Panama

The Biomuseo, designed by architect Frank Gehry, traces Panama’s unique role as a land bridge connecting two continents through its natural history museum. Panama Viejo’s ruins, the remains of the original Spanish colonial city destroyed by pirates in the seventeenth century, sit just east of the modern downtown. Casco Viejo’s narrow streets fill with jazz clubs and rooftop restaurants overlooking the bay and the modern skyline beyond. Panama City’s blend of canal history, colonial architecture, and modern skyline makes it Central America’s most cosmopolitan capital.

Nearby, Fort San Lorenzo, a UNESCO World Heritage Spanish fortress, guards the mouth of the Chagres River and traces the region’s history of protecting colonial treasure routes from pirates. The Gatun Lake, formed as part of the canal system, offers boat tours through rainforest-lined waterways with opportunities to spot monkeys and toucans. Colon’s port history and access to canal infrastructure give it a different character from Panama City’s polished downtown. It remains an essential stop for understanding the scale of the canal’s engineering.

The town’s Tuesday market and flower festival each January showcase Boquete’s reputation as a center for horticulture in the cooler mountain climate. Nearby, hanging bridges through the Boquete Tree Trek canopy offer a close-up view of the cloud forest’s birdlife, including resplendent quetzals. Boquete’s relaxed pace and cooler temperatures have made it a popular retirement and eco-tourism destination distinct from Panama’s coastal cities. It offers a refreshing, mountain-set counterpoint to the heat and humidity of the lowlands.