Panama Hotels

The southernmost country in Central America is Panama, officially the Republic of Panama and it is the isthmus that connects North and South America. With the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific to the south, it is a long skinny country, being 50km wide but a 1000km long, with land borders to Costa Rica and Colombia. Having around 3. 5 million Panamanians, the country has a rich history after being ruled by Columbia and also Spain, these influences can be seen all over. The country is crossed by many small rivers, many of which you cannot sail a boat down as they are fast flowing waterways originated from high in the mountains.

The river that runs through the center of Panama is the Rio Charges and this is a source of hydroelectric power for the country. The climate in Panama is tropical with temperatures hot all year round and high humidity. Temperatures rarely get past 32 degrees centigrade, but the Pacific side is much cooler than the Caribbean side.

Spanish is the official language in Panama although many inhabitants speak both Spanish and English. The last 5 years has seen a real growth in the tourism industry as the government has offered tax incentives to foreign guests and retirees. Real estate has boomed in relation to the increased visitors with the majority of European tourists coming from Spain and Italy.

You can fly from Gatwick or Heathrow to get to the Tocumen International Airport, neither are direct flights though and it can take around 14 hours to get there. Panama has lots to offer the visitors, in February there is a 4 day celebration called The Carnaval in Panama City and Las Tablas. During Easter Week, Villa de Los Santos holds many festivities and in July there are Boat races from Taboga Island.

However rainy season is from May to November so it is best to decide what sort of trip you want before booking and then finding out you have booked mid rainy season.