Metropolitan National Park in Panama City

On December 20, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Central America2 Comments

If you are planning a trip to Panama City, one of the sites that you should consider visiting is the Metropolitan National Park. Since Panama City is surrounded by a rainforest that is protected by law, the city is literally surrounded by jungles and wildlife. You don’t have to leave the city in order to escape into nature and see some of the exotic wildlife that the country has to offer. It is about a fifteen minute drive from downtown Panama City to reach the park and the cost to enter is only $4 per person for non-Nationals ($1 for Nationals).

Although it is located on the edge of the city and temperatures are often hot and humid, the Metropolitan National Park is still a rainforest, so you should definitely wear closed-toed shoes or hiking shoes. After stopping at the visitors center to purchase your tickets and get information on the park and the animals that live there, you will walk a short distance to the actual start of the trail system within the park. The trail in the park is basically a giant loop and if you are willing to follow it to its furthermost point, you will be rewarded with wonderful views of the city as the summit is the second highest point within the city. There are some steep sections on the trail, but overall it is considered to be moderate, but be sure to have plenty of water with you.

One of the first things that you see along the trail is a pond that has many turtles swimming, lazing on the shore, or propped up on twigs and sticks. They were fairly active while we were there, but obviously not the most unique of animals to see during your time in a rainforest. Another of the first animals that we saw during our time in the park was a tree sloth, although this particular sloth was just curled up and sleeping. We saw several agoutis, which are rodents that are almost a cross between a rabbit and guinea pig. It is possible to see other animals such as monkeys, deer, toucans, and parrots, but due to the number of people that visit the park, those sightings can be rare.

The views of the Panama City are definitely a highlight of visiting the Metropolitan National Park. As you reach the final plateau above the trail, you have 180 degree views of the city and the surrounding suburbs. It is a perfect place to sit and relax before continuing along the trail back to the start. Another common sight along the trail are the leaf-cutter ants, which traverse the trails at many different points as they carry the leaves back to their nests. You will also see many different termite mounds on the trunks of trees as well as variety of flowers, trees, and plants. If you hear some leaves rustling next to the trail, a closer inspection will likely uncover a lizard, but beware of snakes as there are many varieties in the park.

The Metropolitan National Park is a wonderful way to see a rainforest without having to leave Panama City. For a variety of reasons, we would certainly recommend having a more immersive experience in a rainforest, but visiting the park is perfect for young children or those that don’t have time to spend doing a tour or staying at an ecolodge. As Panama continues to embrace ecotourism, experiences such as these will only continue to become more accessible. We were told by one of our guides that 36% of the country of Panama is actually protected, making plenty of opportunities to enjoy nature. Although many people visit Costa Rica, a trip to Panama might just provide a more authentic and less touristic experience.

The Food of Panama

On November 28, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Central America7 Comments

During our time in Panama, we had the opportunity to visit several restaurants that purported to have authentic Panamanian food. Much of it was seafood that is caught locally, but there were other choices as well. If you want something cold to wash down your food, there are several national beers to choose from that are very good. With all of the influences from various cultures, the cuisine of Panama City has become a melting pot of ethnic varieties. Although Spanish cooking dominates much of the food, French and American traditions can be found as well. We even ate fish prepared by a local indigenous family that was served to us in a banana leaf.

One of first meals that we ate was at restaurant called Diablicos in Casco Viejo, which was recommended to us by our hotel. We went there for lunch, but at night there is a traditional dance show which gives the restaurant its name. If you decide to go for the show, there is a 2 drink minimum, but we decided that it was a little more touristy than what we would like. The food, however, was excellent and we had traditional ceviche as well as sausage empanadas. In addition to ceviche, another popular dish throughout the region is Corvina, a tropical saltwater fish, prepared several ways. We ate it at a couple of restaurants, one of them with a form of salsa on top. Another item on pretty much every menu were plantains, both sweet and savory, all of which were some of the best that we had eaten. To beat the heat, be sure to get yourself a scoop of cocoanut ice-cream.

Octopus or calamari can be found on almost every menu as well, whether you want it fried, grilled, or cooked in its own sauce. We also at a fried ceviche, which as a little unique as well. If you have the budget, lobster and crab can be found on some menus as well and it is quite delicious. At a restaurant called Casablanca, we ate a wonderful paella as well as steamed clams that were simply delicious. On our last day, we went out to the Causeway Islands and ate at The Buccaneer where we had a crab linguini and sea bass topped with more seafood and a cream sauce (basically like an Oscar).

In addition to all of the wonderful restaurants, we also enjoyed craft beer at La Rana Dorada, which means the golden frog. We tried each of the beers that they offered and they were all delicious. We also tried most of the national beers including Balboa, Soberana, Panama Lager, and San Felipe. In addition to the beer, we also had local red and white wine that were quite good as well. We wanted to try some local rum, but we were so busy that we just never got around to ordering it.

Fish and Plantains at the Embera Village

For a true local experience, going to El Trapiche where you can get simple food cooked right. We had heard about the pork, beans, and rice dish that is a favorite of people who live in Panama City and we decided that we had to give it a try. It is actually made with pig tail, which is in the dish, but you don’t eat it as it is just there for flavoring. This restaurant was recommended to us by one of our guides and we certainly weren’t disappointed. Not only was the food very good, but the prices were about half of almost every other place that we went to during our stay.

If you travel to Panama City, you certainly won’t go hungry. Most of the restaurants in Casco Viejo, or the old town area, tend to be a little more trendy and cater to tourists, but the food is excellent. If you want to get away from the tourists, then take time to go to some places downtown where you can eat like a local. We even went to an Irish pub called the Blarney Stone as we are always interested in how the Irish pub traditions carry through to all cultures.

A Week in Panama

On November 27, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Central America10 Comments

We returned last night from our trip to Panama and it was definitely a wonderful experience. We will be providing specific details about the tours that we took and the sights that we saw. It is an interesting country in many different ways and we look forward to seeing how eco-tourism grows within the country as they receive more attention from the outside world. We had several specific items on our agenda such as visiting the canal and seeing the locks, getting into the rainforest to catch a glimpse of the wildlife, as well as exploring Panama City and the old town area. It was a successful trip on all counts.

We arrived late in the evening, so we were only able to grab a quick bite before heading off to bed to rest for an early start the next day. Knowing that November is still part of the rainy season, we were prepared for whatever the weather sent our way, but the reality was that when it did rain, it only lasted about 15 minutes and then it cleared up again. We spent our first day exploring the old town area, Casco Viejo, and made sure to see all of the important sights while also enjoying a couple of Panamanian restaurants, of which there were many. It was a relaxing day with plenty of heat and humidity as well as an aforementioned cloud burst, which we watched from within a restaurant while enjoying a beer (cerveza).

We got up early the next day for our “ocean to ocean” tour, which included seeing the locks, going to Monkey Island, hiking in a national park, seeing the San Lorenzo Fortress, and getting our fill of wildlife. We saw monkeys, tree sloths, an anteater, and birds galore, including a toucan. To say that this was a long, yet fulfilling day would be an understatement. We travelled by boat, van, and foot as we went from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, and back again.

Panama City is rather unique in that it sits between the ocean and the government protected green zone that lies on either side of the canal, so the city grows up instead of out. What this means is that you are never very far from the rainforest and there is even a rainforest park within the city limits. For our third day in Panama, we decided to hike through the Metropolitan National Park where we encountered more sloths, agoutis (which are like a rabbit and rodent hybrid), and more birds. The true highlight of the park, though, is climbing to the second highest point in the city to see wonderful views of the skyline from above. We ended our day by once again heading into the old town for a well deserved glass of wine and beer before having dinner.

Panama City from the Metropolitan National Park

As if we hadn’t had our fill of the rainforest, we spent the following day on a tour that took us to an Embera Village, which is an indigenous tribe within one of the national parks. In order to reach the village, we traveled in motorized dugout canoes that had been had carved by the villagers. On our way to the village, we stopped to enjoy a waterfall within the jungle where we could go swimming if we desired. By pure chance, we were the only ones on the tour this day, which was a very happy surprise. Once we arrived at the village, we explored, interacted with the villagers, and ate fresh fish and plantains served in a banana leaf. Afterwards, their was a performance of traditional songs and dances with the opportunity to buy some handmade crafts from the village. Needless to say, we made sure to come home with a couple of unique items that we will treasure.

By our last day, we were pretty exhausted, so we went out to the causeway (a bridge that leads to a few small islands in the harbor) in order to have some lunch and see views of the water. We then walked the streets of old town once again before heading into the heart of Panama City for a meal of traditional Panamanian food that is indicative of what the locals eat. After several very busy days, it was nice to enjoy a more relaxing day before heading back to the States.

There are definitely a lot of places within Panama that we would like to come back to see sometime in the future. We didn’t spend time on any of the beaches, partake in water sports, or visit some of the many islands that are off of the coasts. There is also a dormant volcano and a mountainous region as well. We were absolutely thrilled with our trip and will definitely be an advocate for people finding time to visit this wonderful country.