Panama for holiday ?

[halfpenny43]

Anyone here been to Panama for holidays ?

Never done South America and quite fancy something different - out of the norm. Costa Rica looks interesting as does Belize but Panama with the nature, some nice unspoilt beaches and of course the canal looks to offer a bit of everything.

Any first hand experience would be appreciated - thinking of going in May which we know may be wet.

Thanks
Steven

[Wolff]

Only thing I can tell you about Panama is that its Central America, not South...

However, I went to Belize last year, and can honestly say that I will be going back! Stayed on Caye Caulker for a couple of days, and San Ignacio for a couple of days (en-route between Mexico & Guatemala). Caye Caulker was lovely and laid back, not really a beach, but great for snorkeling, scuba diving, shark feeding etc (and the beers were pretty good too!). San Ignacio is amazing if you want something a bit different - think amazing caves, tubing down rivers etc.

Guatemala is worth a look too - its easy to travel between them all. You going by yourself or with a partner?

[halfpenny43]

Wolff said:

Only thing I can tell you about Panama is that its Central America, not South...

However, I went to Belize last year, and can honestly say that I will be going back! Stayed on Caye Caulker for a couple of days, and San Ignacio for a couple of days (en-route between Mexico & Guatemala). Caye Caulker was lovely and laid back, not really a beach, but great for snorkeling, scuba diving, shark feeding etc (and the beers were pretty good too!). San Ignacio is amazing if you want something a bit different - think amazing caves, tubing down rivers etc.

Guatemala is worth a look too - its easy to travel between them all. You going by yourself or with a partner?

Central . . . .South . . . .whats a few thousand miles between countries

Going with the wife yes. Belize sounds great. Snorkelling we enjoy but neither of us scuba dive.

I assume you can easily fly between these Countries ?

Which month did you go to Belize ?

Cheers
Steven

[rogerthefish]

Some Quick Facts googled

Panama's temperature and humidity are often lower than Florida's.
Panama's 'summer' is winter in the US, Canada and Europe.
Panama's has about 100 microclimates, so weather varies by location.
Mountain areas such as Boquete are cooler and windier.
Caribbean side (Bocas del Toro) is more humid and rainy than the Pacific.
The driest part of Panama is the Azuero Peninsula on the south coast.
The hottest part of Panama is around David (sw border near Costa Rica).
Length of day is 12 hours year round because Panama is near the equator.
Sunrise is approx. 6:20am and sunset is approx. 6:20pm year round.
Panama never goes on Daily Savings Time as all days are the same length.
Panama never gets hurricanes.


Panama City
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg. High (°F) 92 93 95 95 94 93 93 93 91 91 91 91
Avg. Low (°F) 65 65 65 67 70 70 70 70 70 70 68 67
Rainfall (Inches) 1.1 0.4 0.5 2.5 9 9 6 9 10 13 10 4

[Wolff]

halfpenny43 said:

Central . . . .South . . . .whats a few thousand miles between countries

Going with the wife yes. Belize sounds great. Snorkelling we enjoy but neither of us scuba dive.

I assume you can easily fly between these Countries ?

Which month did you go to Belize ?

Cheers
Steven

Doesn't look as though there are direct flights between Belize & Panama - all seem to have a stop in El Savador (well, according to Sky Scanner anyway!). I think the main way people travel between the countries is by bus - its a pretty common backpacking route.

Belize - has a reef! Largest in the western hemisphere, and second largest in the world (could soon be the largest if Australia don't stop the erosion of theirs!). Its also English speaking, and they love the English (based on the history lesson I had off a random guy in Belize City!). I could go into a bit of a history lesson about the relationship between Belize (nee British Honduras) and Guatemala, but i'll spare everyone the boredom on here! If you want an idea of the types of trips you can do in Belize take a look at www.mayawalk.com - they are who we used for the caves etc. The ATM Cave (Actun Tunichil Muknal) is definitely work doing - one of the highlights.

From Belize (if you wanted to do another country), you could easily go north into Mexico (Cancun is about a days travel by boat & bus), or west into Guatemala. Guatemala has the Mayan ruins of Tikal - huge place, used in the filming of one of the Star Wars films. Some huge temples, and a huge variety of wildlife.

You can fly from close to the Tikal ruins (Flores is the best place to stay for Tikal visit - small island in a large lake) to Guatemala City for flights home, or heading to Antigua (colonial capital of the central americas, three visible volcanoes - one of which erupted last year), or mayabe Panajachel for some great market shopping and onto Lake Atitlan for some great scenery surrounded by volcanoes

All of the above is easy by bus or organised trip using local travel agents - some of them will even arrange for you to stay with a Mayan family for a couple of nights (that was quite an experience!).

If you're paying, I could be your guide lol!