in restaurant variety, nice hotels, and overall safer vibes (in my opinion). It’s cool to visit the canal and see it in action. I especially enjoyed seeing the big ships up close on our ferry ride to Taboga.
Other highlights of the trip included daily breakfast and swim at our fancy, but cheap, hotel. We stayed at the Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Panama Punta Pacifica and I do recommend.
Panama City is also a great city for wandering and I enjoyed the shopping in Old Town and the views in every general direction.
Tips:
- Get a SIM card from a local phone company and then use Uber. Both are very cheap and make navigating so much easier! We got our SIM card at a mall by our hotel, but I think you can get them at the airport too.
- You don’t need Spanish to navigate Panama, but it always helps.
- When you do your research, be sure to specify Panama City, Panama, or the google will give you Florida.
Why Panama:
- If you are looking for something with the accessibility of Puerto Rico that actually gets you a passport stamp, Panama is a good choice!
- It has a variety of history and modern, urban and nature that give you plenty to do.
- There is enough to do to keep you busy, but it’s also a beautiful place to just relax.
- Fresh seafood and fruit. Need I say more?
- It’s the safest I’ve felt in Central America. We even wandered the streets at night and never ran into any shady people, both in the old town and downtown. Maybe it was an anomaly, but I appreciated it.
- Like Puerto Rico, it’s an easy destination for a spontaneous or shorter trip, since the flights are always cheap and the weather is always sunny.
Trips by Camille 