panama info
INFORMATION QUICK-GUIDE ON PANAMA
Panama’s economy is quite stable. It’s currency is equal to the US dollar and they are interchangeable in the country. The government and society as a whole are stable and democratic with Panama City offering a very modern, cosmopolitan urban centre. Property prices are still reasonable, but numerous condominium projects in Panama City, as well as many upscale residential land and real estate developments in Boquete, the Pacific Coast and Bocas del Toro, are keeping real estate prices steadily on the rise. For you cruisers out there, we are well south of the hurricane belt and Boca del Toro affords good protection from any unusual tropical storm activity.
Panama has a near infinite amount of pristine, unspoiled natural beauty to be enjoyed and with only around three million people in the country, many times you are witnessing that natural beauty in solitude.
Panama has an excellent public transit system consisting of hundreds of modern small,medium and large buses that can get you almost anywhere in the country from the smallest mountain village to the big city by the Canal.
There are two airlines serving the domestic market:
Aeroperlas - http://www.aeroperlas.com/
Air Panama - http://www.flyairpanama.com/
English is spoken widely on the Caribbean coast in Bocas del Toro and Colon and you will find more than a few folks who can speak some throughout the interior.
Click here for a map of Panama.
Panama has the higest rating for tourist safety from the Pinkerton Intelligence Agency.
Panama is the only country in Latin America where it is completely safe to drink the tap water. Though this does not apply to water sources in Bocas del Toro.
There are plenty of tour and tourism operators offering services for every type of traveller - adventure travel tours, high end resort and golf tours, guided tours for urban shopping and cultural experiences, surfing and outdoor tours.
WHAT’S BEING SAID AND READ
“For the fourth year in a row, Panama wins our Annual Global Retirement Index. This country offers the best program for retirees in the world. We consider Panama the world’s top retirement haven also because of it’s proximity to the States, it’s low cost of living, it’s real estate bargains, it’s beautiful landscapes, it’s appealing climate and it’s friendly locals.” International Living, Sept 2004
“Bocas del Toro is starting to emerge as the newest star in the eco-tourism pantheon. The Galapagos of the 21st century. Hundreds of species of fish, parrots, toucans, monkeys and sloths live on the islands.”
USA Today, Jan 2004
“Panama is now where Costa Rica was ten years ago”, says travel agent Gaughen. “The place is getting ready to explode”. Head for the Bocas del Toro archipelago with it’s funky expat, but blessedly low_key scene”.
National Geographic Traveler, Nov/Dec 2003
In my four years of researching countries, Panama kept coming up as the best option based on my criteria - economic and political stability, land prices, ecological offerings and distance from the ‘beaten path’ of tourism.
Swanny, May 2001
“Panama is the new Central American bargain, where the US dollar - the market currency - goes a long way. The country ranks second only to Switzerland as a tax haven, the cost of living is low, English is widely spoken and Panama City’s infrastructure is technologically advanced.”
Conde Nast Traveler, Oct 2004
John Le Carré, writing in The Tailor of Panama summed it up well: “We have everything God needed to make paradise. Great farming, beaches, mountains, wildlife you wouldn’t believe… people so beautiful you could cry.”
Modern Maturity, the American Association for Retired Persons magazine, rated Panama as “one of the top four places in the world for Americans to live abroad”.
International Living, rated Panama as “the number one country outside the United States for a second home- based on Panama’s outstanding safety, infrastructure, climate and beauty”.
INFORMATION ON PANAMA’S RECENT HISTORY
Panama abolished it’s military in 1990, while rewriting the constitution to establish a more democratic form of governance. The country has a long connection with the world’s economies, having been the crossroads of commerce since the creation of the Panama Canal. With it’s drug running days long over, Panama is actively developing a tourism industry. At this point the folks that tend to travel Panama are those looking for a more adventurous, out of the way place to spend some time.
INFORMATION ON TRAVEL ACTIVITIES IN PANAMA
The country as a whole is laid back and friendly, with an overabundance of underdiscovered ecological beauty to explore - Hiking trips inside La Amistad International Park, to the top of Volcan Baru, where one can see both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. River journeys into the deepest of tropical jungle, where jaguars and pumas still prowl and native villages still find travellers unusual. Deserted, reef fringed, white sand beaches that offer all the simple beauty of a Caribbean isle, but without the tourists and giant hotel complexes. The Kuna tribe, which has governance over a vast and beautiful piece of Panama’s coastline. The Darien Gap, which offers huge, untouched and pristine tropical jungle to explore.
In total Panama has set aside 30% of it’s total land area for conservation. The nation has also set aside more land for habitat protection than any other Central American country. As well, Panama’s forests contain more species than any other country in North and Central America. The Bocas del Toro region is so biodiverse that the Smithsonian Institute opened a Field Office to study, in depth, the ecology of the region .
The environment and ecotourism is a priority for the national government and much legislation has been passed to protect the ecology. Panama’s unique timing for entry into a tourism industry, is allowing it to learn from the mistakes of it’s Central American neighbours regarding overdevelopment.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT PANAMA
• What’s the weather like?
Beautiful all year round! It’s consistent to that of the Hawaiian Islands. Average temperature in the low 80’s with tropical breezes and occasional rainstorms to keep things cool and fresh. The area is a safe haven away from Hurricanes and has not been hit by one for over one hundred and forty years.
• It looks like Costa Rica is not too far from you?
We are right on the border of Panama and Costa Rica on the Caribbean side. Many Americans who live in Costa Rica are moving here because the political climate in Panama is much more pro foreign investors.
• I read that Panama has become the number one spot for ecotourism.
The emergence of the Isthmus of Panama more than 3 million years ago caused a migration of a wide variety of animal and plant species from one continental mass to another through Panama, where many congregate to offer an array of unique biodiversity. The Republic of Panama covers 29,761 square miles - an area smaller than the size of South Carolina. Yet, its several life zones host more than 960 species of birds, 220 species of mammals, 240 species of reptiles, 160 species of amphibians and over 10,000 species of vascular plants. Impressively, more than 25 percent of its territory is protected by national parks and nature reserves. These factors, added to the close proximity of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans at a narrow isthmus, have created a vast concentration of life in the heart of the Americas, leading the Smithsonian Institution to establish the most advanced laboratory for tropical biological research in the world in Bocas Del Toro is home to the Smithsonian’s most active research center which offers daily lectures on the rare and the precious abundance of life that blesses archipelago.
Some of the attractions may concern the rare and unique breed of indigenous frogs, or the various types of turtles and their nesting habits, or the rich biodiversity found within the magnificent rainforests, splendid seas and ancestral indigenous cultures this is truly a land of magic and mystery that hosts a recollection of events that have shaped the world’s history.
• What about the basic infrastructure, power, water, phone, internet etc.
As you know power blackouts, water shortages, soaring telephone rates and slow internet connections have become a problem everywhere on the planet, not to mention the soaring utility bills and phone bills. Since Y2K more and more people have opted to become as self sufficient as possible. Dolphin Bay Wellness & Art Retreat is following this model of self-sufficiency by developing high speed internet satellite, the first in the area, solar powered energy efficient construction codes and a combination of well and rain water systems to provide pristine water.
• What is time difference?
Panama is on Eastern Standard Time but there is no daylight savings time.
Panama Information - A Great Place to Live and Visit
Panama is a privileged country within Latin America. It is fast becoming a preferred location for a second or retirement home for North Americans. For its citizens, Panama is one of the top three of Latin American countries for quality of life: health, education and economic well-being. There are a number of good reasons.
First of all is safety and security. Panama has the highest rating for tourist safety from prestigious Pinkerton Global Intelligence service. In Panama, there is no need to be constantly on guard against being robbed or assaulted, as is the case in so many Latin American countries. The crime rate is very low and you can visit nearly all the places you want to, even at night, without fear.
Panama City is called a “second Miami” because of its sophisticated business district, high speed internet connections, the American-style infrastructure and the elegance of many of its neighborhoods. There are endless gorgeous sea-view apartments and numerous suburban subdivisions with lovely Miami-style homes. Few other Latin American cities can boast buildings of such quality construction and so many attractive neighborhoods. These same Panama City buildings were mostly built by the architect George Moreno, who is the architect for Big Creek Village!
Unlike other Latin Americans, Panamanians don’t need to go shopping in Miami. Due to the lowest tariffs in the Americas, Panama is a shoppers paradise whether it be clothes, computers, electronics, or automobiles! Panamanian supermarkets can easily be mistaken for American supermarkets with their large selection of American products. Electronics stores compete in both price and selection with American store
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