HOW TO GET TO PANAMA:
When planning out a trip to another country the first things are planning out the list of items needed, your means of transportation, a place to stay, and what places to visit during your stay. First off you will need a passport that is still valid 3 months after your trip has ended, a return ticket back to your home place or to another destination because you can only stay in Panama up to 180 days without a visa, and cash available because not every place in Panama has ATMs to withdraw money. Also, Panama uses balboa coin currency and US dollars as their cash currency for their legal tender so 1 balboa is equivalent to 1USD.
WHERE TO STAY IN PANAMA:
There are many choices of accommodations during your visit to Panama depending on what your location and budget is. First are hotels such as The Westin Playa Bonita Panama with the Pacific Ocean view for $170 a night and The Gamboa Rainforest Reserve for $149 a night using their official websites. Boutique hotels are smaller than a regular hotel and operated independently. These Boutiques offer an intimate atmosphere and operate around local communities which is awesome when you are trying to get to know the local places as a tourist. Las Clementinas is a boutique located in Casco Viejo southern Panama City which is surrounded by historical monuments starts off at $149 a night for two adults.
Las Clementinas Hotel
WHERE TO GO IN PANAMA:
When doing your research and itinerary on places you will most likely visit make sure they are tourist friendly for staying safe during your trip. The first thing I did was search up where not to visit in Panama and it gave me El Chorrillo and Curundu. Locals have said that El Chorrillo and Curundu are both hotspots for violent crimes and that tourists have no reason to visit those two areas.
Now it is time to talk about places you SHOULD visit! In the official Panama tourism website there were lots of options to choose from such as Casco Viejo located in Panama City. The history of Casco Viejo is very intriguing because back in 1671 the original Panama City was ruined by a pirate attack and in 1673 it was completely rebuilt and founded. It is also the center of Panama gaining its independence from Spain in 1821. Next up is the famous Panama Canal. How are you gonna visit Panama without going to the Panama Canal completed in 1914 by the United States. It links both the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean and runs across the Isthmus of Panama. One more place because this blog post is turning out to be longer than I expected is the Biodiversity Museum which is the first ever musuem about the natural biodiversity in Panama. It is even better that its located next to the Panama Canal so that's two stops in one.
WHAT TO DO IN PANAMA:
Again I am on the official Panama tourism website and the first thing that caught my attention was the beautiful Cobia National Park in the Panamanian Pacific. It is the largest Island in the Central America Pacific which is protected by Panama. The best season to visit is all year round and you can do activities such as scuba diving and snorkeling. Nightlife in Casco Antiguo is definitely where you should go if you're not tired from a long day of visiting places. There are pubs for drinking, nightclubs if you wanna have some fun with friends, performers around that play a mix of regae or reggaeton, salsa, and merengue. There is never a bad time to go to Casco so if you're up for a fun night might as well visit.
HOW MUCH IS THIS ALL GOING TO COST?
So this hypothetical trip will happen on March 14th-20th 2021 which is our spring break. I hate layovers so I chose a nonstop flight with Delta for $646 for just one passenger.
I chose to stay at Hilton Garden Inn Panama for $70 a night which in total is $420 but since I plan on bringing a friend to share a room it will be $210 each. In total I spent about $856 for this trip. The rest will go to places I will dine in and other places that require to pay for entrance.
INTINERARY:
Links:
“Panama International Travel Information.” U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of State, travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Panama.html
“Where to Stay in Panama: Lodging Tips.” SmarterTravel, SmarterTravel, 31 May 2017, www.smartertravel.com/stay-panama-lodging-tips/
“Safety - Panama.” In Panama of Mexico and Central America | Fodor's Travel, www.fodors.com/world/mexico-and-central-america/panama/travel-tips/safety-89531780.
“Casco Antigou.” VisitPanama, VisitPanama, https://www.visitpanama.com/destination/casco-antiguo/
“Panama Canal.” VisitPanama, VisitPanama, https://www.visitpanama.com/destination/panama-canal/
“BioMuseo.” VisitPanama, VisitPanama, https://www.visitpanama.com/destination/biomuseo/
“Coiba National Park.” VisitPanama, VisitPanama, https://www.visitpanama.com/destination/coiba-national-park/
“Vida Nocturna.” VisitPanama, VisitPanama, https://www.visitpanama.com/destination/vida-nocturna/
I've always thought about going to Panama, but wasn't very sure about the cost or what all was there to do and see. To think that you could stay in a place like Las Clementinas for only $149 seems really nice.You went into so much detail with this post and it was really cool to know just how inexpensive it is to travel there.
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