Panama may be a small country, but there is so much to see
and do, from the mountains to the beaches. When you're not in class or going on
excursions, you are free to independently travel the country with your friends.
Here are some of my favorite independent trips I went on during my time in
Panama.
Boquete
Boquete is a quaint mountain town located about 8 hours from
Panama City and is probably my favorite place in the whole country. The small
town has a cute central plaza, several hostels, and a variety of small
restaurants and cafes. However, the best part about Boquete is all the outdoor
adventures it offers such as whitewater rafting, hiking, waterfalls, and hot
springs. The area is also famous for coffee, so checking out a coffee
plantation is a must! In addition, Boquete sits at the base of Volcan Baru, the
highest point in Panama at nearly 11,400 feet. The summit of Volcan Baru is the
only place in the world where you can see two oceans at once. So if you're up for
an adventure, I recommend hiking through the night and watching the sunrise
over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at the same time!
Bocas del Toro
An archipelago off the Caribbean Coast, Bocas deal Toro is
one of the most popular destinations in Panama. It's about 12 hours from Panama
City but well worth the travel time! Isla Colon is the main island in the
archipelago and home to Bocas Town, a small but vibrant town with a bustling main
street and lots of cool restaurants and bars on the water. There are a lot of
fantastic beaches to enjoy, but the highlight of my trip was renting a
catamaran with my friends. We spent an entire day sailing around the islands,
snorkeling in the crystal clear waters, watching dolphins swim around us, and
soaking up some sun. It was one of the best days of my life for sure!
San Blas
Another archipelago off the Caribbean Coast, San Blas is a
remote and untouched paradise. The only downside is it's hard to get to. You
can fly there, but it's expensive. The best option is to rent a driver who will
pick you up in the city, drive you across the mountains to the coast where you
will then take a 30 minute boat ride to the islands. Because the islands are so
remote, don't expect a fancy resort with a pool and wifi. My friends and I
stayed on an island with very limited electricity and running water and we
slept in a hut made out of sticks. But the simplicity allowed
us to really relax and appreciate the beautiful islands. We spent our days on
the beach, snorkeling, and sailing around the islands. At night we had fresh
lobster for dinner and enjoyed hanging out around a bonfire.
Las Lajas and Camping
One of my favorite things about Panama was the
spontaneous adventures we went on. One night we were sitting in the living
room talking about what we wanted to do that weekend and we thought “let's go
camping!”. So a few phone calls later we had some tents dropped off and the next
morning we were on a bus headed towards Coronado. Our first stop on our trip
was the Las Lajas waterfalls. They are pretty difficult to find because they
are so hidden, but once we found them we had an awesome afternoon swimming,
jumping off the cliffs, and eating lunch on the rocks. Later we headed to the
beach where we set up our tents and cooked hot dogs and s'mores over the fire.
We woke up early the next morning to watch the sunrise and enjoyed the day at
the beach before heading back to the city
Costa Rica
Costa Rica is 18
hours from Panama City, so I would only recommend going over spring break. The
bus takes you straight to San Jose, the capital, but from there it's easy to
get anywhere else in the country. After spending a day exploring San Jose, my
friends and I headed to Jaco, a beach town on the Pacific. We spent several
days there enjoying the beach, biking on cliffs overlooking the ocean,
exploring the town, and even learning how to surf! After Jaco, we headed to a
small town called Quepos and the Manuel Antonio National Park. The beach was
beautiful and it was fun spotting wildlife like sloths and toucans. We headed
back to San Jose to wrap up our spring break adventure with some bungee jumping
over a river gorge in the jungle. Definitely one of the coolest things I've
ever done!
NOTE: If you do plan on going to Costa Rica, make sure you
have all required documentation to leave and re-enter Panama, otherwise you
could get delayed when trying to cross the border (trust me I learned from
experience).
| Written by Lauren Stuart | |||||
