Having Fun in Panama

1 Sports and Activities

With beaches, mountains and tropical forests, Panama has an active outdoor lifestyle ranging from simply watching and enjoying the beautiful sandy beaches and bikini clad bodies to the most arduous rock climbing and hiking. You’ll find scuba diving and snorkeling very popular activities along the beaches. Surfing and boating have a following and many coastal towns cater to most water sports and enthusiasts. Sport fishing is one of the most popular coastal activities and most beach resorts have sport fishing excursions.

For the inland crowd, many tourists seem to find their way to Boquete and from there the Baru National Park. Here you can hike to Panama’s only Volcano. During the 4 hour hike on foot, enjoy bird watching and the obvious evidence of the last volcanic eruption. The Baru Volcano is also accessible by 4 wheel drive and will take about 45 minutes. Rivers in this region are popular for rafting; horse back riding offers a thorough exploration of the region and allows the rider to experience nature at its best.

2 Coasts

Panama has coastline on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean and they are only 50 minutes apart. Both the Pacific and Caribbean coast have beautiful crystal clear waters, white sand beaches, coral reefs and coconut palms. And don’t forget the multitude of islands situated off shore in both the Pacific and the Caribbean.

With so many choices, problems may arise when deciding where to go. Luckily Panama is a small country and it is easy to visit any number of beaches in the same day. Once you find the perfect beach a hotel or vacation rental is usually not far away.

Many beaches and coastal towns will have specialty sports and recreation offered, making it easier to choose which destination is best for you and your chosen activity. Surf towns such as Punta Barco, Rio Mar and El Palmar will be a surfers best choices; if a companion is what you need try Coronado and Farallon for an active singles crowd.

3 Nightlife

Activities after dark are liberal and cheap. You can have a great time for very little money. Most of the resort cities have a larger selection of nightclubs and bars for the dusk till dawn crowd.

The younger crowds often gravitate to the loud and boisterous clubs. These clubs feature popular music and scantily clad women dancing their hearts out. The guys often dance but many times love to just stand back and watch. The drinking age in Panama is 18 and many younger Americans can get carried away with their new found freedom.

The older crowd likes to relax and enjoy a mellower music. Sipping Daiquiris on an open terrace and enjoying the people you’re with is a common sight at the more mature club. Dancing is popular but a little less energetic and the music isn’t quite as loud either.

4 Events

Panamanian locals love to celebrate their heritage their religion and their families. In general, Panamanians love to have a good time and will celebrate for any number of reasons. Because the country is so willing to have a good time many festival celebrations and holiday events can be observed every month of the year.

Carnival in Panama is very similar to America’s Mardi Gras and encompasses the four days before Ash Wednesday. The celebration includes outrageous costumes, traditional and exotic foods, native and contemporary dance and song, as well as a parade on the last day of the celebration. Semana Santa or holy week is an Easter tradition. Many of the events and processions during the celebration are very festive and fascinating to watch. Once people realize the benefits of living in Panama including the amenities and conveniences they have taken for granted in their own country, coupled with the lower cost of living, including housing which is often unheard of in their country, they see that Panama can offer the lifestyle they are accustomed to and often at a fraction of the cost. Once the decision has been made anyone interested in living in Panama should conduct a thorough investigation into the benefits and pitfalls of living in a foreign country.