Colon Province: Caribbean Beauty So Very Nearby- Portobello & Isla Grande
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Only in Panama can you go from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast in two hours and find yourself in an idyllic Caribbean setting. Less than 2 hours by car from Panama City is the extraordinary province of Colon. Set along the turquoise waters of the Caribbean coast, the province has a wide variety of attractions-beautiful beaches and island,fascinating historical sites, the largest Free Trade Zone outside Hong Kong, a state-of-the-art cruise port, world-class bird watching, diving and snorkeling and a spectacular 5 star hotel/convention center on the Panama Canal.
Highlights:
Caribbean Beaches: Attractive beaches begin on the road to Portobelo and beyond. The best place is Isla Grande, a lush tropical island just of the coast with excellent snorkeling, diving, and surfing as well as a variety of very attractive lodging options.
Our favorite is Bananas Village Resort, a quality destination of well-appointed beachfront villas, a private beach, rainforest surroundings and a good on-premise restaurant. The views from the villa rooms are beautiful from tropical sunrise to tropical sunset. You'll feel totally away from it all but have all the creature comforts of home. The resort also has a swimming poor ,pool tables, a volley ball court,snorkeling, kayaking and our favorite tropical recreation-lots of hammocks beginning with one on the balcony of every villa room.
For activities, you can take an ecological tour through the jungle, surf at a nearby beach and take boat tours to some excellent nearby snorkeling sites.It always amazes us that in an easy two hour car ride from Panama City on good roads, you can be in a resort on a beautiful tropical island.The town of Isla Grande, on the other side of the island has more simple lodging options.
Historical sites:
Portobello: A picturesque bayside town of with the ruins of 5 (yes 5!) Spanish forts and a restored Spanish Colonial treasure house. In Spanish colonial times the Portobello Treasure House was the center for trans-shipment of all the Peruvian gold and treasure taken from Latin America to Spain. Spanish galleons came and went constantly and many fairs were held. That easy heyday ended with the arrival of English pirates like Sir Francis Drake who repeatedly looted Portobellos treasures and brought about its eventual demise. The Portobelo Ruins are a pilar of Spanish colonial times, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Fort San Lorenzo: A well preserved fort ruin perched high on a stunning promotory above the Chagres River as it meets the sea. Sir Henry Morgan attacked the fort and made away with booty in 1666. It is essential to go with a tour operator since to date this unusual site has no signs or tourist info of any kind.
The Customs Building: Also located in the town of Portobelo, this colonial building is the old headquarters of the Spanish customs offices when they were importing African slaves into the New World. It is now a museum-a dedication to the thousands of Black immigrants who are an important element of Panamanian culture and constitute the majority of the population of Portobelo and Colon.
Culture:
The Black Christ Museum: Previously the San Juan de Dios (St. John of God) Catholic Church, this museum is dedicated to Portobelo's patron saint. It displays a plethora of robes and religious paraphenalia belonging to the statue of the Black Christ, which is surrounded by many myths. It resides in Portobelo's San Felipe Church and honored in a great festival on October 21st.
Birding and Nature:
Achiote Road: one of the world's best birding spots and so easy to get to! An 1.5 hour easy drive by highway from Panama City on a Go with a nature guide or birding guide. This is what a recent article in the New York Times had to say about Achiote Road:
"This unlikely setting (Achiote Road) is the prime birding site in Panama, where more than 340 species are counted during the annual 24-hour Atlantic Christmas Bird Count. Ken got out of the bus saying he wanted to see the spot-crowned barbet, which would be a first for him, and within minutes one obediently flew into a tree across the road. There were mealy parrots, orange-chinned parakeets, a flock of more than 100 swallowtail kites, two white hawks fighting overhead, a whole family of howler monkeys — a constantly changing show."
Nobody Here But the Birds- New York Times , April 2002
Cruise Port: Colon 2000 is a state-of-the-art cruise port with a duty free shopping complex. Opened just a short five years ago, it is becoming one of the most popular cruise ship destinations in the Caribbean, recieving upwards of 70 ships per year.
Cruise ships are not the only watercrafts with tourists. In the town of Portobello, the bay is dotted with yachts- Portobello is a favorite place for international yachters, many of whom set down anchor and make the area a second home.
Diving: The Portobelo area offers several good diving spots including sunken ships and reefs. The coral reefs near the Isla Grande Hotel are a good place to start.Scuba Panama just outside Portobello has full diving tour services.
Kayaking: The area is a perfect place for sea kayaking. You can combine history and outdoor adventure with a kayak trip from Gatun Locks in the Panama Canal, into the lower Chagres River to historic Fort San Lorenzo.
Ecotourism: The whole coast area has thick jungle. Driving to Fort San Lorenzo, you will see a number of tropical animals, some of them scurrying to get out of the path of your car. A tour operator can explain about the areas flor and fauna. A number of scientific institutions such as the Smithsonian Institute for Tropical Research and the University of Florida have field stations in the area.
