News

The New York Times has published a lengthy feature highlighting Panama’s well-deserved reputation as a paradise for birding fans.

Author Jeffrey Gettleman brought his family to Panama for a bird-watching trip and enjoyed the experience. His article, “Discovering Amazing Wildlife Along the Panama Canal,” provides an in-depth look at many of the most beautiful spots in Panama for spotting animals.

As the article notes, “Panama’s location between two continents and two oceans explains why it’s a geopolitical hot spot, and why it has so many stunning birds.” It all starts with the geography.

Gettleman’s family went in search of birds, but they also got a glimpse of the modern Panama. They started their trip in Panama City, where they experienced the fun and history of Casco Viejo.

“The old town is undergoing a renaissance, and tucked down its red brick streets are some spectacularly renovated hotels like La Compañia, which used to be a convent, and drinking holes that ooze a sweaty, romantic, old-fashioned tropical vibe where people sit at long bars under slowly swirling ceiling fans and down cocktails gleaming with condensation.”

After chasing birds around the Panama Canal — easily one of the most unusual settings in the world — they traveled to El Valle de Antón, the lush hills west of Panama. (El Valle is also a short drive from Playa Caracol, our favorite beach hotspot.)

Gettleman’s reaction beautifully captures the essence of the lush community.

“El Valle looks like something out of a fairy tale — a perfect little town of red-roofed haciendas enclosed by deep green mountains. At 2,000 feet above Panama City, it is substantially cooler and less humid, making it a magnet for travelers and wealthy Panamanians. New cafes with brightly painted tables line the sidewalks; we sampled empanadas at several, and just thinking about those perfect crusts and gooey insides is making me hungry.”

It was interesting to see Gettleman, an international correspondent for the paper, put El Valle in a global perspective. He wrote, “El Valle had the feeling of Ubud, Bali, 25 years ago: on the verge of going big time.”

His family ended the trip at Isla Palenque, providing a nice luxury exclamation point to their trip. Reading the article, it is obvious Gettleman was impressed, and maybe he had changed his attitude toward Panama.

“As Nando (his guide) said, ‘Everyone knows the country for one thing, but there is so much more.’ I second that,” Gettleman wrote.

He wrote about several memorable moments, including his connection to the local wildlife. “Memorable trips are made of moments like these, and our recent trip to Panama was full of them,” he wrote.
Read the full article here.