hansboomer

Hi folks. My wife and I are planning our first trip to Panama in Nov or Dec and will only have about 8 days. Would love to spend a day or two in P City but also a trip to the Kuma community area for at least an overnight and a night in En Valle area. Not certain what else but don't want to jam too much in but at the same time, what makes sense for an 8 day trip (includes 2 travel days down and back to Florida) for a 50's couple that doesn't care for club scene and loves nature without being in a tent. Also heard about a wonderful Lodge but have no idea of the name. Does Ancon Expeditions ring anyone's bell? So much to do and so little time..... Thanks for the help. We are open to a suggested itinerary.
Tim

shillmac

Hi hansboomer. Me here. We've "visited" before. Ancon Expeditions indeed rings a bell (Glover can fill you in on that one--she's used them).

This is what we did--and loved it!

2 nights Canopy Tower (Gamboa Resort would also be a great option, a little more "luxury&quot--fabulous birding, excellent meals and guides. Loved the uniqueness of it!

1 night Panama City (dinner out Manalo Caracol, Miraflores Locks in the afternoon, La Estancia B&B)

2 nights Boquete (gorgeous area, high and cool)--La Montana y el Valle (Coffee Estate Inn)--also a gorgeous place, loved these little bungalows--very special.

2 nights Las Olas (beach AI, near David).

I'd NOT recommend Las Olas--it was the weakest part of our itinerary.

Do you need beach? You couldn't possibly go wrong with 2 nights Gamboa, 2 nights (rather than 1) Panama City, 2 nights Boquete. BUT that was our trip (Glover assisted with the itinerary), and there are a LOT of other things to choose from. Like the things you said you were interested in--LOL!

We'd like to visit a Kuna community as well, ride the train from PC to Colon, go to El Valle, stay at Los Quetzales up in the highlands. And much more.

We also enjoyed Bocos del Toro LAST year. It's different and interesting. But perhaps wouldn't be to everyone. . .we spent 4 nights there.

Doubt if I've helped much. Just wanted to say how much we enjoyed Gamboa area and Boquete, and thinking you might also!

glover

Hansboomer, I responded to you over on lonely planet's thorntree board. But, I'm with Shillmac - a couple days in PC, a couple in Gamboa, and a couple in Boquete would be a great week.

JeanH

I'd head to the San Blas islands for a couple of nights in a Kuna lodge. The villages are fascinating, the snorkeling was great, the people were interesting.

Lodging was a bit primitive, just cold water showers, no locks on the doors, or screen on the windows.

We also enjoyed Canopy Tower for a couple nights. Personally, I'd give Gamboa a pass, I guess it would be ok for touring in the area, but the resort itself isn't anything special.

In retrospect, we spent too much time on Bocas, should have headed to Boquete instead, but we're from the midwest and were looking for warmth in January.

shillmac

JeanH is probably right regarding Gamboa. We didn't stay there because we were not wanting the "resort" atmosphere. But some people might prefer that! We loved Canopy Tower, but it's a birding lodge, so not for everyone. We enjoy discovering lodging that is "out of the ordinary". Just depends on what your interests are. San Blas a good suggestion, I would think.

petite1

hansboomer: My family & I went to Panama in May for the first time. We stayed at the Royal Decameron Hotel which I chose because it was an all inclusive with a great rate for a family of 5. I couldn't see making that kind of a trip & not venturing out of the resort at all so we did book a flight to one of the San Blas Islands & we spent the night. With the exception of my son being sick it was really the highlight of the trip. We stayed at the Dad Ibbe Lodge & if you're interested in my photos you can see them
at http://picasaweb.google.com/petite111706
It was just like being on Gilligan's Island but I loved meeting & learning about the Kuna's.

hansboomer

Thanks all. We don't need a beach....we live in Florida and are relatively close by the Atlantic side so frequent it when we want. I heard that En Valle was a good place to spend a night as well. Now, the question is.....fly to San Blas seems a given. No car needed in PC. Rent a car for Canopy Tower and or En Valle? We are close to inking this in! Great feedback. We aren't "resort" minded when we travel since we get plenty of that traveling here in the U.S. on business.

cmcfong

Rent a car for El Valle and Canopy Tower. Easy and well maintained road.
Fly to San Blas.
I don't see Boquete or Volcan on your itinerary. I highly recommend that area. You would fly to David and rent a car. Visit Los Quetzales in Volcan. Stay at Coffee Estate or Hotel Panamonte in Boquete.
Have a wonderful time in Panama. It is a beautiful country.

rcmk

Petite1,

We are planning a trip to Panama for November 20th for 10 days with our 7 and 10 year old girls. You gave me great info several months ago when I just started researching our trip. I still haven't figured out what we are doing yet, but I have gathered a ton of info.

We are thinking about going to Dad Ibe and you are the first person I "know" who has been there. You seemed to have really liked it. We are going during rainy season so I am a little nervous but it seems like an amazing experience. I know you son was sick but did you get to go on any of the tours? How was the food (I have one great eater and one picky eater) and is there anything available to buy or should we bring a lot of snacks and drinks?
Also, were there many bugs?

Any info you can provide will be greatly appreciated. I am so excited to go on our trip but it has been so hard to plan....so many places I want to go and too little time!

rcmk

Petite1--Oops. That was supposed to be a sad, not happy, face.

petite1

I'm happy to answer your questions: The breakfast was the worst one I've ever had..it consisted of very runny scrambled eggs and some type of hot dog??maybe?? it smelled horrible so I couldn't eat it. We filled up on the Pillsbury like breadsticks they served. My kids wouldn't eat fish so they made fried chicken for them. My husband & I had fried fish & it was great..both were served with rice. Dinner was also fish & chicken but prepared a different way. More like baked or roasted & also good. I did wish that I had brought some snacks for the kids. The only real bugs we saw were bees that hovered very close to the ground. There were a lot of them but they didn't seem to be bothered by us & just moved out of the way when we walked.
The only tour we did was over to the Kuna Village. It was a very personal tour given by Sam (our host) so we met his grandchildren & were brought to their cultural center to learn how the children are taught to make the Molas & other items. They did sell the Molas there & maybe a few other items. It was really like being on Gilligan's Island & it was
a little difficult falling asleep with the windows open & no screens. My 10 yr old daughter was scared about the possibilities. If you were to ask my 14 & 10 yr old if it was the highlight of their trip the answer would be a definite "no" but I'm hoping as they get older they will look back at it as the amazing adventure that it was. I hate crowds & the typical tourist places so for me, being able to be out in the middle of nowhere & meet these interesting people was just incredible. If you have any other questions I'll be happy to answer them. I'm so glad I found someone who actually wants to hear about my trip. (lol) I work for a travel company & my contact in Panama suggested another island that I might like. I will check my emails tomorrow at work & get back to you with the name. She said it was a little nicer than the Dad Ibbe.

petite1

rcmk: My son just reminded me that all of the bugs on the island found him while he slept. He was the only one with bug bites!

rcmk

Petite1,
Thanks so much for the amazing info. I would LOVE to hear about your trip and am so glad you are sharing your info with me. This trip has been really hard to plan so it is great to have someone who has been there.

When were you there? I am a little nervous b/c it is rainy season but we really would like to see it. I would love to wait until we get there to make our reservations but am not sure if that is possible. Did you make your plans when you were in Panama? I would love to hear where your friend recommended. We really like Yandup but they have no see-ums (chitras) and with the kids it could be tough. Sapibenga sounds great but it is a lot more and they haven't been as easy to work with as Dad Ibe and Yandup.

Thanks for the warning about the food. We will bring LOTS of snacks!

Your poor son! He had a tough time! Did you have bug spray on at night and/or did they have or do you recommend mosquito nets? How hot was it at night?

Thanks again for all your help. I look forward to hearing back from you.

Risa

petite1

Risa: We were there in the end of May and I did make all of my reservations ahead of time through Gamboa Tours. They booked our flights as well as the Dad Ibbe Lodge. My friend there had suggested the Sapibenega Lodge if we ever decide to visit again. I haven't compared the prices because we don't have plans to go back anytime soon. As long as we left the windows open at night the temperature was comfortable for sleeping. We did bring bug spray but didn't use it. I'm going to assume the bugs that bit my son were no see- ums because we didn't see-um so we didn't spray-um. My daughter had to sleep in the bed with me because she was a little scared. I'll admit that I too had trouble falling asleep while imagining what types of critters may decide to join us during the night. If your kids like camping & don't require a lot of luxury then I think they'd do fine here. I don't speak Spanish which is why I decided to book everything with Gamboa Tours. I felt that at least if something went wrong with our plans they would be able to work things out for us. When we arrived at the airport it was a little intimidating since no one spoke English. After checking in we heard someone call our name which was a relief. She was a representative from the lodge who explained to us which plane to get on & when to get off. I didn't realize the plane makes more than 1 stop. She also told us about the meals on the island & advised them of our choices. I'm not sure if Dad Ibbe does this for everyone or if it was because I had a friend at Gamboa. The plane was full in both directions so I don't know if you'd have a problem waiting until you're there to make reservations. I remember how hard it was for me to get info before our trip (& I'm in the travel business) so I'm glad to help in anyway that I can. Let me know if you need anything else!

rcmk

Petite1,

Thanks again for your info. I really do like Sapibenga but they were charging us $400/night and the rate for 2 adults and 2 kids was more than 4 adults?! Dad Ibe has been wonderful to work with so and around $250/night so I think we are going to go with them.

My kids LOVE camping so hopefully they will be o.k. but I am sure I won't sleep much

Thanks for the bug warning. I think we will use bug spray although I don't know if it really works for no see-ums.

We do speak hopefully enough Spanish but thanks for the warning about multiple stops.

The new Lonely Planet Guide comes out on-line tomorrow so I am going to read that and then finally make my reservations.

Thanks again-

petite1

rcmk: I can't believe the difference in price. It doesn't look that much different from Dad Ibbe. I'll be looking for your trip report when you get back. Have a wonderful time!