I recently traveled to Panama with a group called Globekick. It was a wonderful experience and I met some really awesome people and did some things I never even thought possible, like living on a private island for 3 days. It was an amazing experience I will never forget!
My friend LeighAnna, (who I met in Australia) and I flew into Panama City a few days early to just relax a bit. We stayed at an all inclusive resort, which I had never done before. We stayed at Playa Bonita Dreams. I would recommend staying there for a few days, but I would have gone stir-crazy if we had been there for a week or more. After that we met up with our Globekick group, spent a few nights in Casco Viejo, and then headed to the San Blas Islands. Below is a breakdown of my day by day sights with some visuals.
I didn't take as many photos as I would have liked to due to the salt, sand and sea and being afraid it would damage my camera and phone. I did buy a fake go pro, and it wasn't the quality I was expecting.
August 17 and 18 - Playa Bonita
- All inclusive resort
- Pool time and lots of food
August 19 - Casco Viejo
- Met up with our tour group at Magnolia Inn
- Wandered around Casco Viejo
- Tour of Casco Viejo
- Group Dinner
August 20 -
- Rainforest Hike
- Panama Canal
- Authentic Panamanian Dinner
Here is a very poor time lapse I took of a lock draining, and a boat going through the Panama Canal. I obviously don't have a steady hand and would have done better with a little tripod, or mount.
August 21 - To the San Blas
- 4x4s through the jungle for 2 hours to the Guna Port
- 1 hour boat ride to Tortuga Island
- 30 min boat ride to Cocoabandera - home for the next couple days
- Lobster dinner
August 22 -
- Visited the local Guna village where we learned a lot about their culture**
- Pelican Island with a lot of starfish
- Obstacle course on beach
**I bought a fake go pro and used it to take photos while we visited the local village. I'm not happy with the image quality or the fish eye lense on my faux pro, but it is what it is.
August 23 - Last Island day
- Goodbye to Island
- Visited more popular island Perro Chico where you can snorkel a ship wreck
- Hostel in Marbella
August 24 -
- Mola shopping
- Mask shopping
- Back to room early to get ready for dinner and drinks in Casco Viejo
August 25 -
- Hang around hostel until airport shuttle
This whole experience was different that I expected but it was a wonderful experience none the less. I met a lot of great people, and can't wait for my next Globekick adventure!