I don’t know where to start except with, WE WENT TO PANAMA!

This year was a milestone birthday for my sister, so she planned a trip to Panama in Central America. This was my first trip out of the country. (Not counting Canada) So, of course, I was all about it! I was nervous but excited to experience new things and capture all the memories. I will do my best to explain everything you see below. I must apologize, though, because about 85% of the photos are buildings. I fell in LOVE with the architecture of Casco Viejo.

We first arrived in Panama City, where our hotel shuttle drove us from the airport to Magnolia Inn. Magnolia Inn is located in Panama’s “historic district,” known as Casco Viejo or Casco Antiguo. It was built following the near-total destruction of the original city, Panama Viejo. Our room was one of the penthouse rooms where we had a beautiful view of the city.

We couldn’t visit Panama City and NOT see the canal. So, we took a taxi one evening, knowing that we would be inside or covered from rain at the visitors’ center. There are two seasons in Panama. Wet and dry. We visited during the wet season, which means by 2 or 3 p.m. you could expect a high chance of rain nearly every day. We were surprisingly lucky with everything we had scheduled though! Almost everyone we talked to mentioned this season was not receiving as much rain as usual and that it was a bit concerning.

After our visit to Panama Viejo, we walked along the Cinta Costera — a long waterfront boulevard that has street vendors, lots of locals doing their daily workout, and a gorgeous view of the coast lined with the city skyscrapers.

One day, we had a whale watching tour, so we set out early to the marina —where our ferry waited. I didn’t capture many photos from this but did get a few videos. We took the ferry to Contadora Island, where we met our tour guide. The way our tour booking worked out we were the only ones scheduled that day. They are truly beautiful, playful creatures. We had to take a speed boat to travel between the island and ferry. I’m so thankful I do not get seasick 🙂

And off we went to Boquete! Boquete is a small town on the Caldera River in western Panama. We took two tours — the lost waterfalls hike and coffee farm tour. Both were so worth it!

We had such an amazing time in Panama with many memories captured. I hope you enjoyed this post, and I look forward to sharing more adventures with you!