Panama : A Guide To The World’s Greatest Short Cut
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www.bradt-travelguides.com Panama for most will conjure images of early-20th-century engineering triumph and the 1989 US military operation to remove Washington’s wayward ‘dictator General ‘Old Pineapple Face’ Noriega. However, historically Panama attracted even more interesting ‘visitors’ than the US military, from the obligatory land-fall by Christopher Columbus, invasive exploitation by buccaneer Sir Henry Morgan and ultimate fatal attraction for privateer Sir Francis Drake, who still lies in a lead casket somewhere in the waters off Puerto Bello.
Post-impressionist Gauguin worked on the canal project, earning enough to set out on his Polynesian odyssey, and Hollywood cowboy John Wayne was a contemporary drinking and fishing buddy with the mostly benign dictator General Ornar Torrijos.
Most recently the original Survivor reality TV show cast away its contestants in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago.
However, Panama’s future seems more closely linked with its permanent residents, an ethnically diverse and youthful population, born out of the influx of migrant canal workers, and a great natural biodiversity of 10,000 plant species, 350 birds species and 200 mammals amongst a staggering array of wildlife.
The handover of the canal to Panamanian control in 1999 combined with ascendant eco-tourism revenues has led to Panama being referred to as a ‘new Costa Rica’. The protection of 33% of the country’s landmass, more than any of its neighbours, means Panama is poised to join the upsurge in Latin American travel.
Sarah Woods, author of Bradt’s new guide, says tourism is in its infancy, ‘Panama is awe-inspiring, humbling and maddening all in one day.’ The new guide is strong on Panama’s fascinating mix of cultures, from the traditional Kuna in the San Blas Islands to the fusion of Latino, Caribbean and Indian influences in Bocas region. The role of the canal, past and present, together with natural history, national parks and marine conservation are key features of the guide together with in-depth coverage of the eco-tourism hotspot of Bocas del Toro. For those still not convinced to visit, look no further than The Sun whose exhaustive research summed up Panama as ‘where the worst of North America and Central America meet’, this alone should be enough to recommend it.
Sarah Woods is a travel writer who discovered Panama in the wake of the canal handover. She now has a second home in the country and has worked on volunteer projects in Bocas del Toro and Panama City.
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