Destinations » Panama Canal » Panama Canal Westbound
Cities & Ports in Panama Canal Westbound
Chiriqui Lagoon
Chiriqui Lagoon is located on the Caribbean coast of Panama close to the border with Costa Rica. The lagoon is protected from the sea by the Bocas del Toro archipelago, and much of this area is designated as the Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos. This marine park has a surface of 13,226 hectares and is one of a few protected areas of Latin America that preserve, simultaneously, the rare wildlife and habitat of beaches, extensive coral reefs, mangroves and tropical forrests.
Fuerte Amador
This recently developed port with its modern shopping plazas is just next door to Panama City, once a vital link along the Golden Main. Be sure to visit both old and new, and shop for duty-free bargains, including the famous "molas" hand-woven by the Cuna Indians of San Blas.
Guayaquil
Guayaquil, Ecuador is your port for Quito, the beautiful capital of Ecuador. As you stroll the cobbled streets of the city called "Queen of the Andes", rich legacies of art, history and magnificent Spanhish colonial architecture surround you.
Huatulco
A thriving port in the days of Sir Francis Drake, Huatulco has been reborn as an ultra-modern beach resort with world-class shopping and recreational opportunities. City planners have taken great care to blend the "new" Huatulco into its natural setting, and in fact most of the surrounding area has been set aside as a nature reserve.
Iquique
Hard against the dramatic coastal desert slopes, little Iquique was the "Queen of the Coast" through the early part of this century, when the nitrate barons built fortunes on fertilizer shipped from here. Today some of their company towns, long deserted, are being preserved as monuments to the bygone era.
Paracas Bay
In Paracas reserve, scores of sea lions can be seen lazily basking in the sun align with condors and giants turtles easing their way through the water. The winds, the sea temperature, and other weather factors have created a habitat for thousands of species of marine fauna and flora, ranging from tiny fish and mollusks to great seals. The scenery is beautiful, a fact that ancestral cultures were well aware of, because it was in this rich area that a major civilization flourished. Paracas, famous for its weavings, the finest in the world, inimitable even today.
Pearl Island
Pearl Islands (or Archipielago de las Perlas in Spanish) is a group of islands on the Pacific side of Panama, the most notable of which is Contadora Island known for its resorts. Many rivers and springs, the main ones flowing steadily year-round, provide for abundant pure, fresh waters to naturally irrigate San Jose Island. Several waterfalls, up to 60 feet high, and natural caves, further enhance the beauty of the island.
Puerto Chiapas
Puerto Chiapas offers those looking for a close contact with a mystic, exotic and natural world, the door to a magical place with wonderful regional tours enjoying unequalled natural beauties, alternative tourism, ecotourism and archeology.
Puerto Quetzal
Drive into the mountains to beautiful old Antigua, once the country's colonial capital, and discover its lovely bougainvilleadraped buildings and breathtaking views of emerald volcanoes. Travel to famed Lake Atitlan and step back in time as you encounter the indigenous people in all their finery still living along the lakeshore. Or better yet, fly to Flores and experience the magnificent and enigmatic Mayan temples and palaces of the Tikal complex, surrounded by jungle.
Puntarenas
Puntarenas is the Pacific coast gateway to Costa Rica. From Puntarenas visit the Rain Forest, Cloud Forest and Poas National Park. Also see San Jose, the capital city, located in the central valley at an altitude of 3,450 feet enjoying a "Spring-Like" average temperature of 72 degrees. The country is located on the Central American isthmus and is bounded on the north by Nicaragua, the Southeast by Panama, the east by the Atlantic Ocean and the west by the Pacific Ocean. With its tall mountains, forested slopes, green pasture lands and lush vegetation, Costa Rica is often referred to as the "Switzerland of Central America." A mountainous country, Costa Rica ranges from sea level to peaks as high as 13,000 feet and a succession of white, sandy beaches follow one another along the Pacific Coast. The country was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1502. Rumors of vast gold treasures (which never materialized ) led to the country's name - "Rich Coast."
San Blas Islands
The San Blas are an archipelago of more than 350 islands located in the Caribbean off the coast of Panama. These tropical islands, covered with white sand and coconut groves, are pristine environments inhabited only by the Kuna, its indigenous Indians. The Kuna have resisted change and maintained their traditional culture ever since the Spanish made contact over 500 years ago. San Blas province has its own government, and each island has a chief.
Turks & Caicos
The beautiful Turks and Caicos Islands are situated 575 miles (or 75 minutes) southeast of Miami. Covering 193 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean, the Turks and Caicos Islands has the third largest coral reef system and the best tropical beaches in the world, making it a premier beach, diving and snorkelling destination and an ideal location for romance, family vacations, ecotourism and adventure seekers, which is probably why 60% of our visitors come back over and over again.
