Sarah Dayman

If you have been following me then you already know that Rich and I will be travelling to Colombia at the end of October.

We are flying with Copa Airlines to Barranquilla Colombia via Panama City, Panama.
Another great opportunity for us to earn our Aeroplan points for our trip to Australia in 2017!  That is for another Blog.

Our flight from Toronto lands in Panama at 230pm and we don't fly out to Barranquilla until 930pm.  That gives us a 7 hour layover.  To most, this would be way too long of a layover, however to us, we would have preferrred to tack on a couple extra hours if we could.  The reason why.....
We love to take advantage of layovers and open jaw flights as much as we can.  It is kind of like getting a taste of two countries for the cost of only one!

Image courtesy of Gualberto10 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net as my photography skills when I visited Panama was in the beginning stages!)



We have visited Panama before and had a really great time!  We actually got to do a lot of activities while we are there but didn't get to cover anywhere near the amount there is available.  It is totally worth a 2nd visit.  I do, however, find it really hard to "Go Back" when there are so many places I haven't seen yet!

The one thing that we didn't get to do is a city tour.  So this is what I will arrange for us to go and do.  I will want to have a culinary experience with a visit to the canal and a visit to Casco Viejo which is the historical district of Panama.  The historic part of Panama City is a UNESCO World heritage site so you can visit their website for more information. 

If we had had a bit of a longer layover or perhaps an overnight then we could have done countless things.

Some of the things that you would perhaps enjoy!

1) A Visit to an Embera Tribe
We have done this!  It is amazing how the local natives are able to exist and keep their customs and heritage generation after generation.





2) Mountain Biking - With all the mountains and rolling lands, it can be both easy and challenging depending on what you are up to.



3) Hiking - The jungles of Panama including the mysterious Darien Province!
There is a ton of hiking here to enjoy.  The jungles are spectacular and beautiful!




4) BEACHES - A fascinating part of Panama is that it is such a skinny country that you could be on the Pacific for the morning and basking in the sun on a Caribbean Beach the for the afternoon!

5) SHOPPING - Panama Hats!!!  and Hammocks! and so much more I am sure!!  TIP: Skip the Colon Duty Free Zone it is just for wholesalers that work out of wharehouses!



So these are my recommendations when it comes to a stopovers in Panama City specifically.  If you have a stopover somewhere else, please let me know.  I have organized so many!

TIP:
One of the biggest resources that I use when organizing this sort of thing is the Group Tours that go through these places.
GAdventures, Intrepid Travel and On the Go Tours.  These 3 companies are very grassroots in their approach and they hit the main highlights plus parts that would be off the beaten track enough to see something new or different.  Have a look at what they do when they hit a destination! Perhaps there is something there that will interest you.  They know what they are doing!

For day tours, check out Urban Adventures!  They are very well thought out day excursions with a local!

Call me when you have a stopover next!!




How to Contact me

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Please email me  sarah.dayman@fcatravel.ca


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