Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Post office
The main
post office
is opposite the Basílica Don Bosco, on Av Central, between
C Ecuador & C 34 Este. Other convenient branches are on in the Plaza Concordia (below
the
Hotel El Panamá
), El Cangrejo, Calidonia and in Balboa at the end of the Prado on Av
Arnulfo Arias Madrid.
Telephones
The main Cable & Wireless office (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 8am-4pm) is on
Vía España, next to the National Bank and Plaza Concordia, and has comfortable facilities
to make international phone calls, as do some internet cafés.
Phone
boxes are dotted around
the city.
Isla Taboga
Twenty kilometres off the coast and about an hour away by boat, the lush hills of
Isla Taboga
have provided one of the most popular weekend escapes for Panama City residents since the
capital's sixteenth-century foundation. These days most visitors are day-trippers, who spend
their time lounging on the beach, bathing in the shallow waters and strolling the traffic-free
streets of the fishing village of
San Pedro
, where most of the island's thousand-odd inhabit-
ants live. Other popular diversions include a
boat trip
round the island, which allows close-
ups of pelicans thrusting fish down the gullets of squawking chicks in the nesting months of
January to June. There is also reasonable
snorkelling
on the far side of Taboga and Isla El
Morro and round a wreck off Isla Urabá, though currents can be strong.
Much of the island, together with neighbouring Isla Urabá, comprises a wildlife refuge for
a large colony of brown
pelicans
- check with ANAM (see
Visiting the parks
) if you want to
visit. Elsewhere, hibiscus, bougainvillea and sweet-smelling jasmine are in evidence, hence
Taboga's affectionate nickname the “Island of Flowers”. The island is also famous for its suc-
culent pineapples, though they are now a rarity. The vibe on Taboga is gradually changing
due to increasing numbers of resident expats; that said, for the most part the island holds onto
its relaxed atmosphere. Packed on summer weekends and holidays, at other times the place
can feel gloriously deserted.
