Panama’s capital is a unique combination of a vibrant metropolis and scenic wildlife experiences. Here are 7 places we recommend to see.
At the end of our honeymoon we chose to make a detour on the way home, stopping over in Panama City, the capital of Panama. In addition to the benefit of direct flights to Amsterdam the city offers a truly unique mix between urban and rural experiences, because Panama City has a national park within the capital itself.
#1: Cerro Ancón
Cerro Ancón is a green patch at the core of Panama City. It resides in the so-called “Canal zone”, the part of Panama City that belonged to The United States for the purpose of administering the Panama Canal. Today the area has been given back to Panama, but houses and structures show clear influence of its North American past. Cerro Ancón itself stands in stark contrast to the city life around it; after leaving the paved road it takes only a very short time for the silence and wildlife to emerge.
Monkeys, colourful frogs, leaf cutter ants, birds and Panamania guinea pigs showed up on our relatively short visit to this green oasis. The latter one looks like a capybara for those that may wonder.
From the top of Cerro Ancón views such as the Panama Canal, skyscrapers, the old town and most famous Panama City sights can be seen. To get an overview of the city few places can compete with Cerro Ancón.
How to get there
Take the metro to the final destination, Estacion Albrook, and cross the road to the bus terminal with the same name. Walk to the southern end of the bus stops on the outer of the two lanes and take bus C850 to the first stop. From there, walk about 2 km to the gate to Cerro Ancón. After this the road continues into the green hill and the experience begins. Returning we could not find a bus stop on the other side of the road and took the bus from Teatro Balboa-R. It is a bit further to walk, but not that far.
#2: The Panama Canal
The Panama Canal needs no introduction. That being said there’s a lot to know about this engineering marvel. First of all it isn’t really one canal, but two sets of massive locks. The canal is actually a man-made lake with locks at each end. From Panama City it is easiest to visit the Miraflores locks as they are the closest. In addition to the obvious sight of the locks and ships sailing through them it houses a great museum showing how the locks work and the history of the Panama Canal.
How to get there
Take the metro to the final destination, Estacion Albrook, and cross the road to the bus terminal with the same name. Walk to the northern end of the bus stops on the outer of the two lanes and take bus C820 til Esclusas de Miraflores. On the return take the same route in reverse, but make sure to get on the bus going in the right direction, Miraflores is not the final destination!
#3: Amador Causeway
In the Pacific Ocean right next to Panama City’s coast is a small cluster of beautiful islands. When the Panama Canal was excavated some of the rocks left over was used to make a causeway to these islands – the Amador Causeway. It is a stunning boardwalk and one can see the city on one side and the Bridge of the Americas on the other. The latter one was until quite recently the only permanent point connecting North and South America!
How to get there
Take the same route as to Cerro Ancón, but stay on the bus until Biomuseo-I or Smithsonian-I depending on which side of the causeway you want to go to.
#4: Punta Culebra Nature Center
In addition to the Panama Canal our biggest bucket list item in Panama was to see a sloth! One of the places with the biggest chance of success of this may be Punta Culebra Nature Center at the end of the Amador Causeway.
Sloths are far from the only critters found here. We saw iguanas, frogs, some truly strange crabs, birds, hermit crabs and a raccoon to mention a few. As a wildlife sanctuary many of the animals are free to come and go as they want, although they seem to enjoy staying right there.
How to get there
Take the same route as to Cerro Ancón, but stay on the bus until Smithsonian-I. Returning it can be hard to find the bus stop on the other side of the road (if it even exists!). It can therefore be easier to get on the bus exactly where you left off, take the bus to the final destination (which is just a few hundred meters further ahead) and return back again.
#5: Biomuseo
No need for insane Spanish skills to figure out what this means. The bio museum located at the beginning of the Amador Causeway is a spectacular sight from the outside and exciting and educational on the inside. Even if you aren’t too excited about biology and science this place offers nice views and a relaxing green park.
How to get there
Take the same route as to Cerro Ancón, but stay on the bus until Biomuseo-I.
#6: Casco Viejo
Casco Viejo is the name of the old town in Panama City. This might be the most friendly place we’ve come across. Before departure we did some research and read on Reiselykke [Norwegian] how the cars had stopped when Mette visited so that she could take photos without the view being blocked. And guess what, when we went there they did the same!
Many choose to book their accommodation in the old town as well, and it is by no doubt a nice place to stay. But it may not be the easiest place to be based if you plan on getting around using public transport.
How to get there
The easiest option is to take the metro to 5 de Mayo and walk from there. But you have to walk through a lesser reputable area. The mighty Interwebs seems to disagree with itself on how safe this is, but to be on the safe side we chose an optional route. Take the metro to Lotería and walk about two blocks to the ocean. There are red bridges to cross the highway. From there, follow the boardwalk towards Casco Viejo. At the fish market you have to walk under the large bridge surrounding the old town, then just follow the path until you reach the destination.
#7: Cinta Costera
A few years ago a land reclamation project known as Cinta Costera expanded the coastline in Panama City. As a result of this there is now a beautiful boardwalk with the infamous “Panamá” sign serving as a nice alternative to the traffic and noise elsewhere in the city.
How to get there
Take the metro to Lotería and walk about two blocks to the ocean. There are red bridges to cross the highway. You will enter the boardwalk just about where the Panamá sign is located.
Public transport
Getting around in Panama City with public transport is easy and cheap. The metro runs through large parts of the city and the final stop is right next to the bus terminal, serving both local and long distance bus routes. The buses and the metro work on the same transportation system. You pay $2 for a reusable travel card and scan yourself in and out of buses and metro stations just like most other large city transport systems. The metro is $0.35 and the buses $0.25.
Right now there is no metro station at the main airport, so the bus is the only option. Unfortunately you can’t buy tickets at the airport, but one possibility is to ask one of the locals if you can pay them to swipe their travel card to get you onboard.
Have you been to Panama City or would like to go there yourself? Leave a comment below 🙂
