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If you enjoy a
day at the beach, Panama is the right place for you! Blessed with two
coastlines and several islands accessible within an hour from most anywhere
in the country, Panama is a beach lover's paradise. From small coves
to miles of open beaches, from sensual sandy beaches to rugged coasts,
from popular beaches to deserted beaches, there is a beach for you in
Panama. With so many possibilities, in Panama the challenge is choosing
which beach to visit.... with the exception of Chiriqui Highland, each
region in Panama include a unique and pleasurable beach destination.
Undecided? Let Explore Panama guide you through the myriad of possibilities.
Choose
the Pacific Coast
Choose the Carribean Coast
Pacific Coast Beaches
on the Pacific are in plentiful supply and relatively easy to reach.
Just cross the Canal from Panama City, travel over the Bridge of the
Americas, get onto the Pan American Highway and you're well on your
way to a wide choice of beautiful beaches.
Pacific Coast - Central
Panama Beaches
(1) Punta Chame (Beach)
There is a Club house there and you can rent a house or cabin. Gorgona
Beach From Punta Chame, there are 40 miles of Pacific Beaches with warm
sand and waters, awaiting you to sail, swim, surf, and snorkel.
(2) Nueva Gorgona
pit stop facilities
(3) Playa Coronado
There is a public beach as well as the private beach in the grounds
of the condominiums/club. A five star resort is being developed here.
You can also rent a house if you go with family or friends, this however
has to be arranged when you are in Panama city. Pit stop facilities
(4) San Carlos
It is a town on the edge of the Pan-american Highway. If you take the
side road (gravel) you can reach the beach. Pit stop facilities
(5) El Palmar
pit stop facilities
(6) Río Mar
pit stop facilities
(7) Corona
By taking the gravel road off the Pan-american Highway you can reach
the beach about 20 minutes north of Coronado beach.. Pit stop facilities
(8) Santa Clara (province of Cocle)
pit stop facilities
(9)Farallón (province of Cocle)
pit stop facilities
(10)Sea Cliff
(11)Rio Mar
(12) El Palmar
(13) Kobbe Beach
Within driving distance of the capital and near Fort Kobbe near the
Panama Canal there is It has dressing booths and other facilities.
(14) Pearl Islands Archipelago
(15) Contadora
One of the 227 Pearl Islands, and the 5th biggest, it is the most brillant
jewel of the Pearl Islands. There are beaches everywhere. Waters full
of marine wild life ready to be explored. Contadora has 13 magnificent
beaches that are pure white sand and crystal clear water, swimming pool,
lighted tennis courts, snorkeling, diving, fishing, wind surfing, waterskiing
etc. From the Airport in Panama City, the plane ticket costs $40.00
round trip. There are about 4 flights per day. The 15-minute flight
offers a nice view of the causeway and the archipelago. Nestled snugly
within slands knows as the Pearl Archipelago, and gently lapped by warm
Pacific waters, lies the famous and fabulous Contadora Island with its
resort and casino.
Go to Contadora
(16) Isla del Rey
Isla de Rey is the largest island of the Pearl Archipielago.
(17) Taboga
Discover the gentle beauty of Taboga, an unforgettable few-dollar round
trip ferryboat ride away from the hustle and bustle of Panama City.
This Pacific Island of Flowers, where Gauguin swam, will delight you
with its 100,000 pelicans nesting there every year, its millions of
tropical flowers growing wild and free and its tiny church maybe the
second oldest in the hemisphere. . Taboga, where there's never a traffic
jam because there are no cars. Just bikes, bathing suits, flowers, beaches
and a green mountain jutting out of the sea. From the Balboa dock, there
are three crossings on Saturdays and Sundays, and two on weekdays. Once
there, take in the abundant floral bonanza: Hibiscus in dozens of hues,
bougainvillea dripping from walls of seaside homes, not to mention the
jasmine and oleander. Make sure to rent a boat and captain to take you
to the back side of the island where vast brown pelicans roost. A pleasant
sea cruise by the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, passing under
the Bridge of the Americas, and sailing past the ships at anchor waiting
to transit the canal. Taboga is a picturesque fishermen's village offering
a lovely and comfortable environment of sand and sun. The ships depart
about 8:30, 11:30 and 14:00 and 16:00 and costs about $6.00 round trip.
In about 1 hr. you will be in the island. I recommend taking the earliest
boat, but be at the ticketing office (at the port) about 7:00 because
it gets full very quickly!
Go
to Taboga
Central
Panama - Canal Zone
(18)Barro Colorado Island
The best way to see the tropical rain forest is to call
the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, (507-227-6022) which runs
the island, and try to wheedle your way in. The number of visitors is
limited, with priority going to scholars, scientists, and naturalists.
If you land a spot, the tour costs about $22, including a delicious
Panamanian lunch in the B.C.I. mess hall, but only operates Saturdays
and Sundays. Wear socks, long pants, long sleeves, a hat, and bring
bug repellent. Another option is to sign up with Eco-Tours (507-263-3077;
fax: 507-263-3089) in Panama City. This nature-oriented agency offers
trips for about $85. You don't actually set foot on the island, which
might be fine for those who don't like mud, bugs, or monkeys but who
do like boat rides and beautiful tropical scenery.
Go to the Canal
Carribean
Coast - Central Panama Zone
(19) Portobelo
While heading toward Colon City from Panama City, fork off the Pan-american
highway and head to the town of Portobelo. It is about 1:20 hours from
Panama city (by car). It is a nice little town dating back from the
times of Spanish colony. On the way to Portobelo there are nice beaches
with black sand like Maria Chiquita or with white sand like Playa Langosta.
Once you reach Portobelo you should visit the local church and the ruins
of the old fortifications (still has some canons) that were used to
defend the town from the pirates. From this town the Spaniards shipped
off the riches of South America.
(20) Isla Grande, Province of Colon
Drive out to Portobelo and beyond to the village of Guaira where you
can take the small motorized boat to the island, just a few hundred
yards offshore. Isla Grande with its emerald forest clear green waters,
colorful corals, beaches and coconut plantations.It has a small pretty
beach which you will probably have to yourself on weekdays. Weekends
however, Panamanians move in. There is also a hotel in case you want
to spend the night there.
Caribbean
Coast
(21) San Blas Archipelago
A mere 30-minute plane ride away from Panama City you will find the
exotic and unspoiled beaches on the San Blas Islands archipelago. Home
of the colorful Kuna Indians, the San Blas islands are ringed by some
of the world's oldest coral reefs. Kuna women make rainbow colored fabrics
called molas, emblazoned with fish, birds, jungle animals and geometric
designs that will enchant you with their brilliance. The men still fish
from canoes as they did before Columbus came. They still run up to the
corner coconut palm trees for something fresh and cool to drink each
morning, just as they have done for centuries. The Kuna Indians, an
autonomous society whose ancient traditions prevail, govern the 365
islands in this archipelago. Although the men wear Western-style clothes,
the women still bead their legs and sport nose rings and sarong-style
skirts. Coconuts are used for currency and thatched huts with sand floors
dot the pancake-flat islets. Getting here, however, is a headache. You
can take a boat from Puerto Obaldia, but the crossing can be rough;
flying is better if you can tolerate getting stuck for a day or so if
the weather turns bad. Eco-Tours, in Panama City, books overnight and
weekend trips (1 night/1 day stays at $154 per person; tel: 507-263-3076,
263-3079; fax 507-263-3089). San Blas Indian women look almost too good
to be true. In fact, some visitors are moved to suspect that, once tourists
have gone, the Indian women will take off their tribal finery and catch
the plane back to town. There is no catch. The Kuna woman wears as everyday
dress, her appliqued Mola blouse, gold rings, "maxi" skirt, red and
yellow headdress and beads or gold ornaments at neck, arm and ankle.
The San Blas islands stretch along approximately 200 miles of Panama's
Caribean coastline and San Blas territory is defined from the seaward
continental shelf to the top of the jungle-clad continental divide.
Kuna's ancestors inhabited these shores when Columbus landed. They govern
themselves in a virtually autonomous society. The live on tiny palm-fringed
islands, hundreds of which dot the surface of the blue and emerald sea.
The islands are perfectly free from insects and snakes too, and have
a breeze-cooled tropical climate. Every day Indian women and children
commute from their village islands to the mainland in their dugout canoes
to wash and play in the river. The men either go fishing or trading
around neighbouring islands. A day tour is best arranged through a local
tour agency. You can also do it yourself and fly there from Paitilla
Airport (same place where you fly to Contadora), it takes about 20 minutes
and costs around $50 round trip. You will land in Porvenir, the capital
of the territory (there is a basic hotel there) and then take a short
canoe ride to the islands. Porvenir is not a typical village island
but a Government outpost. You will be able to communicate in Spanish
and will probably find a few indians who can speak English too, since
many of their men leave San Blas and find work on US army bases in Panama.
The Kuna Indians have been accustomed to trading since the days of Columbus
and so you will find them great bargainers :). They will offer to sell
you Molas, bead work, shells and carvings. If you wish cooperation to
get a good photograph, a $0.50 - $1.00 tip would be in order.
Go to San
Blas Archipelago
(22) Bocas del Toro Archipelago
Bocas del Toro is located 300 miles by car or one-hour flight from Panama
city. Still a nature-lover's dream, tourism is however rapidly developing
in this northwest region. Bocas del Toro's most developed island is
Isla Colon, a jungle island with its own special charm, gingerbread,
Georgian architecture and beaches where you can dig for clams, catch
fresh lobster for lunch, or sip Panamanian Rum and watch giant sea turtles
lay their eggs. The beaches are striking and such oddities as the cave
full of squeaking bats are worth a visit. Bluff Beach is a sea turtle
reserve, and has miles of deserted beache. Another beach, Bocas del
Drago, is at the other end of the island, and is close to Swan caye,
a rookery for the white-crested dove, a rare tropical bird. Combine
the snorkeling reefs and powdery sand of the Zapatillas Cays with a
visit to isolated and biologically diverse Bastimentos National Park,
on Bastimentos Island, established in 1988 as Panama's first marine
park. Bocas del Toro is also the gateway to the beautiful Bahia Azul
and the Chiriquì Lagoon.
Go to Bocas del
Toro
(23) Las Lajas
On the coastal side of Chiriquí, the beach at Las Lajas is one hours
drive from David, the province's capital city.
(24) Maria Chiquita
The beach at Maria Chiquita Turiscentro has facilities for tourists.
There are many lovely beaches on the way to Portobelo, but facilities
are few and far between. Along the way, there is good snorkeling and
diving out on the reef.
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