Panama is much more the canal

A March 2002 trip to Gamboa by rayshaku

Gamboa Rainforest Resort is a great location to experience the rainforest, the canal, and Panama City. We did do several of the Gamboa Tours offered from the resort. We aren't birders, but our week was fantastic. The hotel rooms are nice and spacious enough for two.

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Gamboa Rainforest Resort has many things to do right at the resort. We enjoyed kayaking on the Chagres River right to the intersection of the Panama Canal. Because we had such an interest in the canal, we often drove into Gamboa just to watch Canal traffic. Visiting the locks is a must. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute was worth the price and the whole day tour. We also did the half day tour of Panama City which was helpful for understanding how to get around in our rental car.

Quick Tips:

"Go straight" means stay on the same road.

There is an area of Panama City that is best not visited by foreigners. We mostly ate at local restaurants, and we shopped for groceries at the bus station mall.

Meet the other RCI exchangers!

Best Way To Get Around:

We had a rental car which opened a greater number of possibilities to us. My husband speaks some Spanish - mostly forgotten after having lived in Guatamala '67 to '71. the biggest problem we had was that road signs are few and far between. There was a lot of road construction, and their road construction is more primitive than we have in the US. After the first two days of frustration driving we were getting around nicely by the end of the week. We even drove into Panama City at night to go to a folkloric dinner and dance.

About the Writer

rayshaku
rayshaku
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

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