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Top Attractions in Panama

Panama City

Panama City is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,440,381, and is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of Panama. The city is the political and administrative center of the country, as well as a hub for international banking and commerce. It is considered a "beta-" world city, one of three Central American cities listed in this category. The city of Panama has an average GDP per capita of $15,300. It has a dense skyline of mostly high-rise buildings, and it is surrounded by a large belt of tropical rainforest. Panama's Tocumen International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in Central America, offers daily flights to major international destinations. Panama was chosen as the 2003 American Capital of Culture jointly with Curitiba, Brazil. It is among the top five places for retirement in the world, according to International Living magazine. The city of Panama was founded on August 15, 1519, by Spanish conquistador Pedro Arias Dávila. The city was the starting point for expeditions that conquered the Inca Empire in Peru. It was a stopover point on one of the most important trade routes in the history of the American continent, leading to the fairs of Nombre de Dios and Portobelo, through which passed most of the gold and silver that Spain took from the Americas. On January 28, 1671, the city was destroyed by a fire when privateer Henry Morgan sacked and set fire to it. The city was formally reestablished two years later on January 21, 1673, in a peninsula located 8 km from the original settlement. The site of the previously devastated city is still in ruins and is now a popular tourist attraction known as Panama Viejo.

Ancón

Ancón is a corregimiento in Panamá District, Panamá Province, Panama with a population of 29,761 as of 2010. Its population as of 1990 was 11,518; its population as of 2000 was 11,169. It is sometimes considered a suburb or small town within Panama City, northeast of the limits of the town of Balboa. Ancon Hill is also the name of a large hill that overlooks Panama City and once served as a form of protection from pirates and sea invasion. The township was originally located around this hill, and was created to house employees of the Panama Canal during its construction. As part of the construction effort, the historic Gorgas Army Hospital was founded and built on the hillside. The first ship to officially transit the canal, SS Ancon, was named after the district. The community continued to serve as housing for employees of the Panama Canal Company until 1980, when parts of it began to be turned over to the Panamanian government under the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties. Modern-day Ancón is a corregimiento of Panama City, serving mainly as a residential area. The Gorgas Army Hospital building is new the Panamanian Oncology Hospital, primarily used for cancer research. The area also houses Panama's Supreme Court, just a few feet away from the Gorgas Army Hospital building, and several Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute buildings for research into tropical biology. Ancón is also a parish of the District of Panama, located in the Panama Canal adjacent area.

Bastimentos

Bastimentos Island is an island with eponymous town, and corregimiento located in the Bocas del Toro District and archipelage of Bocas del Toro Province, Panama. The island is about 62 square kilometres , one of the largest in Panama. Bastimentos had a population of 1,954 as of 2010, giving it a population density of 31.4 inhabitants per square kilometre . Its population as of 1990 was 988; its population as of 2000 was 1,344. Often considered the more relaxed alternative to the busy streets and bars of Bocas del Toro District but at only 10 minutes by water taxi Isla Bastimentos is becoming an increasingly popular destination for backpackers. Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park encompasses a large portion of Bastimentos Island, Zapatilla Cays, in addition to the waters and mangroves that surround the island. The western tip of the island, better known as Bastimentos, is clearly visible from Bocas town, and is not part of the National Park itself. There are several private residences here.

David

David officially San José de David is a city and corregimiento located in the west of Panama. It is the capital of the province of Chiriquí and has an estimated population of 144,858 inhabitants as confirmed in 2013. It is a relatively affluent city with a firmly established, dominant middle class and a very low unemployment and poverty index. The Pan-American Highway is a popular route to David. It is named after King David from the Bible. The development of the banking sector, public construction works such as the expansion of the airport and the David-Boquete highway alongside the growth of commercial activity in the city have increased its prominence as one of the fastest growing regions in the country. The city is currently the economic center of the Chiriqui province and produces more than half the gross domestic product of the province, which totals 2.1 billion. It is known for being the third-largest city in the country both in population and by GDP and for being the largest city in Western Panama.

Faros del Panamá

The Faros del Panamá is a skyscraper complex currently cancelled in Panama City, Panama. The complex, designed by Chapman Taylor, includes Torre Central , an 84 floor building with a planned height of 346 metres . Like its name states, Torre Central is in the middle of Faros de Panamá's three tower complex. Torre Central will be the tallest of the three, rising from a common podium with the other two towers. The two smaller towers, rising on either side of Torre Central will be similar in design. They are named, very simply, Torre Oeste on the west and Torre Este on the east. Despite being small compared to Torre Central, the East and West Tower still will be 290 m tall and have 73 floors. The name of the complex, Faros del Panamá, translates into English as Lighthouses of Panama. The project was paralyzed by financial problems and has now been cancelled. It is extremely unlikely that this project will ever get constructed. Had it been constructed though, it was likely that the Central Tower would have been the tallest building on Latin America. It is currently undergoing debt liquidation.

Portobelo

Portobelo is a port city and corregimiento in Portobelo District, Colón Province, Panama with a population of 4,559 as of 2010. It is the seat of Portobelo District. It was established during the Spanish colonial period. Located on the northern part of the Isthmus of Panama, it has a deep natural harbor and was used as a center for silver exporting before the mid-eighteenth century and destruction in the War of Jenkins' Ear. It slowly rebuilt and the city's economy revived briefly in the late nineteenth century during construction of the Panama Canal. But, today Portobelo is a sleepy city with a population of fewer than 3,000. In 1980 the ruins of the Spanish colonial fortifications, along with nearby Fort San Lorenzo, were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, named Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo.

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a 48-mile ship canal in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. There are locks at each end to lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, 26 metres above sea level. The current locks are 33.5 metres wide. A third, wider lane of locks is currently under construction and is due to open in 2016. France began work on the canal in 1881, but had to stop because of engineering problems and high mortality due to disease. The United States took over the project in 1904, and took a decade to complete the canal, which was officially opened on August 15, 1914. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the Panama Canal shortcut greatly reduced the time for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, enabling them to avoid the lengthy, hazardous Cape Horn route around the southernmost tip of South America via the Drake Passage or Strait of Magellan. The shorter, faster, and safer route to the U.S. West Coast and to nations in and around the Pacific Ocean allowed those places to become more integrated with the world economy. During construction, ownership of the territory that the Panama Canal now passes through was first Colombian, then French, and then American. The US continued to control the canal and surrounding Panama Canal Zone until the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties provided for handover to Panama. After a period of joint American-Panamanian control, the canal was taken over by the Panamanian government in 1999, and is now managed and operated by the Panama Canal Authority, a Panamanian government agency. Annual traffic has risen from about 1,000 ships in 1914, when the canal opened, to 14,702 vessels in 2008, the latter measuring a total of 309.6 million Panama Canal/Universal Measurement System tons. By 2008, more than 815,000 vessels had passed through the canal; the largest ships that can transit the canal today are called Panamax. It takes 6 to 8 hours to pass through the Panama Canal. The American Society of Civil Engineers has named the Panama Canal one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower

The Trump Ocean Club is a 70-story, 2,500,000 sq ft, mixed-use waterfront condominium tower development in Panama City, Panama. The project was developed by Colombian architects Arias Serna Saravia S.A. The building is situated on a beachfront lot with views of the Pacific Ocean and Panama Bay, in the area of Punta Pacifica. The building was developed by real estate tycoon Donald J. Trump of the Trump Organization and Mr. Roger Khafif, President of the K Group, . The project includes 369 hotel condominium units, 700 condominium units, 1500 parking spaces, retail shops, casino, use of a private beach club on Viveros Island, yacht club and pier, wellness spa, gym, pool deck, meeting and event spaces, and a business center. The hotel opened July 6, 2011. On September 21, 2011, it was indicated by Bloomberg.com that Fitch Ratings downgraded $220 million in bonds that Newland International Properties, Corp. is using to finance construction of the Trump Ocean Club in Panama. The downgrade to CCsf from B-sf, resulted from “continued uncertainty over the willingness and ability” of buyers to take possession of apartment units, according to Fitch documents. Sun International plans to open a 75,000-square-foot casino at the property with 600 slot machines and 32 table games in mid-2014. The company paid $45.5 million for the rights to the space, and will spend another $60 million to develop it.

Ancon Hill

Ancon Hill is a 654-foot hill that overlooks Panama City, Panama, adjacent to the township of Ancón. Ancón Hill is an area in Panama that was used for administration of the Panama Canal. It was under U.S. jurisdiction as part of the Panama Canal Zone until being returned to Panama in 1977. Largely undeveloped, the area is now a reserve. The hill includes the highest point in Panama City. The summit of the hill can be reached by a 30-minute hike or driven up by road. Relatively undeveloped it includes jungle in an otherwise urban area, and wildlife still survives cut off from other jungle areas. It is not uncommon to see sloths, White-nosed Coati, Nine-banded Armadillos, Geoffroy's Tamarins, or deer on Ancon Hill, which now has protected status. Its name is used as an acronym by a Panamanian environmental group, Asociación Nacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza . The lower slopes contained residences and Gorgas Hospital. Higher up were the residence of the Governor of the Canal Zone and Quarry Heights, where the United States Southern Command was located. Quarry Heights was named for being adjacent to a large rock quarry on one side of the hill, which left a visible cliff face on one side. The hill contains an abandoned underground bunker once manned by the US Southern Command. At the top are two broadcast towers and a small road that reaches them. One-way vehicular traffic is now allowed during daylight hours. Hikers can use the road to reach the summit, and the hill is a popular jogging and hiking trek. Along the path, all manner of vegetation and birds can be seen, including a large number of orchids .

Darién National Park

Darién National Park is a world heritage site in Panama. It is about 325 kilometers from Panama City, and is the most extensive of all national parks of Panama and is one of the most important world heritage sites in Central America. The Darién National Park is a natural bridge spanning the two Americas. In 1972 an area of 700,000 hectares became part of the Alto Darién Protection Forest. In 1980 the area was declared a National Park. In 1983 an area of 859,333 ha became a UNESCO biosphere reserve. The park covers 5,790 km2 . It is located in southernmost Panama in Darién province and its southern boundary extends along 90% of the Panama Colombian border. It lies between the Serranía del Darién range, which parallels the Caribbean Sea 16 km to the northeast, and the Pacific Ocean coast. It is adjacent to the Los Katios National Park in Colombia.

Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park

Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park is a marine park located in the Bocas del Toro District and archipelago of Bocas del Toro Province, Panama. Created in 1988, this is Panamas first national marine park. Covering an area of 13,226-hecatres, of which 11,596 is home to a variety of plant and animal species, the park stretches from Playa Larga to the Cayos Zapatillas and over to Coral Cay. The national park extends across the southwest side of Isla Bastimentos and into the Caribbean Sea. The park protects forests, mangroves, monkeys, sloths, caiman, crocodile, and 28 species of amphibians and reptiles. Playa Larga, on Isla Bastimentos, that is important nesting site for sea turtles. Four species of endangered sea turtles use it as a nesting site from April through September. The rana rojo also inhabits the island.

Panama City Panama Temple

The Panama City Panama Temple is the 127th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was announced in 2002 and was dedicated on August 10, 2008 by church president Thomas S. Monson. Located in Cárdenas, a suburb of Panama City, it is the first church temple in Panama. The plans to build a temple in Panama City were announced by the LDS Church on August 23, 2002. Ground was broken and the site was dedicated on October 30, 2005, by Spencer V. Jones, a member of the church's Second Quorum of the Seventy and the president of the church's Central America Area. On May 4, 2007, a statue of the angel Moroni was added to the temple's spire. The temple is adjacent to the LDS Church's Cárdenas Ward meetinghouse, close to the Panama Canal. The Panama City Panama Temple serves Latter-day Saints in all of Panama. There are 39,000 Latter-day Saints in Panama in seven stakes and eight mission districts. The open house for the temple began on the July 11 and ended on July 26, 2008. During the open house, the temple was open to everyone; however, since it has been dedicated only members of the church in good standing can enter. The temple's dedication was held on August 10, 2008 in four sessions. Prior to the dedication, a cultural celebration was held including performances by Panamanian youth members of the church.

Barriles

Barriles (known also as Sitio Barriles or by the designation BU-24), is one of the most famous archaeological sites in Panama. It is located in the highlands of the Chiriquí Province of Western Panama at 1200 meters above sea level. It is several kilometers west of the modern town of Volcán. This places the site in the Gran Chiriquí culture area (encompassing Western Panama and much of Southern Costa Rica, parts of the even broader Intermediate Area or Isthmo-Colombian Area). The site was originally named for several small stone barrels found in the area, although these have also been found elsewhere in the Río Chiriquí Viejo valley and in Costa Rica. This area has a cool, spring-like climate with a pronounced rainy season between May and November, and a dry but windy season the rest of the year. The region lies on the western flanks of Volcán Barú, a dormant volcano and the highest mountain in Panama. Like El Caño in Central Panama or Panamá Viejo in Panama City, Barriles is one of the few archaeological sites in Panama regularly accessible to the public. The northwestern portion of the site is accessible to the public through the Landau finca (which is a private property), who have a variety of artifacts on display in their yard, in the walls of a fake excavation block, and in a small private museum. Not all of the artifacts on display were found on-site. The family offers guided tours of the collections and their gardens in both Spanish and English. Donations are greatly appreciated. The site is believed to have once been a socioceremonial center with a substantial residential population between 500-1000 individuals. It contains a small mound which was once associated with a row of 14 statues. Ten of these depicted solitary individuals, while four included one individual- often chubbier, taller, wearing a conical hat and ornaments- riding atop the shoulders of a naked man, though some of these individuals also wore conical hats. Many scholars have interpreted these double individual statues as evidence for the existence of higher and lower status social groups within Barriles. A large metate whose border was adorned by tiny stone heads has also been interpreted as evidence for violence or human sacrifice in the past. Many of the statues and the metate are on currently display in the Museo Antropológico Reina Torres de Araúz in Panama City.

Soberanía National Park

Soberanía National Park is a national park in Panama near the banks of the Panama Canal in the provinces of Panamá and Colón, some 25 kilometres from Panama City. The Chagres River runs through the park. Established as a national park in 1980, the park covers 55,000 acres . The park is popular with birdwatchers due to the abundance of bird species in the park. Some 525 bird species are found here, including motmots, toucans, trogons, flycatchers, antbirds, woodpeckers, tanagers, and hawks. Among the rare bird species in the park are yellow-eared toucanets, crimson-bellied woodpeckers, sirystes, and rarely seen harpy eagles. Some of the best birding in the park is along Pipeline Road. Pipeline Road extends for several miles and passes through old-growth and secondary forest. Birds are best spotted here in the early morning. The parks 105 species of mammals include white-faced capuchin monkeys, mantled howler monkeys, Geoffroys tamarins, two-toed sloths, three-toed sloths, anteaters, coatis, and agoutis. Green iguanas are also found in the park. Visitors to the Soberanía National Park can also explore the Las Cruces Trail . This historical trail dates back to the 16th century and was used by the Spanish to transport gold. Parts of the trail are still lined with old stones that once marked the trails original path. The land that is now the Parque Municipal Summit was originally included in this park, but was turned over to Panama City in 1985.
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