Last time we talked about general Panama travel tips, some language and culture, the best times to visit and what to do in and around Panama City.  This time we’ll delve into more specifics about Panama City and the many parks, museums and places of historical interest.  

Panama City Parks and Outdoors

Panama City is a massive urban area, but one of the great things about the city is the accessibility of the surrounding countryside.  Several parks and a real bonafide rainforest are a short drive or bus ride away.  

Metropolitan Park (Parque Natural Metropoiltano) is located within the city, northeast of Albrook and west of downtown.  The park was established in 1985, as part of a “biological corridor” to protect the rainforest east of the Panama Canal, and today provides an easy getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.  Metropolitan Park has four main hiking trails that will take you through the forest and eventually to the Mirador Lookout Point. Birdwatching and wildlife viewing are also popular here.  

Summit Park (Parque Municipal Summit, Spanish only) is a botanical gardens and biological reserve just north of Panama City and south of Gamboa.  Home to many walking trails (mostly paved), the park boasts a variety of plants and vegetation.  There is also a modest zoo on the premises, displaying monkeys, tapirs, big cats, sloths, birds, etc.  One of the principal wildlife exhibits at the Summit Park zoo is the Harpy Eagle (the national bird of Panama), which looks a bit like a mad scientist mashed together an owl and an eagle.  The botanical gardens of the park are excellent, but honestly, the zoo is a little depressing, with many of the animals caged or in cramped habitats.  

If you’re traveling out to Summit Park, you can combine the trip with a stop at the Miraflores Locks and also take in some views of the Centennial Bridge and the Gaillard Cut.

(bamboo grove at Summit Park)

Ancon Hill (Cerro Ancon) is another park right in the Panama City limits.  Covered with jungle vegetation, the hill is very steep and rises to around 650 feet above the city.  The best views of Panama City are to be had from Ancon Hill, and there is an almost 360 degree panorama of downtown skyscrapers, Panama Bay and Casco Viejo to the south.  

Take the ferry to Taboga Island (sometimes known as the Island of Flowers).  The ferry ride to the island takes about an hour, and makes a good day-trip.  The ferries leave promptly at the posted times -- 8 AM as of this writing -- and it’s a good idea to be there a few minutes early.  (yes, I did miss the ferry one day and had to come back the next)  Taboga Island has several beaches, nature trails and the second oldest church in the New World, Iglesia San Pedro.  During low tide, you can also walk to the small island of El Morro along a sandbar.  

Soberania National Park is another section of the Panama Canal ecological corridor, set aside mainly for the purpose of protecting the tropical rainforest and the water sources that feed the canal.  You can reach the park via the road to Gamboa.  Bird watching and hiking are the main activities.  

Panama City Museums and Historical Sites

Like any big city, Panama City has its share of museums.  The two best, in my opinion, are the Reina Torres Anthropological Museum (Museo Antropologico Reina Torres de Arauz) and the Contemporary Art Museum (Museo de Arte Contemporaneo).  The anthropological museum displays a collection of precolonial artifacts and golden figurines.  Admission here is free.  (they probably won’t let you take your camera in, by the way)  The contemporary art museum is the only one of its kind in Panama and shows collections of Panamanian and Latin-American paintings, sculptures, ceramics and photography.  

(San Felipe and Casco Viejo, from Ancon Hill)

But what really makes Panama City a unique destination are the historical sites.  Panama has a long history and played an important role in the expansion of the Spanish Empire during the 16th and 17th centuries.  The ruins and architectural remains of Panama Viejo and Casco Viejo are the legacy of this period of expansion, colonization, wars and pirates.  

On a side note, both Panama Viejo and Casco Viejo have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites, for preservation and in recognition of their important parts in world history. 

Panama Viejo was the first city founded by the Spanish on the Pacific coast and was an important base of operations for various expeditions and the conquest of South America.  The city was eventually sacked and burned in 1671 by the privateer Henry Morgan.  After this disaster, the city was abandoned.  But today, you can walk among the well-preserved and maintained ruins of the cathedral, houses and town hall. Panama Viejo is located in a suburb on the east side of the city, so it's best to take a taxi to get there. 

(colonial architecture along narrow streets)

After the destruction of Panama Viejo, a new city was built nearby.  Casco Viejo (or Casco Antiguo) was the new digs, a walled city constructed on a small peninsula in Panama Bay.  Many of the original buildings have been preserved, and walking down the narrow stone streets, you can almost feel yourself transported back a few hundred years.

The district has undergone some renovation in recent years, so you can easily spend an afternoon checking out the many plazas, churches and ocean views and then relax for dinner at one of the restaurants or cafes near Plaza Bolivar.  One thing you won’t want to miss though is the Iglesia San Jose, with its golden altar and beautiful stained glass windows.

(boats at low tide, near Casco Viejo)

Other buildings and sites of interest in Casco Viejo are the French Plaza, the Bovedas (or Vaults), the Church of San Franciso de Asis, the Presidential Palace (yes, the Presidential Palace) and Independence Plaza. Also, when you visit Casco Viejo, they say it's best to take a taxi, as there are some sketchy neighborhoods between downtown and the historical district.  

Coming soon in Part 3, we will depart Panama City and visit the Pacific coast, Chiriqui and Bocas del Toro, and then fly over to the magnificent San Blas Islands.  Finally, we'll take a look at a sample itinerary for a visit to Panama.