One field trip it might be better to skip on your visit to Panama
Or at the very least, to go into a bit more prepared than we did.
You see, my family decided that after spending most of a month on the Pacific side of Panama, it was time to take a trip to the other coast, to see what we had been missing. We reasoned that since the Pacific side was so amazing, it stood to reason that there would be a lot of amazing things on the Caribbean side, too.
And there are! The Colón province in the north of Panama has a ton of great things to see and do, many of which would make excellent field trips. They just require a bit more planning than I expected. I’ll tell you all about it, but first: just what was it that we hoped to see?
Where is Colón, Panama?
Province of Colón, Panama
Major Attractions:
- Portobelo (UNESCO)
- Fort San Lorenzo (UNESCO)
- Caribbean Beaches
- Gatun Locks
- Gatun Lake
- Panama Canal Train Company
Colón Panama is the northernmost province of Panama (barely), and as such it borders the Caribbean sea all along its northern edge. This proximity to the sea is a major reason for visiting the area, with numerous beautiful Caribbean beaches, the country’s only cruise port, and of course, the northern locks for the famed Panama Canal all located in the province.
Unesco Sites (Portobelo and San Lorenzo)
Portobelo and San Lorenzo are both Colónial-era fortifications along the Caribbean which were in place to protect the Spanish from pirates and invaders. Fort Lorenzo was constructed in 1587, while Portobelo was finished a decade later in 1597.
Neither fortification kept Captain Henry Morgan from landing in Panama, crossing the country on foot and sacking Panama City in 1671.
But both are well-preserved sites and great examples of Spanish construction during that era.
Caribbean Beaches
The Colón Province hosts a number of beautiful Caribbean beaches, including the beach that we visited, La Playa Angosta. The main draws for Caribbean beaches are the white sands and the warm waters.
La Playa Angosta was an absolutely gorgeous beach and the highlight of our trip to Colón.
Gatun Canal Locks
The Panama Canal works by pumping water in or out of giant locks to raise or lower the ships inside. These locks act like giant aquatic elevators to get the ships to the elevation where they need to be.
The Gatun Locks are the northernmost locks in the canal, dividing the Caribbean sea from Panama’s Gatun Lake. When it is open, you can watch the locks operate from the Gatun locks visitor center in Colón.
Gatun Lake
Gatun lake is on the southern border of the province and is famed not only for being a major part of the Panama Canal but also for its incredible biodiversity.
The lake is home to caimans and manatees, as well as a ton of aquatic birds. Many Panama Canal boat tours spend time in the lake doing birdwatching or stopping on the lake’s monkey island where visitors can spend time with the island’s four species of monkey.
Panama Canal Train Company
The Panama Canal Railway was the first transcontinental railway in the world, running from coast to coast! Granted, the train ride is a relatively short one, since Panama’s coasts are so close together, but it was still an amazing accomplishment that predated the Canal.
For years, the railway was the most efficient way to move cargo across Panama, and it is still in use today. However, twice each day the rails are instead used to move passengers across the country. In the morning, the train takes passengers from Panama City to Colón, and in the afternoon it returns to the capital.
Despite all the other attractions in Colón, it was actually this railway that was the main reason for our visit. We weren’t able to get to the train station on time for the morning train, so instead, we hoped to take the evening train back.
What happened on our trip
In hindsight, our trip schedule was far too optimistic.
The plan was to take a bus from Panama City to Colón in the morning, then take a taxi up to Portobelo. After checking out the ruins, if we had time, we planned on stopping by Playa La Angosta before returning to Colón to take the train back.
Here’s what actually happened:
After a leisurely breakfast in Casco Viejo, we stopped by the bus station at Albrook Mall to catch the bus. After a bit of confusion as to how to find the correct bus, we managed to get the last couple of seats on a bus headed to Colón. It was a repurposed tour bus of the sort you typically find in Latin America. The seats were comfy enough and there was air conditioning, but the bus was packed. Soon after we started the journey north, one of the passengers stood up and pulled out a worn Bible, and began to preach.
It was a bit of a cultural experience
This was the part of the trip that I had failed to plan for. Apparently, if your plan is to take a bus to Portobelo, it is better to get off the bus in Sabanitas and transfer to a bus there. Instead, we rode all the way to Colón before stepping off the bus.
Colón
For some reason, I had expected to step into a smaller version of Panama City, but Colón is different in a few important ways.
Firstly, despite being the only port for cruises, Colón is not built for tourists. There are very few things to do in Colón City, and if you aren’t planning on doing something specific it can be hard to find something to do on the fly.
Secondly, taxis are way more expensive in Colón. My original plan was to take a taxi to Portobelo, but I was quoted a price of around $65 one way, and when I tried to barter I was told that the buses might be more in our price range.
In comparison, an Uber in Panama City would charge about $15 to get us to our house in La Chorrera, and less than $10 for anywhere inside the city itself.
So, we found ourselves walking to a different bus station and hopping aboard another bus!
This bus was not an old tour bus but instead was a retrofitted school bus. We were some of the first passengers to arrive, so we ended up having to wait on the bus for about an hour before it filled up enough to make the trip.
During that time vendors would walk on board to sell their wares, and we lunched on bread and snack foods while we waited. By the time the driver got on board the bus and started up the engine, I was more than ready to be off.
Almost Portobelo
Soon after the bus started the journey to Portobelo, I started doing the math, realizing that if we rode all the way there, we would most likely miss the train ride back.
We had to cut out the Portobelo portion of the trip and opted for Playa La Angosta beach instead. It still took about an hour to get there, due to the frequent stops to let people off or on.
The beach was worth it.
La Angosta is a wide, uncrowded Caribbean beach with warm waters and white sand.
We spent a few hours relaxing in the ocean before hiring a private driver to take us back for the train.
Maybe Next Time…
It had been a long day, filled with waiting and missed connections, but the train ride home was the grand finale that would make it all worth it. Or it would have been, had the train been running.
Since the website said that everything was running as normal and that no reservations were required, I had neglected to call the company and ask. If I had, I would have found out that the train was closed until further notice and not running at all!
And that’s how we found ourselves on our third bus of the day, headed back to Panama City.
Colón province could be great for the prepared, but this time we were not prepared.
But maybe next time.