Panama City at sunset
Panama City is the gateway between the eastern and western hemispheres. It is a modern city bristling with skyscrapers. There are plentiful attractions, including, of course, the engineering wonder of the Panama Canal. Here are four highlights from our recent visit.
Rooftop Dining In Panama City
Panama City is also a UNESCO Creative City in Gastronomy. One of the best ways to enjoy the tropical delights of Panama City is from one of the many rooftop bars and restaurants in Casco Viejo, Old Town.
Lazotea is a trendy restaurant focused on Latin American cuisine and drinks with an amazing view of the Panama City skyline. The person behind the restaurant is Jorge Rausch, a Colombian chef of Polish and Austrian descent. His Bogotá restaurant Criterión has been named Colombia's best restaurant three times. We arrived early to take in the sunset and the scene as day transformed into night.
We savored a glass of bubbly as the sun sank, painting the pink sky. As we delved into our entrees, the glittering lights of Panama City began to shine. I enjoyed L'Ancienne Grouper, a grouper fillet cooked in hazelnut butter, bacon, paipin, caramelized shallots, Beurre Blanc sauce, and chicken jus. This was paired with Albarino, while my wife enjoyed a prawn dish with a delicious sauce.
Guided Jungle Adventure with Gatun Lake Cruise
We explored the Panamanian jungle on a guided tour that started at the Gamboa Rainforest Preserve and embarked on a boat trip across Gatun Lake. Gatun Lake is a crucial part of the Panama Canal. It’s a massive artificial lake that helps ships cross the 21-mile distance of the Isthmus of Panama. The lake provides the water needed to operate the canal's locks and also serves as a drinking water source for Panama City. We enjoyed seeing the massive cargo ships headed for the locks. They dwarfed our small motorboat.
During our lake voyage, we could visit the famous Monkey Islands, where we could view several different types of monkeys: White-Faced Capuchin Monkeys, Howler Monkeys, and Geoffroy’s Tamarin Monkeys. The curious Capuchin monkeys approached our boats, and some sat on the railing, allowing us to observe them at a close distance.
We then hiked through the lush Soberania National Park. Walking along the Pipeline Road, which follows an old fuel pipeline built during World War II, we were surrounded by natural beauty and were able to spot a sloth and a Crimson-crested woodpecker.
Sunny San Blas Islands
The San Blas Islands are some of the world's most remote and pristine islands. More than 350 islands are in the archipelago off Panama's Caribbean coast. Only 49 islands are inhabited, and many are barely big enough for more than one palm tree. We wondered why we needed to bring our passports for this excursion, then we learned that we would be entering the Guna Yala comarca, an autonomous territory governed by the Guna people, who have kept their culture and rich traditions alive.
The islands feature white sand beaches untouched by commercialism. It’s a remote and peaceful place. We saw at least eight shades of blue gazing across the tropical waters as the wind rustled the palm tree leaves.
Natural Beauty of Anton Valley
El Valle de Antón is nestled in the bowl of an extinct volcano and is rich in the untouched splendor of nature. At nearly 2,000 feet in elevation, the area is cooler than the lower parts of Panama. It is home to more than 500 species of birds. The area is one of the last habitats of the critically endangered Panamanian golden frog.
We stopped at the Sunday Market (it’s open seven days a week) on Avenida Central before heading to El Chorro Macho. El Chorro Macho is a 115-foot waterfall surrounded by dense rainforest. There are hiking trails that offer spectacular views. After we worked up a sweat (not hard in a Panamanian rainforest!) I took a plunge into a natural pool fed by the waterfall.
Following our hike, we visited the Butterfly Haven, a sanctuary that features 21 different species. Anton Valley boasts more than 450. The butterflies were different than those we have seen in butterfly houses in the States. One of the fascinating species is the Owl Eye Butterfly, found in Central and South America, especially in rainforests. The markings on its wings mimic large animal eyes to frighten away predators. We were also blessed with an abundance of Blue Morpho butterflies, a species not found in North America.
The Butterfly Haven has a video and displays to explain the lifecycle of the butterfly. The highlight is the flight room, with host and nectar plants and butterflies soaring.
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