Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
rather than spanning the spectrum of special needs. The three resorts mentioned in “
Travel-
ling with children
”
also advertise “disabled access” and most cruise ships that take in Panama
tend to be suitably equipped. Eco-Adventure International (
eaiadventure.com
)
runs several
tours to Panama for travellers with disabilities and senior travellers, though unlike Costa Rica
the country does not yet feature as a destination on the dozens of other disability specialist
travel websites (see
disabledtravelers.com
,
wheeltheworld.net
or
flying-with-disabil-
flying and travel agents.
Travelling with children
Latin cultures are very family-oriented and Panama is no exception. While there is no pre-
packaged entertainment for
children
such as theme parks, there's plenty for kids to enjoy, in-
cluding boat trips, snorkelling, horseriding, exploring the canal and walking in the rainforest.
Many
hotels
have extra beds or pull-outs in rooms for children and under-12s are often free,
with older kids admitted at discount rates. The large resort hotels - the
Decameron
at Far-
allón on the Pacific coast, the
Hotel Meliá
on Lago Gatún and the
Gamboa Rainforest Re-
sort
- have special activities laid on and child-minding services. Small B&Bs and eco-lodges
whose staff are concerned that kids may spoil the tranquillity sometimes do not permit chil-
dren or have a minimum age of 12 or 14.
Habla Ya Language Centre (
hablayapanama.com
)
in Boquete offers family and children's
Spanish courses
, while various tour operators in the UK and North America (check out
wildland.com
in the US,
familytours.co.uk
in the UK, and
audleytravel.com
for both
the US and UK) now include
family-oriented itineraries
in Panama. Travelling to Guna
Yala and to the Darién, which can be challenging enough for adults, would be hard work with
kids in tow unless you stay at the few high-end establishments. Sticking to Panama City and
the canal area, the Pacific beach resorts, El Valle, Bocas and Boquete would be much easier
and more enjoyable all round, especially if you're on a modest budget.
Women travellers
It is perfectly safe for women to travel alone in Panama. In
urban areas
, you might get the
odd cat-call or hiss and going alone to a bar in Panama City or a rural
cantina
the hassle is
likely to be greater. In more
rural areas
, you may get some surprised looks and, depending
on your age, questions about your presumed husband and children. In general you are likely
to be treated with courtesy. As regards safety at night - in Panama City and Colón primarily
but in other urban centres too - the same common-sense precautions apply as in cities in any
country you're travelling in and whether female or male.
