A Guide to Panama

Panama City

Panama, in central America, is bordered by both the Caribbean and the North Pacific Ocean and is situated between Costa Rica and Colombia.

Panama has a wide range of tropical landscapes including pristine beaches, rain forests, cloud forests, over 900 species of birds, 1500 species of trees and over 7000 vascular plants making Panama a real tropical paradise for nature lovers.   With a great climate and a low cost of living it is becoming an ideal holiday destination or a country in which to retire.  The official language of Panama is Spanish, however, English is widely spoken in most places.

With about a thousand miles of Caribbean and Pacific coastline, and hundreds of picturesque islands, Panama is a tropical paradise.  Activities include snorkeling, diving, fishing, windsurfing and golfing and a vacation on Panama’s beaches is guaranteed to meet your highest expectations.

The cosmopolitan Panama City offers Spanish colonial ruins, excellent museums, beautiful parks, a breathtaking skyline and an immense infrastructure of hotels and restaurants and convention and banking facilities. At the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks, visitors can spend hours watching cruise ships and freighters moving through the Panama Canal.

About two miles from the centre of Panama City are found the ruins of the first capital, known as Old Panama, founded in 1519. Fragments of walls and arches stand in an open park, recalling the splendour of the first Spanish settlement on the Pacific Ocean.  The most impressive structures still remaining are the cathedral, with its massive bell-tower  and the Bishop's House.  In front of the ruins, alongside the ocean, is an artisan's market full of native crafts and small restaurants with a fine view out to the bay.

Average Temperature:                                                  

Currency:  Balboa (PAB)

Time: GMT -5

Getting There:  Virgin Atlantic, KLM, Iberia and British Airways all fly to Panama which is 8-9 hours flying time from the UK.