Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BY CAR
Though rental cars are readily available from both airports and along Vía España near El
Cangrejo, it's not worthwhile until you're ready to leave the city since buses and taxis are
cheap and plentiful. Besides, the free-for-all attitude of many drivers makes driving a stress-
ful experience.
BY BICYCLE
You would need to have a death wish to cycle in most of Panama City. The exceptions are
along the new Cinta Costera round the bay, and the Amador Causeway, where the existence
of a cycleway and the general lack of traffic and fumes make for a pleasant ride.
Bike rental and repairs
On the Amador Causeway by
Las Pencas
, Bicicletas Moses (daily
8am-6.30pm, shorter hours in winter; 211 3671) rents bikes by the hour ($3.50/hr), plus
tandems and fun pedal buggies for two or four (up to $18/hr). Rates vary according to de-
mand so check in advance. You will need to present your passport. Bicicletas Rali ( 223
8054,
bicicletasrali.com
), in Extreme Planet, next to Multicentro on Av Balboa, sells bikes
and spare parts and does repairs.
INFORMATION
Tourist information
The main tourist office of the Autoridad de Turismo Panamá (ATP)
in Panama City is behind the ATLAPA Convention Centre in San Francisco on Vía Israel
(Mon-Fri 8.30am-4.30pm; 526 7102) but it's not worth dragging yourself over there since
you're unlikely to get more than the odd glossy brochure or map, if you're lucky. Much better
sources of information are the hostels and some of the more upmarket hotels and tour operat-
ors.
Maps
Free city maps of variable quality abound, generally with the advertising hotels, res-
taurants and tourist services marked.
TOUR OPERATORS
Advantage Tours
232 6944,
advantagepanama.com
.
Specializes in birding tours, with
a couple of great and affordable locations for multi-day excursions in the Darién. They also
offer reasonably priced day-trips to an Emberá village and to Fuerte San Lorenzo, via Gatún
Locks.
Ancon Expeditions
269 9415,
anconexpeditions.com
.
Very professional and expensive
outfit, offering top-notch bilingual naturalist guiding services for single-day excursions and
multi-day adventures: birdwatching across Panama, trekking in the Darién or traversing the
isthmus along the Camino Real. The unique experiences offered in the private reserve of
