Destination: Panama
LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION
Itinerary: World Heritage Sites
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Panama’s four Unesco World Heritage sites provide visitors with a chance to discover the well-preserved past, the country’s rich wildlife and the indigenous cultures inside its borders.
The 576,000-hectare Parque Nacional Darién is Panama’s crown jewel, with lush primary rain forest, an astounding variety of animal life and many indigenous villages scattered through remote jungle. Inside the park, Cana Valley, with its hundreds of bird species, is a favorite of bird watchers. A private lodge there makes a fine base for seeing the wildlife. Hardy travelers can hike into Pirre Station, where there’s a rustic lodge and the park’s best hiking trails.
Panama City has its own attractions, in the form of the many historical buildings of Casco Viejo. The manicured Plaza de la Independencia is where Panamanian independence was declared. Nearby are striking churches like the Iglesia de San Francisco and the seaside overlook of Paseo de las Bóvedas. On the other side of town lie the ruins of Panamá Viejo, the first European settlement on the Pacific.
Travel north of Panama City to reach the forts along the Caribbean. Fuerte San Lorenzo once guarded the Río Chagres. Further east, near Portobelo stand the equally impressive fortifications of Fuerte San Jerónimo and Fuerte Santiago.
In the western part of the country, it’s back into the rain forest at Parque Internacional La Amistad, a national park shared with Costa Rica. Its lovely trails access waterfalls, lookouts and plenty of wildlife.
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