The Ten Top Things Do and See Nearby Panama City
THE BEST DAY TRIPS AND ACTIVITIES NEAR PANAMA CITY
1. Embera Indian Village Tour
A tour right out of the pages of National Geographic, an unforgettable encounter with a living Indian culture in Panama's rain forest. Panama is the only place in the world where you can have this experience in a day trip from a major metropolitan city. The tour begins 1.5 hours from Panama City, where you'll take a motorized canoe up a scenic rainforest river, the only means of transport in the jungle, to an authentic Embera Indian village on river bank deep inside the rainforest. The village consists mostly of the rough wood and palm homes on stilts typical of the jungle Indians. Embera indians will perform a tribal dance offer authentic body paintings, exquisite handicrafts,share a typical meal and explain their way of life, traditions and beliefs.
Tour Operators.
2. Monkey Island
This trip is a thrilling, fun and upclose encounter with rainforest nature which will delight virtually everyone.Tour by boat in the Panama Canal waterway through pristine rainforest to an island where you'll see four types of monkeys cavorting in the jungle. In fact they often jump onto your boat . You'll also see other animals like crocodiles and exotic birds. A delicious typical Panamanian lunch is included. Go with Jungle Land Explorer or Ancon Expeditions.
3. Gamboa Rainforest Resort at the Panama Canal
Gamboa Rainforest Resort, 45 minutes from Panama City offers a with a variety of ecotourism experiences through day tour packages which include a pick up from your Panama City hotel. You can sign up for a ride on the aerial tram through the rainforest canopy, to visit outstanding nature exhibits and dining on a restaurant terrace with views of the Chagres River and the Panama Canal. Call 314.5000 for info. Check out Gamboa Rainforest Resort
Los Lagartos Restaurant at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort:
Dining at Los Lagartos Restaurant at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort is both a dining and an eco-event. Located along the historic and scenic Chagres River at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort and specializing in excellent tropical and international dishes, with an excellent international buffet on Sundays. The restaurant has another attraction: Panama Canal views and a natural show of tropical wildlife. From your table as you dine there is a view of the Panama Canal with huge ships floating silently by. Secondly, from the terrace you can observe a flurry of tropical wildlife activity. Ask a waiter to give you some bread to throw to the river below. Alligators, colorful tropical birds, dozens of large turtles and fish will all flock to gobble up the bread pieces. Guess who wins this tropical animal food fight?
Hours: 11am to 6pm. Tel: 314-5000
4. El Valle Day Trip
El Valle is a beautiful flower filled mountain town just 2 hours from Panama City. The main attractions are its large artisans market, beautiful mountain viewsa thrilling Canopy Tour zipline adventure through the rainforest canopy and a small tropical zoo Nisperos. We recommend lunch at Casa de Lourdes where you will enjoy some of the most beautiful mountain views anywhere. For less expensive fare, lunch at Pinocchio's Pizza or a have the delicious Panamanian chicken soup "Sancocho" at local cafe.
5. Golf at Summit Golf Club
Just thirty minutes from downtown Panama City, Summit Golf Club offers extraordinary tropical scenery, a championship course designed by Jeffrey Myers with a par 72, 18 hole, 6,626 yards and sand based Bermuda Tidway grass. The course is host to several international tournaments and has the only computerized GPS system in Central America, 100 golf carts, outstanding practice facilities and a beautiful club house with a restaurant. See Summit Golf Club.
6. Portobello Bay Day Trip on Panama's Caribbean
A picturesque bayside town with the ruins of four Spanish forts and a restored customs house. About a two hour trip from Panama City on the Atlantic Coast ,Portobello is set on a scenic Caribbean bay. During the Spanish Colonial era it was the trans-shipment point for all the treasure Spain looted from Inca Empire. Treasure was stored, displayed in fairs and then shipped to Spain. The fabulous treasures stacked high in the customs house made Portobello the favorite target of English pirates like Sir Francis Drake who attacked the cities forts repeatedly. Sir Francis met his demise in waters nearby.
7. Summit Gardens and Tropical Zoo in the Former Canal Zone
A tropical zoo with exotic animals and birds unique to Panama's jungles set in a lush 80 year old botanical garden with over 15,000 tropical plants. Summit is being renovated, but is still run-down by US standards, but if you enjoy intense tropical vegetation and a close look lots of tropical critters, this is the place. A main attraction is the Harpy Eagle compound and the tropical Jaguar compound. The Harpy Eagle is the world's largest predator bird. This magnificent bird, which lives only in Panama and is close to extinction. stands three feet tall and has a wingspan of up to 7 feet. Admission is just $2.
8. Barro Colorado Island
Barro Colorado Island is a living tropical laboratory run by the Smithsonian Institute of Tropical Research unique in its class. Located in a man-made lake forming part of the Panama Canal, it hosts an amazing 381 bird species, 102 mammal species and 1316 plant species. Previously only research scientists were allowed on the island, but now tour operators can take tourists on day trips along its nature trails. See Tour Operators
9. The Discovery Center in Soberania National Park
Th Discovery Center in the Panama Canal Rainforest is open every day from 6 to 4. Climb this 100 foot Observation Tower for a breathtaking views above the forest canopy.
See Tour Operators.
10. Taboga Island
A trip to the "Island of Flowers" is a pleasant day trip from Panama City. One of the best things about this day trip is ocean ferry trip from Panama City -enjoy ocean breezes, views of Panama Citys magnificent skyline and all the ship activity at the entrance to the Panama Canal. Like most
small Panamanian towns, Taboga is run-down. so if you don't care for anything but the picture perfect, this is not the trip for you. On Taboga, you can sun-bathe on the pretty beach in front of the old Taboga Hotel and stroll around town (the second oldest church in the Western Hemisphere -1550- is here). Boats leave to and from Taboga everyday. Call Argo Boat Tours at 232-5395 for boat schedule and price info.
OVERNIGHT TRIP NEAR PANAMA CITY
Canopy Tower
Called by Travel and Leisure magazine one of the top 25 ecolodges in the world and lauded by more travel publications than any other Panama hotel, Canopy Tower is just an hour from Panama City by car. It offers a close-to-nature experience, world class birding and nature observation. Even if you are not a birder your experience here will be one of your tourism high points. From this tower in the tree tops which is like a giant tree house, you'll have a panoramic view of the jungle and see florescent colored birds, hear howler monkeys roar, see monkeys and sloths in the trees and tropical mammals on the ground. The accommodations are very comfortable and the food excellent. Minimum 2 night stay. Located just 30 minutes from Panama City in Soberania National Park, part of the Panama Canal rainforest. Check out Canopy Tower.