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Panama Itinerary?



 
 
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  #1  
Old May 13th, 2008, 06:19 PM posted to rec.travel.caribbean,rec.travel.latin-america
Nick and Judy
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Posts: 38
Default Panama Itinerary?

Thinking about going to Panama June 13-21 for the first time.
Would like to combine lounging on the beach as well as some touring around.
Any suggestions? Must see's and do's?
We are an active couple in our 40's.


  #2  
Old May 14th, 2008, 10:26 PM posted to rec.travel.caribbean,rec.travel.latin-america
k[_1_]
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Posts: 130
Default Panama Itinerary?


"Nick and Judy" wrote in message
...
Thinking about going to Panama June 13-21 for the first time.
Would like to combine lounging on the beach as well as some touring
around.
Any suggestions? Must see's and do's?
We are an active couple in our 40's.

You will, of course, wish you had more time.

You'lll most likely fly into Panama City. Stay in town the first night and
marvel at the pace of new construction. It's a real boom town. In advance,
find a tour that includes the Gamboa Lodge, which is a luxury resort (with a
killer dawn-of-time vista off the main deck). They have small boat tours
into the jungle, and out into the canal itself. Then the tour will take you
to the works of the canal, where you can watch a few ships pass through,
visit the canal museum, and have a very nice lunch.

On our trip, in November of 2006, we had planned for three days in the San
Blas Islands at this place: http://www.geocities.com/mamitupu/
Unfortunately, the area suffered a huge storm (the most damaging in the
history of the country) while we were supposed to be there, so we ended up
spending that time at a new 5-star beach resort near Panama City. It wasn't
the experience we were looking forl, and we would have preferred the Gamboa
Lodge for that kind of money, but it was full. Still, a day at the beach is
a better day than most others. We did become acquainted with a three-toed
sloth, who decided to snooze with us in the shade - we were on a fluffy
pillow, and he was hanging upside down from a rafter. How he got there
mystified everyone, for as agile as a sloth isn't in the treetops, he's
pretty helpless on the ground - more like a beached fish than a mammal with
four legs.

We spent some time in the mountains around Boquete, where it was cool and
relaxing, but there wasn't a lot going on that didn't involve horses, so we
moved on to Boca del Toro, which is a throwback to the days before resorts
found the Caribben. The town is more laid back than I can hope to describe.
Picture barely-paved streets that parallel the waterfront, and a waterfront
lined with two and three story wooden buildings with only the front doors on
land, and the rest sittting on stilts in the water. Most of those are
hotels and restaurants, but a few are public buildings as well.

Anything goes, in a funky, old-fashioned way, too. The bars and restaurants
have price competition at happy hour, probably figuring there's a better
than even chance you'll stay for dinner if you're already there. Just the
signs trying to entice you in are colorful and amusing.

Most activity involves a boat ride, and it's not that expensive to arrange
your own boat for a day of sightseeing, swimming, snorkling, or just
cruising (or all of the above). Otherwise, there are plenty of boats to
share for inexpensive days on the water. There were a lot of people there
to fish, as well, and fishing charters are very popular.

From town, there is a little jungle bus that will take you out to a nice
beach with a restaurant and restrooms.

The same storm that pounded San Blas had torn up the open-water beaches in
the area, but there was enough sand left to enjoy the surf. Now that I
think of it, we have a history of visiting beaches that have gone missing,
so it's probably more our own problem than a common one.

I have contact information for a good, dependable guide in the Panama City
area, who can arrange rides to and from the airports, local tours, and he's
a fountain of information about the country. Email me if you'd like to know
more, see some pictures, or contact Alex, who was our guide for several
days.

Keith


  #3  
Old May 30th, 2008, 12:01 AM posted to rec.travel.caribbean,rec.travel.latin-america
[email protected]
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Posts: 4
Default Panama Itinerary?

On May 13, 1:19*pm, "Nick and Judy" wrote:
Thinking about going to Panama June 13-21 for the first time.
Would like to combine lounging on the beach as well as some touring around..
Any suggestions? Must see's and do's?
We are an active couple in our 40's.


We just stopped there for a day on a cruise, but we actually enjoyed
the Panama Canal locks more than we expected. We also went kayaking on
the canal.
  #4  
Old June 11th, 2008, 02:41 AM posted to rec.travel.caribbean,rec.travel.latin-america
medvall
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Posts: 33
Default Panama Itinerary?

Sailing in San Blas is great - just search the web for it and you will
find people who organize this. Should be roughly $150-200 pp and day
(with 3 day min).

Decameron and Playa Blanca are great places to relax and eat til you
drop. Just make sure to book well in advance.

Bocas del Toro is nice to visit as well, but I would not spend more
than 2 days there since it is quite small.

Gamboa and the locks you can do before noon in one day.

Best wishes, Marcus
http://tomopt.com/
 




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