Panama 23 February – 20 March 2024
Days: 27
Travel days: 13 / 48%
Non-travel days: 14 / 52%
Total kms: 2285 km
Avg km/day: 85 km
Travel day kms: 2188 km
Avg km/travel day: 168 km
Fuel used: 60.37 L (Michael)
Fuel economy: 2.64 L/100km (Michael)
Average cost / day:
Angela: CAD$76.39
Michael: CAD$123.79 (Michael eats more food, burns more fuel. Michael did some scuba diving.)
Where we slept:
Airbnb – 15%
Hotel – 78%
Stranger – 7%
Weather:
Cold/dry – 0%
Cold/wet – 0%
Cool/dry – 0%
Cool/wet – 0%
Warm/dry – 22%
Warm/wet – 0%
Hot/dry – 71%
Hot/wet – 7%
(Wet defined as riding in rain enough to have put on rain gear; if it rained and we weren’t riding in it, the day is listed as dry)
Road surface:
Paved – 99%
Rock – 0%
Dirt/gravel – 1%
Sand – 0%
Things we’ve enjoyed:
Bocas del Toro – there’s a place in Almirante where you can park your motorcycle, then walk onto the ferry to go to the island; unless you want to drive around the island there’s no point in bringing your vehicle as parking is hard to find in town
Boquete – Boquete Tree Trek Adventure Park is a great hike in the jungle that includes several suspension bridges, and if you’re lucky you’ll even see some sloths!
Santa Catalina – a great place to base if you want to go scuba diving in Coiba National Park. The diving here is fantastic! Be sure to stop in at Panaderia La Piccola Italia for some truly delicious pizza (plus other items).
Panama City
– The Panama Canal Museum provides a good history of the Canal, including the geopolitics.
– The Mola Museum will give you an appreciation for some of the art created by the indigenous population of Panama.
– The Convento de Santo Domingo is both an interesting set of ruins to visit, and its famous arch is a key reason why the Canal was built in Panama.
– The Overland Embassy is one of the best options for shipping your vehicle around the Darien Gap.
The end of the road on the Caribbean coastline took us through Portobelo, which has a unique Afro-Caribbean culture.
Yavisa is the end of the Panamerican Highway, terminating at the Darien Gap. There’s even a sign you can take your picture with.
