Travel through Panama?

Question

This December I wil be landing in Panama City, Panama. My plan is to hit every country on the way up to mine, which is the USA. I was just wondering if any of you could tell me some good things to do, and to stay while I'm a guest in this nation. Please no answers like get a book, or anything else not pertaining to the answer. Plus I already got a book. I'm very laid back and enjoy the nightlife. Just basically any information I can obtain from sources who know will help me extremely. Beaches, places to stay, places to see, etc..... I'm trying to do it on a budget and not have an experience that a tourist would have. No 5 star hotels, or car rentals, etc....... I know this question is really wide open so just write me what you want. I don't expect someone to literally answer everything I ask for. But maybe the majority can answer it as a whole. Thanks to all who contribute.

Answer 1

well you are in luck...i have traveled up and down all the countries (cep belize, just traveled through it once.)

panama....

find out which day does a day trip through the panama canal....take the one that goes all the way to colon...then they bus you back.  i suppose you could find a local or anybody from around the world who is going through there (visit puete amador and the bar near the bridge of the americas), but this one trip is WORTH the splurge.  go right away before things get too brown (december is the beginning of the "bone dry" months in central america on the pacific side.)

san blas islands (google it)...you can live with the kuna people...the area is an autonomous region of panama on the carribean coast

must see....boquete the refreshingly cool mountain town near the hot and sweaty town of david.  the volcan baru is a mountain next to boquete.  the volcano is not much too me, but there are some guides that go up there EARLY in the morning and may take you..........the nature is fabulous.

then go to bocas del toro....from there you could head up to costa rica without doubling back via the costa rican carribean coast....

from limon...you head to san jose.  use it to push off to some interesting places like

orosi valley near cartago....monteverde, and places near lago arenal and liberia (the coastal beaches for example)...avoid playa coco, playa *****....and tamarindo is great, but touristy...head south....

there are two volcanoes...arenal is active....irazu is very very high up with some green liquid in the crater.

spot quetzals near boquete in panama, and near monteverde in costa rica...humming birds abound in monteverde

panama city is worth 2 or 3 days...actually more, if you have months on your hands....you can see so many of the areas near panama that pertain to the canal if that sort of thing interests you, but the canal is so huge, you do not see anything close up unless you are actually on a boat going through

after passing liberia, you go to nicaragua...from rivas you get to isla olmopetec (spelling)...petrogylphs are cool and so was the boat ride..i don't climb volcanoes.

head to the great colonial and lived in town of granada...then go to masaya to see artisans, crafters, and other peole making wood, leather, and metal objects.

matagalpa and jutigalpa are beautiful green mountain towns to visit....a must see in my humble opinion.  these towns have some war stories (people there on both sides of the issue are there)

i have not been to bluefields or the corn islands, but  have heard they were fabulous.  no roads there on the carribean coast....so you take a boat

ok, make sure you visit el salvador...go to honduras first and get to el salvador via the boarder near copan ruinas and get to la palma el salvador...stop for a night in "copan ruinas" one night is enough....northern el salvador is very beautiful

there is more to do in honduras and el salvador (the people are the greatest in el salvador.....hands down)...but

i will stop there, but just reccommend the lonely planet as the best guide book for central america..it is the most of the beaten path of any book.....ask my anything else you want....i love central ameirca and really love mexico too.

panama is so very different than the rest of central america.  panama city is so cosmopolitan, so wild so untaimed....once you leave, you will never hit another big city with as much until you get to mexico city.  you can see so many out of the way places in both cities if you meet locals.

have fun.

Answer 2

Have to see the Canal of course.  In Costa rica see Arenal volcano