Travel to Panama

Miles of palm-strewn Caribbean beaches. Hordes of tropical birds vying for the strongest colors. Native American cultures living as they did hundreds of years ago on remote islands. Panama has much more to offer than its famous canal.

See trips to Panama

Population: 3.7 million

Capital: Panama City

Language: Spanish

ships have to pass three locks to force the Panama Canal’s height difference of 26 meters?

the legendary straw hat, also called the Panama hat, originally from Ecuador?

Geography

Panama borders Costa Rica and Colombia with coasts facing the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The long, narrow country is intersected by an east-west mountain range with Volcán Bará at 3,478 meters as the highest point. The volcano has as many as seven craters from where you can see on clear days all the way to the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The southern side of Panama’s mountainous area is characterized by savannah vegetation and the northern part of the mountain range consists of rainforest.

History

Panama has 3.7 million inhabitants, the main religion is Catholicism and the official language is Spanish. The remaining indigenous minorities speaking, however, various Indian languages and English has become widely spoken second language because of the US ‘s long presence in the country. The indigenous people of Panama were the Indians, whose numbers were rapidly reduced at the encounter with the Spanish diseases and weapons in the early 16th century. In 1513 the country was a completed Spanish colony and was especially used as a staging post for transporting wealth from Peru to Spain.. The amount of gold and silver transported from coast to coast attracted pirates from all the world’s oceans. This led the Spaniards to choose another mode of transport and gradually lose interest in Panama. Colombia took over the former Spanish colony in 1821 and Panama had to wait until 1903 before becoming an independent state.

The construction of the Panama Canal

Independence arose when the United States was working on its channel plans. The Colombian government did not want to get involved and encouraged the Panamanian people to liberate themselves. Since then, Panama has had an ambivalent attitude towards the United States, which it depends on having a good relationship with while at the same time having a strong, national pride. The United States is still the country’s most important trading partner and had full control of the area around the canal until 1999. The United States also helped Panama when General Noriega began behaving like a political bulldozer and tried to take over the presidency. The military has generally had great political power well into the 20th century, but all presidents have been democratically elected since 1989, when Noriega was sent to the United States where he was convicted of money corruption and drug smuggling.

Panamas attractions

A trip to Panama is so much more than canals and huge locks. With a width that rarely exceeds 100 kilometers, Panama is the country where you take a morning swim in the Pacific Ocean and then travel through cool mountains and hot rainforests to enjoy an evening drink with your toes in the Caribbean Sea. Along Panama’s Caribbean coastline are several small archipelagos that offer everything from tropical beach paradise to traditional Native American culture. On the Bocas del Toro archipelago in northeastern Panama, you can enjoy all that a tropical island has to offer in the form of sand, water and palm trees. Those who place their trip between June and August can with a little luck experience the turtles’ egg-laying period.

On the San Blas archipelago to the west, it is not turtles but people that attract visitors. Here the Kuna Indians live in the traditional way with minimal interference from the Panamanian government. The Kuna Indians have their own language, culture, colorful attire and an economic system that is independent of the rest of the country. The income comes from sales of coconuts and tourism.

Those who want to take advantage of the country’s position in the flamboyant tropics and fill their Panama trip with fantastic nature experiences can visit the country’s beautiful national parks. Darién National Park on the border with Colombia, consists of a green, animal-rich jungle at its best. Dolphins play in the rivers, sloths slacken in the treetops and trees and flowers abound in greenery. Coiba National Park is located on the country’s largest island in the Pacific Ocean and is a paradise for small and large sea animals. Here you will find countless species of dolphins, whales, crocodiles and turtles, the surroundings are beautiful and the birds are colorful.

But no Panama vacation without the famous canal. Here is a fascinating element of history and big politics. The heavy transport ships that push their way through the jungle along the narrow canal are an impressive sight. Those who want to experience the canal from the water can take a sailing trip or a cruise ship along the historic route. A canal tour takes nine hours. The feeling of sailing from one world ocean to another along a canal that was dreamed of for 400 years before it became a reality is very special. On August 15, 1914, the Panama Canal was inaugurated and the first ship was able to sail down this man-made monster. The canal is still today one of the world’s most important transport routes.

Climate and weather Panama

Here you can read about the weather and climate in Panama. See also average temperatures for the capital Panama City.

According to bridgat, the climate is tropical with summer rains on the Pacific Ocean and year-round rains on the Caribbean Sea. The temperature in the lowlands is around 30 ° C all year round. In the mountains it is usually colder.