A land of vibrant colors, a curious mix of colonial relics, modern architecture, and languid Latin rhythms. Its inhabitants feel and describe it this way, despite this small Central American state, discovered in 1501 by the conquistadores Don Rodrigo de Bastiadas and Vasco Nunez de Balboa, being best known for the Canal, a marvel of modern engineering.
But the name “Panamá,” in Amerindian, means abundance, a perfect fit for this rich and lush paradise of nature, surprising for the wild beauty of its landscapes, the maze of tropical forests, extraordinary biodiversity, the enchantment of lagoons and Caribbean beaches, the wealth of historical sites, and the modernity of a capital, Panama City, that never sleeps.
For this reason, the tour operator Ruta 40 invites you to join an exciting tour, starting right in the capital, discovering both its dazzling skyscrapers and the Old Town, where the ruins of the first settlement dating back to 1519 survive, sacked by the pirate Henry Morgan, and the Casco Viejo, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then you cross the Canal aboard a characteristic transoceanic train, which takes you from the Atlantic to the Pacific, reaching the historic port of Portobelo, from where Spanish galleons loaded with gold set sail.
For the Chagres National Park, the journey continues along the namesake river aboard motorized dugout canoes, deep in the heart of the rainforest, also discovering the Gatún Dam, which gave life to the Canal. This is the area where the Panamanian ecosystem expresses all its richness and spectacle; the rainforest hosts a myriad of ecosystems and even those wishing to discover indigenous cultures can meet the Emberá, who keep their ancestral customs and traditions intact.
