Smart Travel: Panama offers tourists much more than canal

The words "Panama" and "canal" often seem welded together in our minds, but Panama is also an eco-paradise with offshore islands, mountains and fast-paced city life that are not seen from cruise ships in the canal.

The country is sandwiched between Costa Rica and Colombia and spans the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and links Central and South America.

Panama offers pristine ecosystems that it shares with Costa Rica in the western highlands. Here the visitor finds beaches and palm trees on the ocean and coffee plantations 7,000 feet into the mountains. La Amistad National Park spreads out over thousands of acres, is shared with Costa Rica, and is home to seven of 12 known life zones in the world. There are tropical rainforests festooned with orchids with such denizens as the quetzal, a brilliant green and red bird, and jaguars. The Volcan Baru National Park is named after the Baru Volcano. This 11,000-foot peak allows the hardy climber to see both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea from its summit.

Also found in this area are rustic but luxurious lodges, spas and cloud forest cabins. You also find full hotel accommodations with all hotel services and dormitory-style housing for student travelers.

Closer to Panama City are five-star all-inclusive luxury resorts on the Pacific Coast. These offer every amenity and a full range of water sports and spa activities.

In the capital city, skyscrapers tower over busy streets and the harbor is filled with shipping vessels waiting for their turn to transit the canal. Visitors can walk in Casco Viejo, old Panama City, with its ancient buildings, shops and sidewalk cafes. Nearby is the Miraflores section of the canal with outlooks on a continuous parade of passing ships of all types and sizes.

There are a multitude of day-tours offering a wide variety of experiences and names such as Pipeline Road Birdwatching Tour, After-Dark Croc-odile Safari, Kayaking on the Chagras River or the Turtle and Iguana Nesting Area. When night falls, Panama City lights up in the restaurant and nightclub districts like Amador. Great bargains can be found on shopping streets like Via Espana.

If you've only seen Panama from the deck of a cruise ship, perhaps you should visit the country beyond the canal. A safe and stable economy and a huge variety of experiences can keep you fascinated for many days with the culture and ecological wonders offered in the highly varied regions of this country to our south.

(Linda and Dr. Don Overend are principals in The Travel Group, a full-service travel agency formed by the merger of Ozark World Travel, Consulting Travel and Thomas Travel.)