Colon Province on the Caribbean
Only in Panama can you go from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast in such a short time. Less than 2 hours by car from Panama City is the extraordinary province of Colon, set along the turquoise waters of the Caribbean coast the province has a wide variety of attractions-beautiful beaches and islands with major historical sites, beautiful beaches, the second largest free trade zone in the world, world-class birding, diving and snorkeling.
How To Get There
Colon is 1.5 hours from Panama City on the new highway. Bananas Resort on Isla Grande provides transportation for guests from Panama City.
Where To Eat
The best place to eat is La Torre (The Tower) on the road to Portobello on the right, 1-2 kilometers before town and exactly a kilometer after Scuba Panama. It doesn't look like much abut it has the best food in the area—typical delicious Panamanian seafood—corvina (sea bass), ceviche, huge shrimp and octopus. Also delicious are patacones (fried plantain chips), flaky port empanadas, seafood soup and ceviche and the raspberry lemonade. Like most restaurants in the area, it is open for breakfast but closes by 7pm.
What To Do
Historical sites:
Portobelo: A picturesque bay side town with the ruins of 5 (yes 5!) Spanish forts and a restored Spanish Colonial treasure house. In Spanish colonial times the Portobelo Treasure House was the center for trans-shipment of all the Peruvian gold and treasure stolen from Latin America to Spain. Spanish galleons came and went constantly and many trade fairs were held here.
That heyday ended with the arrival of English pirates like Sir Francis Drake who repeatedly looted Portobelo's treasures and brought about it's demise. The Portobelo ruins, a pillar of Spanish colonial times are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Just before you come into town are the picturesque ruins of Fort Bateria Santiago with many cannons and a sentry tower. Up the hill on the other side of the street is another fort ruin.
Portobelo Bay is dotted with yachts-it's a popular place for international yachters, many of whom set down anchor and make the area a second home.
Fort San Lorenzo:
A well preserved fort ruin perched high on a stunning promontory above the Chagres River as it meets the sea. Sir Henry Morgan attacked the fort and made away with booty in 1666. San Lorenzo has yet to be restored or maintained, lacking tourist info of any kind.
The Portobello Customs House: Built in 1630 this colonial building was the headquarters of the Spanish customs offices for exporting all gold and silver from the Incan empire as well as for importing African slaves into the New World. It has been restored by the Spanish government and has a small museum.
Culture
The Black Christ Museum: A museum is dedicated to Portobelo's patron saint. It displays many robes and religious paraphernalia belonging to the statue of the Black Christ, which is honored in a big town festival every October 21st.
Beaches
Thirteen miles past Portobello, is Isla Grande, a picturesque island with some good beaches and home to several beach side lodging options including Bananas resort.
Shopping
The Free Zone is primarily for wholesale shopping for large businesses. But if you have foreign passport you can hire a tour guide to take you shopping for some great savings on watches, jewelry etc. You can arrange for what you buy to be picked up at Tocumen Airport on your way out of Panama.
Colon Cruise Port
Colon 2000 is a state of the art cruise port with a duty free shopping complex. As a gateway to Panama, it's one of the most popular cruise ship destinations in the Caribbean, receiving upwards of 80 ships a year.
Birding and Nature
Achiote Road: one of the world's best birding spots and so easy to get to! A 1.5 hour easy drive by highway from Panama City on a Go with a nature guide or birding guide. This is what a recent article in the New York Times had to say about Achiote Road:
"This unlikely setting (Achiote Road) is the prime birding site in Panama, where more than 340 species are counted during the annual 24-hour Atlantic Christmas Bird Count. Ken got out of the bus saying he wanted to see the spot-crowned barbet, which would be a first for him, and within minutes one obediently flew into a tree across the road. There were mealy parrots, orange chinned parakeets, a flock of more than 100 swallowtail kites, two white hawks fighting overhead, a whole family of howler monkeys - a constantly changing show."
Nobody Here But the Birds - New York Times , April 2002.
Kayaking and Rafting Adventure
Aventuras Panama offers a kayak day trip from Gatun Locks in the Panama Canal, into the lower Chagres River to historic Fort San Lorenzo.
The Chagres Challenge, by Aventuras Panama is a one day rafting and hiking expedition that leaves from Panama City. You will explore by rafting and hiking the pristine Chagres National Park with lush rainforest, beautiful tropical flora and and fauna and Class II and Class III rapids. Aventuras Panama also offers a one day kayak adventure from the Gatun Damn in the Panama Canal to the historic Fort San Lorenzo on the Panama's Caribbean. See our Tour Operators list on the sidebar.
Ecotourism
The entire coastal area is covered by thick jungle. Driving to Fort San Lorenzo, you will see a number of tropical animals, some of them scurrying to get out of the path of your car. A tour operator can explain about the area's flora and fauna. A number of scientific institutions such as the Smithsonian Institute for Tropical Research and the University of Florida have field stations in the area.
Diving
The Portobelo area offers several good diving spots including sunken ships and reefs. The coral reefs near the Isla Grande Hotel are a good place to start. Scuba Panama, just outside Portobelo, has full diving tour services.