If you are looking for some sun, waterfalls and surfing in Panama\u00a0and don\u2019t mind roughing it in buses\u00a0or\u00a0hostels then you will have a blast! After escaping Panama cities hustle and bustle, we instantly fell in love with the beautiful beaches, tonnes of surf and very chilled out culture!<\/p>\n
![\"Bocas](\"https:\/\/www.fourjandals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Panama-Bocas-del-Toro-beach-road.jpg\" "\\"Waterfalls")
<\/a><\/p>\nBocas del Toro<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Panama\u2019s Main Destinations<\/h2>\n
Playa Venao (Surf and snorkelling)<\/strong><\/p>\n Our favourite destination was a surf beach on the Pacific coast called Playa Venao. It has a lovely beach, surf, waterfalls and tonnes of wildlife! Being one of our first destinations in Panama, this was where we saw plenty of new animals we had never seen before \u2013 including fireflies, toads, howling monkeys and a 9ft snake!<\/p>\n Howling Monkey<\/p>\n<\/div>\n We also loved our hostel which was right on the beach with awesome owners and a great chilled out atmosphere. We highly recommend staying at Venao Cove Beach Hostel<\/a> if you are on a budget, or you can investigate the\u00a0private rooms they have available.<\/p>\n At a waterfall with our Venezuelan friends that is walking distance from Venao Cove Hostel<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Santa Catalina (Surf Beach)<\/strong><\/p>\n Not too much further around the coast is Santa Catalina which is also known for its surf! Most of the accommodation is a 15 minute walk\u00a0over the hill via the road to the main surf spot. Unfortunately, Moss found it extremely difficult to find anywhere that rented a 6 foot surf board as most companies only hire long and learner boards. Therefore, if you are a serious surfer, make sure you either take your own board, or befriend a local that\u2019s willing to lend you one like we did.<\/p>\n Point break at Santa Catalina<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Bocas del Toro (Surf and diving\/snorkelling)<\/strong><\/p>\n It is a long drive to Bocas del Toro! Add on a detour to find a beach and a very foggy drive over the hills, and it took us a total of 12 hours to drive from El Valle to the car ferry at Almirante. We decided to sleep in the boot of our tiny car that night, and as uncomfortable as it was, we heard that we made the right decision because the hostel was pretty gruesome. After an uncomfortable night\u2019s sleep we found the car ferry which\u00a0costs US$25 to transport\u00a0a car, or US$1 per person (one way). So, deciding to leave the car behind we jumped on the ferry, which after getting a closer look had far too many coats of paint and was a rust bucket that we half expected to sink at any moment! Note: there are also water taxis available which are much faster than the 2 hour car ferry. However, as you can expect, they cost a lot more than US$1!<\/p>\n Car ferry arriving at Bocas del Toro<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Without even realising it, we arrived in Bocas del Toro right as the biggest swell in years was\u00a0hitting the coastline and this attracted pro surfers including Kelly Slater and Sunny Garcier. It also meant that there was rain, rain and more RAIN! So, putting on our togs (bathers) and hiring bikes costing $2 per hour, we headed off along the road. What we didn\u2019t realise was that the beach was also classed as road in some areas, therefore we were swamped by waves as we attempted to push our bikes through the surf and coral rocks.<\/p>\n The large swell was creating mini islands on the beach\/road at Bocas del Toro<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It was a neat adventure, with talented\/daring surfers to watch, cows with massive ears, moss breaking his jandals<\/a> that had survived 8 months of travel and having to fix\u00a0a broken bike chain in the middle of no where. Moss even snapped this awesome shot as a wave hit a log on the beach!!<\/p>\n Sand went everywhere!!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Stormy swells during January 2015 in Bocas del Toro<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Biggest ears on a cow we\u2019ve ever seen!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Due to the stormy surf stirring everything up, diving was restricted to the sheltered areas and visibility wasn\u2019t amazing, so we befriended one of the scuba diving companies and jumped on board their day trip with our snorkelling gear. We also caught a water taxi to Red Frog Beach. It cost US$3 per person to enter the beach and even though we saw no frogs, it is a lovely beach!<\/p>\n Large starfish at Bocas del Toro<\/p>\n<\/div>\n El Valle <\/strong><\/p>\n About 2 hour\u2019s drive from Panama City, is a small town called El Valle which is built within an old volcanoes crater. We went on a Sunday to make the most of their market and even got sucked into purchasing two hammocks! Aside from the market, we didn\u2019t really like El Valle. Yes you can walk or drive to the top of the hill for a great view of the crater but to be honest everything else was a bit of a disappointment. There are a few waterfalls in the area, including Puente Mama Chea which was far too overpriced costing about US$7 pp. We saw better waterfalls on the side of the road while driving to Bocas del Toro and its natural pool was nice for a cool down, but certainly was not \u2018natural\u2019.<\/p>\n El Valle \u2013 Punte Mama Chea natural pool<\/p>\n<\/div>\n San Blas<\/strong><\/p>\n Unfortnately due to me getting sick over new year\u2019s, we couldn\u2019t explore both Bocas del Toro and San Blas, so we will have to explore San Blas another day. From our research the tours look pricey but everyone says that it is beautiful!<\/p>\n The Panama Canal<\/strong><\/p>\n It is just over 100 years since the Panama Canal was officially opened on August 15th<\/sup> 1914. We couldn\u2019t leave Panama City without learning more about the Panama Canal. The Miraflores visitor center contains a museum which is pricey (US$15pp) but very well set up and we found it very interesting. Moss enjoyed driving a ship in the virtual simulation, and I enjoyed looking up my surname in the database of workers.<\/p>\n View of Panama Canal from the Miraflores Visitor Center<\/p>\n<\/div>\n We were surprised to discover Panama used US currency. In general, we were able to find accommodation for US$15 per person per night. We found cheap hotels for this price in Panama City, and stayed in hostels (with kitchens) for the same price while exploring the rest of Panama. You don\u2019t need to book far in advance either. We generally booked 2 nights in advance (during the new year\u2019s period). However, it may pay to book in advance if you have a specific hostel in mind. But for Bocas del Toro, there is so much accommodation available, we just wandered the streets and found accommodation upon arrival.<\/p>\n We didn\u2019t realise how good public transport would be in Panama. We were one of few people travelling who hired our own car, costing US$25 day with insurance (as third party insurance is mandatory in Panama). To be honest, if we went to Panama again, I would just use public transport. For the amount of little side of the road stops and drama that we experienced with an immobiliser stalling our car for over 24 hours, it wasn\u2019t really worth it!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nPanama\u2019s currency and accommodation costs<\/h2>\n
Hiring a car versus\u00a0public transport in Panama<\/h2>\n