Panama Impressions, Monkeys, and the Canal Revisited

While our visit to Panama has mostly been about relaxing, working on the blog, and travel planning for next year, we did find time to do some fun stuff. Besides walking around Panama City, Casco Viejo, and visiting the Canal, while in Panama City we were able to take a tour of Lake Gatun and a place called Monkey Island. We also thought we would tell you about the last three days in Panama and our impressions of our limited country visit.

Monkey Island

The Monkey Island Airbnb Experiences tour included another visit to the canal, taking a boat into Lake Gatun from the Gamboa, and visiting several islands with monkeys, and more.

After meeting our tour guide in front of our hotel in Panama City, we again headed toward the road to Colon and the Atlantic side of the canal. We passed the Miraflores Locks and after a few minutes ride, we stopped at the Pedro Miguel locks to watch a few ships pass through the locks that lead from Lake Gatun to Miraflores Lake. Since it was afternoon, all of the ships were heading out to sea from the lakes. It was still fun to watch the ships in the locks and approaching from the lake.

Entering the Canal in a Small Boat

The description of the tour said we were going to take a boat into the canal. At first, I wasn’t sure how that was going to happen but we entered the canal from the Gamboa Marina into Lake Gatun, which is a man-made lake that is part of the canal system. Our visit was all in the Soberania National Park, home to over 100 species of mammals and over 500 bird species

We could see the Culebra Cut through the mountains while in the canal and we passed a few large tankers heading to the Pedro Miguel locks. But the real reason for our boat ride was to get up close and personal with the wildlife.

There are many lush rainforest and mangrove islands in Lake Gatun that are inhabited by at least three different types of monkeys, sloths, alligators, and birds. Our first stop was an island that had a troop of Panamanian white-faced capuchin monkeys. We stayed on the boat while our guide handed out nuts and fruit that we could feed to the monkeys. The cutest thing about this troop was the mother swinging through the trees with the baby clinging to her back.

Our second island stop had us feeding a troop of Mantled Howler monkeys. Then there was another stop to see the back of a sloth sleeping in a tree. Finally, we stopped to feed a troop of Geoffroy’s tamarin, also known as the Panamanian tamarin, red-crested or Rufous-naped tamarin monkeys. They were tiny with sharp claws but they were exceptionally good at grabbing the nuts and fruit even while jumping from shoulder to shoulder.

I would have to say that this Airbnb experience was one of the highlights of our visit to Panama City.

Presidential Suite at the JW Marriott

After spending a relaxing four weeks in Playa Coronado, we returned to Panama City for a few nights before heading to our next destination. Our first stay in Panama City was at the Waldorf Astoria, which was frankly a little disappointing. But we did visit the JW Marriott and I decided we should stay there on our return to “The City”.

We usually get an upgrade at Marriott properties because of our status. In addition, we earned some Suite Night rewards that let you request a suite when you make the booking. So we gave it a shot. We thought we got confirmed into a King Suite but when we got there, they told us we had a Presidential Suite. In addition, status got us free breakfast and access to the executive lounge. Our suite had fabulous ocean and city views from our two balconies, the living room, and the bedroom.

The executive lounge on the 13th floor had a patio that looked out over the infinity pool and the ocean. We were even treated to a super moonrise over the pool and ocean while we ate dinner in the lounge. We actually had dinner two out of our three nights in the lounge. It was convenient, free, and had a spectacular ocean view and city lights across the bay.

A Taste of Home

We only spent three nights in Panama City before leaving the country, so we decided to get a taste of home. For our taste of home, there was a PF Chang’s in a mall not far from our first hotel. On our second visit to the city, we decided to walk the kilometer to Chang’s. The mall was big and very modern with quite a few restaurants. Happily, the menu at Chang’s was the familiar. If anything it was a little spicier than usual. That was surprising because the rest of the food in Panama generally lacked spices.

Impressions of Panama

As we were spending our last few days in Panama, it was easy to reflect on the five weeks we spent here. I would have to say that seeing the Panama Canal was definitely the highlight of our trip. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the people and our overall impressions of Panama. The vast majority of the country is rural with sketchy infrastructure. There are pockets of developments both in Panama City and Coronado that are targeted at ex-pats and wealthy people from Panama City. During our stay, we met lots of local people and they are very friendly, gracious, and willing to help.

Through our Facebook connections, we were able to meet a number of ex-pats. After hearing the descriptions of Boquete, David, and Pedasi, we decided that those places didn’t suit us. As a result, we didn’t really want to drive the hours it would take to get there just to have a look. So, in all fairness, our impression of Panama is limited to Panama City and Coronado. We may go back to Coronado during the dry season because the place is so chill and inexpensive. But for us, it probably wouldn’t be a permanent destination.

What kind of monkeys do you want to see?