Facts about Panama:

->  Panama is located in Central America

->  It's bordered by Costa Rica in the north and Colombia in the south.

->  The Pacific Ocean is on the left side and the Caribbean Sea on the right side.

->  The capital is Panama City

-> Panama City is the only City that has rain forest within the city limits

->  The population is about 4,2 million

-> The canal generates 1/3 of Panama´s entire economy

->  Panama has more than 976 species of birds

Our first destination in Panama was Bocas del Toro,

a Caribbean dream!

Bocas del Toro has an area of over 4 000 square kilometers and is a province in the northwest of Panama with a comprising mainland and  many numerous islands. Among these are Isla Bastimentos, Isla Colón and Cayos Zapatilla.

Bocas del Toro is a wonderful island, unfortunately this will probably change in the next few years as more and more tourist hotels spring up. We were lucky to visit this beautiful place outside the tourist season.

We were able to take a little time out on the island and visited wonderful beaches like the golden long beach Playa Bluff or Playa Estrella. We also made small excursions and visited a small cave (La Grota) with bats and  strawberry poison frogs (Oophaga pumilio) or Bocas del Drago.

The highlight was a visit to Isla Pájaros where I wanted to see the Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) and a trip to Bahia de los Delfines (not recommended...), Isla de los Osos Perezosos, Cayo Coral and Cayo Zapatilla.

In Bocas del Toro I also took the opportunity to learn how to surf, near the famous Wizard Beach.

Our next destination was Santa Fé.

Here we had accommodation in a small village.

It was a unique opportunity to experience real life in Panama. We took the opportunity to get to interact more with the people living in this region.

We visited farmers who shared their lives with us and demonstrated their way of life.

In addition, we took the opportunity to go on a few hikes through a mosaic-like landscape of rainforest remnants and agriculture.

Around Christmas time we arrived in Pedasi. A cute little sleepy village with very friendly inhabitants.

To make the village more attractive, the houses were painted in different colours and countless houses and walls had fascinating pictures on the facades. Although the village looked ready for tourism, the people gave the impression that this was not the case. The people seemed surprised to see us, but were happy to talk to us and offered us fruits from their gardens, such as star fruit. Perhaps we were there at the wrong time of year.

Christmas itself was a special spectacle. On Christmas Eve, which was not wintery but tropical, everyone was gathered on the street. Everyone, whether you knew them or not, was warmly greeted, hugged and looked after, including us. In one house, the whole neighbourhood was even invited. The family had cooked for the whole village, so to speak, everyone was invited and could eat as much as they wanted. It was a lovely feeling and showed what the real meaning of Christmas is.

Near the village there was also a beach, Playa Venao. However, to get there you can either hitchhike or hire a small rusty bike in the village and ride there yourself. It's definitely more fun by bike and well worth the journey.

Panama City was almost like a culture shock for us and not what we expected, but it was still exciting to experience such a metropolis up close. Skyscrapers sprout from the new city centre. The traffic is gridlocked and there are huge crowds of people.

A bit away from the city centre, you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the city and if you make an effort, you can even get to the top of one of these skyscrapers and get a unique view of the city.

The remains of the ancient city were an exciting visit and the famous Panama Canal is not far away. You can see the canal from the top of a hill. We travelled there ourselves, but were less enthusiastic about it. It is exciting to see huge ships travelling through, but it's not much more than that.

I found the old town centre of Panama and the fish market interesting. Of course, the Pipeline Road is worth a visit for birdwatchers!