Cruise on the famous continent-spanning canal, spot exotic birds and discover indigenous cultures
At the crossroads of the Americas, Panama is best known for the amazing feat of engineering that is the Panama Canal, which connects the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
Yet the country has so much more to offer. Its amazing biodiversity and lush rainforests make it a birdwatcher’s paradise. It is possible to learn about the indigenous cultures of the Kuna in the San Blas islands and Emberá tribes in the Chagres National Park, while the Pacific and Caribbean beaches offer superb sun, sand and sea. Panama can also easily be combined with a visit to neighbouring Costa Rica.
Visit the eye-catching Museum of Biodiversity, designed by Frank Gehry; have a coffee in the colonial district of Casco Viejo, full of 17th-century buildings; watch the giant container ships queue up to pass through the Miraflores Locks; or explore Soberanía National Park, just an hour's drive from the capital city, and home to prolific birdlife as well as monkeys, sloths and iguanas.