Chinese in Panama

VIDEO: Panama Hat

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Panama Canal Tour

City Tour and Panama Canal

Panama Canal Full Transit

Panama Canal Partial Transit

! Morgan Attacks !

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Portobelo Tour



Late at night, Morgan ordered an attack. The canoes moved swiftly and landed at a lookout post some three miles from Portobello. A Spanish canoe that had been sent to observe the strange ship saw them and raced back to the city to sound the alarm. Morgan's men had to move quickly. They had captured a guard at the lookout post and they bound his hands, making him lead the way into town. When they reached the approach to the city as dawn broke, they paused: there stood Santiago Castle guarding the entrance. But their guide assured them that the castle was in disarray and the pirates rushed across the open ground to the town. The cannon gunners in Santiago only got off one shot, which sailed harmlessly over the attackers' heads

Morgan's men rushed into town as dawn broke on July 11, 1668, firing at anything that moved. As the defenders frantically struggled to get organized, Morgan ordered sharpshooters to the top of a nearby hill which was actually higher than Santiago Castle. From their vantage point, the skilled buccaneers picked off any defender foolish enough to raise his head, effectively neutralizing the threat posed by the castle.

Fall of San Gerónimo Castle

There were some defenders in unfinished San Gerónimo castle, located in the harbor and surrounded by water. They fought for a while, but there were too few of them. Once some freed English prisoners (who had been forced to work on the construction of the castle) showed the buccaneers that the water between the town and fort was only knee-deep, a force of invaders rushed the castle, where the garrison of approximately eight men begged for quarter. The prisoners were bound and put in the church.

Fall of Santiago Castle

Once the city and San Gerónimo had been secured and all of the prisoners under guard in the church, Morgan turned his attention to Santiago castle. He sent more sharpshooters to the hill and put more riflemen in the houses nearest the church. The castle defenders were in a bind: their cannons were in poor shape and they were reluctant to fire into the city anyway.

When a frontal assault was driven back, Morgan got creative. He took some important prisoners including the mayor, some friars and nuns and some old men and women and marched them towards the castle, his own men behind them. One cannon fired, injuring two Spanish friars and killing one pirate, but no more. When they reached the gates, the pirates began hacking at them with axes.

Meanwhile, a second force of buccaneers had found some ladders and scaled the wall on the other side of the castle. There was some desperate fighting, but by 10:00 am the castle had fallen. More than half of the defenders had been killed and most of the others were wounded. The officer in charge of the cannons was ashamed of his own incompetence and begged the pirates to kill him: one happily obliged with a pistol-shot.

Fall of San Felipe Castle

Morgan controlled the town and the fort of Santiago, but he still could not get his fleet into the harbor while there were enemies in San Felipe castle on the other side of the bay. There were some 50 well-armed defenders there, but they had no food. It turns out that food was sent over daily from the town, and the castle had no stores. Still, young Castellan Alexandro Manuel Pau y Rocaberti decided to fight.

The buccaneers took their canoes across the bay and got into position for an assault. When some English pirates made it to the base of the wall and began trying to burn down the gates, young Castellan Pau panicked and invited invading captains into the castle for a parley to determine terms of surrender, much to the shock and chagrin of the other Spanish in the castle who wanted to fight. Still, once the pirates were inside there was no going back.

Under the terms of surrender, the soldiers were allowed to take the road to Panama and keep their swords. Castellan Pau was himself made prisoner, and drank poison that night, ashamed of his cowardice. Had San Felipe held out, the results of Morgan's attack might have been very different.

Typical Dances : El Punto

El Punto is an unquestionable legacy from Spain. This dance has been considered by many as the most elegant, delicate and romantic version of those dances that have rightly gained a place in the country’s wide and varied folklore

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Typical Diner and Show

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Captain Morgan's ships found in Panama

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Portobelo Tour

Colon Free Zone

Isla Grande

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HANDCRAFT: Pots

Know how the artisans from this small, traditional town  in La Arena District of Chitre, Republic of Panama  has been producing pottery since colonial times and perhaps earlier.

Much of the ceramic work replicates pre-Columbian designs, though the local artisans also produce more modern pieces.

Kuna Yala or Guna Yala ?

In October 2011 the Panamanian Government changed the name Kuna Yala for Guna Yala , the name means "Guna-land" or "Guna mountain" in the Guna language.

The Guna people's claim that in their native language there was no equivalent to the letter "K" and that the official name should be "Guna Yala

The objective is not to create a new language but to clear away incongruities from the past which had made the writing and teaching of the unique Guna tongue difficult and confusing. In order to achieve, the dictionary uses a revised alphabet (10 consonants, 5 vowels) to better meet the morphological-phonological requirements in native word formation and meaning, often missing in the previous rather mixed orthography of Guna and Spanish.

VIDEO: Henry Morgan attack Portobelo

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Portobelo Tour

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National Festival of the Pollera

Contact: pttstaff@hotmail.com

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In the month of July, the city of Las Tablas, capital of Los Santos province, holds tribute to its patron Santa Librada. This is celebrated with festivities called the Festival Nacional de la Pollera. This event is very beautiful in that hundreds wear their most elegant Polleras.

The festival was created in the 60s with the purpose ti highlighting the Pollera , the Panamanian national customs promoting knowledge about the correct use of the Pollera and recognized the skill and work of the artisans involed in the making of the national dress

There are five categories in the competition: cross stitch, embroidery , chalk, and shadow , regional gala and montuna. The winners will receive jewelry made by a local artisans.

At the end of the contest the queen an all The Pollera competition's participants will take part in a float parade with the music and satreet dancing to end the festival

Boquete Tour : Volcan Baru

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At 3,475 meters (11,400 feet), "el Volcan Baru" is the highest point of Panama. To get the most out of this hike, we invest two days to complete the 27 km to the top of the Baru Volcano and back to Boquete. In this way we are able to have an incredible camping experience, have a rest after the first 13.5 km up and then reach the Volcano's peak just in time to admire how a spectacular sky full of stars (and sometimes a full moon) gives away to a magical sunrise and if we are lucky enough, to the most incredible view of Panama's both coastlines.

We meet at a pre-arranged point to check that all the necessary gear and camping equipment is in place and start getting acquainted with the rest of our fellow hikers who will accompany us for the following 30 hours. Everybody is expected to have already had breakfast. A short security briefing is given by our tour guide and then we commence our journey.

Previously arranged transportation takes us on a 20 minute drive to where the real adventure begins. We start in the morning of the first day at the ranger station (where we also register by names and passports) at the entrance of "El Parque Nacional Volcan Baru" dressed comfortably to begin the hike with our backpacks full of food, water, extra clothing and with our bodies full of energy. If the group is of less than 6 hikers, then we also need to carry our tents, sleeping bags and stoves. If a large group we are going to do the hike we normally hire a driver and rent an ATV (Four Wheel All Terrain Vehicle) with a trailer attached to it to lighten our weight a bit. The ATV will transport all the camping gear (tents, sleeping bags and stoves) and extra water.

The scenery during the hike changes from rolling grass-covered hills to dense jungle to exposed rocky cliffs.

At the 9 km mark, there is a view of one of the craters, which is quite impressive. Extinct for nearly 500 years, the crater is completely covered with growth, as are the crater's walls. Some trails exist on the top, leading to either side of the crater. Other trails to smaller craters also exist, however, we are headed to conquer the Volcano's peak.

Timing depends on the amount of hikers and their physical condition. Expect from 4 to 7 hours until we get to the camping site known as "Los Fogones" at kilometer 12. Once we are there, we set up our tents, cook dinner and, make a nice camp fire. Some wine is poured around and we make a toast for a clear day and safe return. On full moon nights it is incredible. At just half an hour from the top, after the moon has set, on a clear night, you will be able to see more stars than you ever have seen before.

Next day, normally an hour before the sun rises, we hike the last kilometer and a half to the top. The morning sights are amazing. When the sun starts to rise, beautiful colors of purple, orange, pink and red appear. The sky slowly changes from black to blue while the clouds dissipate and re-form due to the temperature changes caused by the rising sun. This is the best moment to see the oceans. It is hard to put into words how amazing it is to watch this new day begin. You may have seen sunrises before, but surely few compare to one witnessed at the top of Baru.

On a clear day we can easily see the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. Panama is the only country in the world in which you can do this. After delighting ourselves with the views, the cold normally makes us choose to descend.

After taking dismantling the camping site we head back to Boquete. It normally takes 1 hour less to hike back down. 

Camping Trip and Guided Hike

Price:

$ 175.00 per person

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Prices includes: bilingual certified guide, transportation from downtown Boquete to Baru Volcano National Park entrance and back to Boquete at the end of the hike, entrance fee at ranger station, extra water, sleeping bag, tent, head lamp, pair of gloves, warm hat, sweater, gas canister and portable stove. Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast for the next day are provided, as well as some fruits and snacks.

Itinerary

• 8:30 a.m. Meet at your hotel
• 9:00 a.m. Depart to entrance of the Volcan Baru National Park.
• 9:20 a.m. Register names and passports at the ranger station. Pay park fees.
• 9:30 a.m. We start hiking.
• 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Arrive to "Los Fogones" Camping Site and setup camp.
• 6:00 p.m. Start camp fire and begin cooking dinner.
• 7:30 p.m. Drink some wine, chill out, swap stories and count shooting stars.
• 10:00 p.m. Lights out.
• 5:00 a.m. Wake up and have something small to eat.
• 5:10 a.m. Start hiking the last part to the top of the Volcano.
• 5:55 a.m. Reach the top and choose your spot to contemplate heaven on Earth.
• 6:00 a.m. Contemplate.
• 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. Head back to camping site.
• 8:45 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. Prepare breakfast, get ready to return and rest a little bit.
• 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Start hiking back.
• 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Arrive to ranger station.
• 2:10 p.m. - 4:10 p.m. Ride back to downtown Boquete.
• 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Arrive to your hotel.

Note: schedule is subject to change. Times are approximate and depend on weather, group size, hikers physical condition and other factors.

Guided Trek Only

Price:

$ 89.00 per person

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Prices includes: bilingual certified guide, transportation from downtown Boquete to Baru Volcano National Park entrance and back to Boquete at the end of the hike, entrance fee at ranger station, head lamp, pair of gloves, warm hat and sweater. Two meals, fruit and snacks are provided

Itinerary

• 5 a.m. or 11 p.m. Meet at your hotel
• 30 minutes to reach the Volcan Baru's National Park.
• 5 minutes to register names and passports at the ranger station. Pay park fees.
• 4 - 6 hours to reach the top of the Volcano and choose a spot to contemplate.
• 1 - 2 hours to contemplate and have breakfast or lunch (depends on the time we leave).
• 3.5 to 5.5 hours to hike down the Volcano.
• 30 minutes to drive back to downtown Boquete.
• At the end of the excursion, 12 hours to rest properly... at least.

Note: schedule is subject to change. Times are approximate and depend on weather, group size, hikers physical condition and other factors.

What do you need to take?

• A backpack
• 4 liters of drinking water (at least)
• Snacks, chocolate bars, energy bars (meals and fruit are provided)
• Shoes in good condition for hiking
• A digital camera with enough batteries and memory space
• Rain coat or waterproof jacket
• A high level of stamina, eagerness to face the challenge and a huge appetite for adventure