Product Description

Discover Panama

Sit back under a Caribbean sunset in the laid-back Archipelago de Bocas del Toro
Set sail across the Pacific to Isla de Coiba, a 'Lost World' of virgin rainforests
Fill your belly on tapas before partying until sunrise in Panama City
Buy a hand-sewn mola from the fiercely independent Kuna in the Archipelago de San Blas

In This Guide:

One Panama expert, 84 days of in-country research, 73 detailed maps, 174 bottles of Balboa lager consumed
New coverage of trekking in the Darien for those who dare venture out on their own
Content updated daily: visit lonelyplanet.com for up-to-the-minute reviews, updates and traveler suggestions

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #102020 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 348 pages

Review
…Lonely Planet, the intrepid traveler's bible...' --Los Angeles Times, April 2005

From the Publisher
Who We Are
At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travelers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large.

What We Do
* We offer travelers the world's richest travel advice, informed by the collective wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages.
* We are relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travellers wherever they are.
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* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
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What We Believe
We believe that travel leads to a deeper cultural understanding and compassion and therefore a better world.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Destination Panama

Along the narrow isthmus bridging the Americas, the wildlife and terrain of two continents meld to form the striking contrasts of Panama. Ocean, forest, mountain and jungle set the stage for countless adventures.

Among Panama's 1500 islands you can go whale watching along the craggy Golfo de Chiriqui, snorkel coral reefs in the Caribbean or surf massive breaks off either coast. Island lovers revel in the white-sand beaches around the Comarca de Kuna Yala, while conservationists delight in the four species of sea turtle nesting on the country's beaches and wetlands.

Coursing along the spine of the isthmus, the mountains hold their own allure. You can kayak class-five rapids, hike through cloud forests and swim in crisp mountain streams. Adventurers trek up Volcan Baru, Panama's highest peak, for the view of both oceans at their feet.

Panama's jungles are some of the world's least explored areas. The villages of seven vibrant indigenous groups lie scattered among the country's 500 rivers and 22,000 sq km of rain forest, along with 940 bird species and 125 animal species found nowhere else in the world.

Panama's diversity doesn't end in the countryside. With immigrants from across the globe, Panama City is a 'melting pot.' You can sample French-Asian cuisine, then dance at clubs infused with salsa, merengue and Arabic-electronica. Charming highland towns, seaside fortresses and old-world festivals all lie within a day's travel. That Panama remains relatively undiscovered is just one of the country's many enticing features, and one that surely won't last forever.

Customer Reviews

Useful, but not perfect
This guidebook is a baffling mixture of recommendations that are dead-on and those that make you wonder "What was he thinking?" I also could have done without the author's insertion of his own political and social opinions. A travel guidebook is hardly the place for value judgements.

Would I recommend buying this book for an upcoming trip to Panama? Yes. It has a lot of good information and, as I said, some excellent recommendations. That is why I decided in the end to rate the book 4 stars instead of the 3 that I initially planned. But, I would definitely advise the user to supplement the book with other information, especially recommendations from local residents or people who have visited the country previously.

a throw away
I purchased the previous edition of the Panama Guide from the Lonely Planet a few years ago when I started to become a frequent visitor to Panama. That older edition offered alot of helpful information and I used it frequently.

Due to the rapid changes in Panama - i thought I needed to purchase an updated version to reflect the new hotels and rates and things to do . . . .

whoever allowed this latest edition to be published should just be ashamed. Panama has been growing and changing at an alarming rate over the last few years. This recent guide does little to reflect new places to stay, things to do and current rates. i got the impression that whoever revised it - did not even step foot in Panama, or if they did, did not spend much time there. did they just put a new cover on the old material?

Anyway - I was really disappointed and will not even give it away to friends who are visiting Panama because the information is lacking so much of what could add to a great experience in this wonderful country - especially for lodging options.

Lonely Planet - You really should spend a little more time in the country - i would say to trash this edition and start over.

Less info. than the last edition
I live in Panama and have bought each of the Lonely Planet Panama books as they have come out. This edition seems to have less information than the last one. In my town, Volcán, there are about 10 places to sleep; six were listed in the previous edition, but just one in this book - and the one shown is an odd, out-of-the-way place offering large cabins for extended families.

I wonder if I can trust Lonely Planet to give me the information I've come to trust them for. I will look at other guides more carefully as options to LP for my other travels.