Planning your annual vacation with the family is a big deal. Packing your bags and heading abroad with the kids can be a wonderful experience, and choosing the right destination is key.
Sometimes it can be easiest to retreat to comfortable, familiar destinations, and places you’ve explored together before. After all, managing a family vacation is a big responsibility, with a lot of moving parts, and the temptation to reach for the convenience of somewhere close to home, or somewhere you all know like the back of your hands, can be hard to resist.
But exploring somewhere new and different as a family has the potential to be one of the best experiences you can have together.
Many families look further afield in order to shake up the routine and discover alternative vacation options. Choosing to cruise through the Panama Canal and explore this often underrated spot is a great way to do this.
Panama is beautiful and exciting, a marvelous tropical paradise with a fantastic combination of great food, friendly people, interesting culture, and gorgeous beaches and landscapes for everyone to enjoy.
So whether you are considering taking the plunge to become a citizen by investing in Panama, or just want to take your family vacations to the next level, here are a few of the best family adventures you can have with the kids in this delightful Central American country.
Gamboa Wildlife Rescue Center
Located in the lush, gorgeous surrounds of the Soberania National Park, Gamboa Wildlife Rescue Center is the perfect spot for families who love animals and nature. You’ll get the chance to see a whole range of wildlife rescued by the Pan American Conservation Association, the highlight being a community of slow-moving, leaf-munching sloths!
Panama Canal
The vast engineering marvel that connects the Atlantic to the Pacific and changed life on the West Coast of the USA (and the rest of the Americas) forever is a sight to behold, and an exciting one for kids and adults. A Panama Canal tour is a great choice for a family, with the opportunity to learn about geography, history, and engineering, and if you are really lucky see the canal in action!
Pirates of Portobelo
Panama’s history has been defined by piracy since the very beginning, with British pirates making a nuisance of themselves in the waters off the coast since the mid-sixteenth century. The Golden Age of Piracy is always exciting for kids, so why not explore the fortified city of Portobelo, once one of the main ports for the shipping of gold back to Spain from Peru, and therefore a major target and center for buccaneers and swashbucklers. The whole family will love the crumbling fortifications and ancient long guns pointing out at the ghosts of pirates who still roam these waters.
Boquete
Climb high above the trees and walk in the jungle canopy of Panama’s gorgeous highlands on the amazing hanging bridges of Boquete. This is one of the best spots for families who love a little more hands-on adventure, and comes with the added bonus of plenty of howler monkey sightings!
Dolphin Bay and Coral Cay
Finally, no family vacation to Panama would be complete without some time at the beach, so head to the stunning sands of Dolphin Bay, where the mountainous, jungle-filled mainland makes a gorgeous contrast to the turquoise waters of the bay. Dolphins regularly play in the bay, which is a real treat, and for an extra bonus why not hop on a boat and visit Coral Cay? The warm, shallow waters here are perfect for snorkeling, and you’ll see vibrant tropical fish galore, as well as stingrays and other exciting marine life.