Preferred Destination Panama

An exploration of Panama’s diverse cultures and history, the Cultural Heritage route highlights such top attractions of the country as the Panama Canal. Built to decrease the travel times for ships sailing between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, the engineering wonder is now synonymous with the destination. Two visitor centers explore its history and impact – Miraflores in Panama City and Agua Clara on the Atlantic with a view of the canal. Panama boasts three main cultures: seven living indigenous groups, an Afro-Panamanian heritage that includes the Congo, and Spanish colonial. Opportunities for a closer glimpse into these cultures includes opportunities to watch or join along in a dance with the Congo Queen in Portobelo, Colon, or a visit to the indigenous Embera Community along the Gatun River in the Panama Canal watershed.

A celebration of Panama’s biodiversity, the Green Heritage route encompasses national parks, protected areas, and private reserves. Experiences here include hiking journeys in the Anton Valley, where visitors can walk through rural communities on mountains formed from an extinct volcano. For the experienced hiker, the four-hour (one-way) Los Quetzales Trail winds through a rainforest mountain featuring jungle hiking and wildlife watching. Home to 50 waterfalls, Santa Fe National Park offers hikes that take in forests and lakes. A 45-minute trail gives hikers a chance to see the three biggest waterfalls in the park. Other Green Heritage adventures include Category III-IV river rafting in Mamoni Valley Preserve and an up close tour of the Sloth Sanctuary in Gamboa near Panama City.

Visitors experience the Blue Heritage of Panama’s oceans and varied ecosystems along this route. Travelers will be awe-struck by opportunities to watch humpback whales who spend their mating season in the Bay of Panama and Las Perlas Archipelago. When it’s time to get in the water themselves, clients can go diving around Bocas del Toro, which has 1,000 islands and keys and boasts 95 percent of the coral species found in the Caribbean Sea. Underwater exploration at UNESCO World Heritage Site Coiba National Park can include the chance to see coral reefs and such fascinating marine life as whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, giant mantas, and colorful fish. Isla Colon is a top surfing spot, while at Portobelo National Park the water channels spreading through the mangroves, also called Venas Azules, are ideal for kayaking.