Panama: A Journey into Nature

Arrival in Panama and trip to San Blas

Arrival in Panama Finally in Panama. The emotion is strong when we see the city from the terrace of our hotel, a breathtaking view, a series of skyscrapers fading into the ocean and in the distance the outlines of the colonial buildings of Casco Viejo. We stroll along the streets of Casco Viejo, the city rebuilt by the Spanish after the destruction of the first city by the pirate Henry Morgan. Houses of different colours more or less in ruins. We continue along Avenida Central of Santa Ana, a working-class neighbourhood teeming with little shops and street vendors. Here people invent every kind of job to survive, we get on a diablo rojo, one of those local buses driven by madmen who, with music at full volume between slaloms and overtakings, speed through traffic at Formula One speeds.

San Blas We are welcomed by the indigenous Kuna community. These splendid coral islands are 365 handkerchiefs of land on which only coconut palms grow. The Kuna are a people of fishermen who took refuge on these islands to live according to their own laws and traditions, unchanged for centuries, and valid also for those who come as mere visitors. In Mamitupo fortunately in the only hotel existing within a radius of a few kilometres there is still room. The island is little larger than a football pitch with very colourful wooden cabañas painted by hand, truly very beautiful. We visit the village of Aligandi, where we are "assaulted" by the children. Curious about our cameras, they pose to be photographed and then, vain, they want to see how they came out. A real hoot. We devote ourselves to snorkelling.

We manage to spot, among the thousand underwater beauties, a starfish, an infinity of tropical fish and a couple of dolphins.

Las Perlas

Las Perlas During check-in for the Las Perlas islands, they hand us a piece of orange plastic that we observe rather perplexed: it is our boarding card. To sleep we choose Isla Contadora where we have a dream beach all to ourselves. We negotiate a boat trip with a young fisherman who catches a tuna. We thus have a succulent dinner cooked by a Kuna chef. On the way back we cross paths with whales and manage to observe them very close, no more than 30 metres away, while a boat of researchers films them.

Azuero

Azuero Peninsula We return again to Panama but, this time, only as a starting point for a long bus journey that takes us to Pedasì, a very quiet and not very touristy little town in the province of Los Santos. Full of energy we decide to walk the 5 kilometres necessary to reach Playa El Toro: wild beach, excellent for fishing and surfing; too bad that we know nothing about surfing and limit ourselves to playing with the waves. In the evening we go to Isla Cañas, a small island, where between July and November more than 10,000 sea turtles arrive to lay their eggs. After so much walking, we reach the beach: after a bit of waiting, at last some little tracks indicate the passage of a turtle. We can see a turtle laying its white eggs. She herself digs a hole in the damp sand which she scrupulously covers before dragging herself exhausted towards the sea. Info and photos in:

Bocas del Toro, Caribbean 100 percent

Bocas del Toro Without knowing it, we arrive right for the Feria del Mar, the most important festival of the year, for which the island is pleasantly lively. To stay we decide to stop in Bocas town, a little town with a relaxed atmosphere where Caribbean-style buildings are built directly on the water. These islands have nothing to envy of any other destination: lush tropical forests, mangroves, unexplored beaches, splendid coral reefs and waters transparent as crystal. Here the sea is very, with a walk along the coast, among the palms, we reach a perfect spot to put on the mask and go hunting for fish. The first sea animals I see are two rays half-hidden under the sand, then dozens of starfish perfectly visible at a few centimetres of depth. The following day we board for Isla Bastimentos, an authentic jewel of the archipelago protected by a Marine Park.

During the excursion we sail in a bay where we meet dolphins, hence the name Bahía de los Delfines. Near Bastimentos we swim in a shallow coral reef and therefore perfect for snorkelling. The evenings in Bocas are spent at the Barco Hundido, lying on the seashore sipping coca-rum and watching the starry sky. It is our last night in Panama, tomorrow the journey will continue in Costa Rica. From Bocas del Toro, by boat, bus and taxi we reach the border of Changuinola where we realise that we will cross the border between the two countries on foot, walking across an old and unsafe disused railway bridge. It is the first time I cross a border on foot, truly exciting. This country has remained in my heart: its colours, sounds, flavours and all the emotions will remain alive forever inside me. The photos of this incredible journey are available on the site