Post by sunshinedaydreams on Aug 18, 2014 22:06:02 GMT -5
H and I are going to Panama in two weeks. I have the major points of our itinerary locked down, but none of the specifics like tours, activities, restaurants, etc.
We'll have 2 full days and one half-day in Panama City (staying in Casca Viejo), 2 full days in San Blas (staying at Yandup), 3 full days in Boquete (staying at a coffee estate) and 3 full days in Bocas Town (staying downtown).
Things we're tentatively thinking: - Gatun Locks in Colon (day trip from PC) - Hidden Waterfalls hike in Boquete - Jeep tour to Volcan Baru for sunrise in Boquete - Snorkeling at Dolphin Bay and Coral Caye in Bocas
We've had this trip planned for months, but I've sort of slacked on the details and now I feel like we're winging it. I'd really love to hear any recs for activities, sites, restaurants, etc. that we can't miss. I'm hoping that since we're going in the off season that we'll be able to pick up tours without booking too far ahead.
I loved Panama, I had a great time there. I did a road trip from Panama City to David, up to catch a Ferry to Bocas. Remember the sun rises and sets at around 5ish every day. It was the first beach vacation I've ever been on where the sun set so early which was unusual for me.
If you are renting a car anywhere and anytime rent a SUV. ALSO GET A GPS. Panama doesn't do a good job labeling their roads. It would have been horrible to drive with out one. We honestly got on to a road marked "road" in our GPS near the Locks. Panama drivers pushy and you will have to wedge your way in. They have large potholes and having an SUV will be useful.
Bring mosquito spray. I am a magnet for them. I brought 3 types and still came home looking like I had chicken pox. My husband on the other hand was fine.
The Gatun Locks are amazing. Get there early. The tourist buses can fill up the place. I stayed in Gamboa while near Panama City. It's on Lake Gatun that feeds the canal. So I am no help where you are staying in PC.
For Bocas del Toro. Grabbing a water taxi is super cheap and easy. It is the way to get around anywhere, Carry dollar bills to pay for everything. Some taxi drivers don't like making change. Do NOT drink the water in Bocas. Buy bottled water and drink it. It's fine to shower with but don't drink it.
We met an awesome guide in Bocas that became our tour guide for the time we were there. It was 50 dollars a day and we were out all day. He was amazing. I became friends with him on fb.
Go see Starfish Beach and Bird Island while in Bocas. You will need to take a boat taxi there. You can walk among starfish. It is wonderful. They also make amazing Pina Coladas there, well anywhere in Panama really. Isla Bastinmentos is a nature reserve on the other side of Bocas. Our guide dropped us off for the afternoon. We played and imagined ourselves in Cast Away it was cool to be somewhere so empty of human civilization. We also spent time in that area of Bocas on Red Frog Beach. The beach was beautiful and it was nice to hang out and relax there. Red Frog has a lot of surfers too. We saw the dolphins and snorkeled in Coral Caye. It was really beautiful. I have never seen so much wild life out and about until I went to Panama.
Carenero Island, a 2 minute boat taxi ride from Bocas town has a funny Cosmic Crab restaurant run by expats from the U.S. Their drinks are good and it has a pretty funny vibe. Carenero Island also has some surfing and you can rent gear from Bocas Town.
In Bocastown I had some of the best Indonesian fare and great company at Rum Runners.
I will say this so you can be wary. It did not ruin my trip in Bocas but it made me wary and was the only negative experience We had there. On our first day at the beach on Carenero Island in the morning my H and I left a small back pack on the sand after we walked to an empty beach, (all it had in it was some water, sunscreen and 10 dollars not much). We were playing in the water not far from the shore and our bag. (15 ft at most) when we heard a dog barking. It was a friendly dog and had followed us over to what we thought was a secluded beach. My H got out of the water because he thought a dog wouldn't just be parking at the trees for nothing. Turns out there were some teenagers in the trees watching us. Super creepy and I'm not sure if they were planning to take our stuff but it made us feel crappy and we left and never went to that area again.
Post by sunshinedaydreams on Aug 20, 2014 20:36:14 GMT -5
Thank you both!
neonpink that sucks about the kids at the beach, but the rest sounds great! I'll definitely check out some of your recs in Bocas. How did you happen to find your guide? Were you able to just pick him up on the fly, or did you have to arrange everything ahead of time?
neonpink that sucks about the kids at the beach, but the rest sounds great! I'll definitely check out some of your recs in Bocas. How did you happen to find your guide? Were you able to just pick him up on the fly, or did you have to arrange everything ahead of time?
Honestly Panama was one of the neatest places I have ever been. It was very different from anywhere I had traveled before.
About finding a guide. We didn't have anything special in mind. We made some friends at our hotel and while eating at a pizza place on the main street of Bocas Town. ( I don't know the name but it was amazing.) A guy walked by seeing if anyone wanted a boat guide. We walked over to where they rent surf boards and boat tours (towards a bar called Iguanas) and talked to them. We ended up with our guy, Juanez, and from talking to him worked out a deal where he took us around for the next 3 days on our own without going through the store. This was after we hung out all day on his boat and had a blast. He owns is own boat. He was really awesome and took us to a great restaurant while snorkeling. He even trusted us enough that he let one of the guys drive his boat and he went water skiing to show us how it was done.
Juanez was really cool and friendly and it was one of the reasons we had a blast in Bocas.