Independent Explorer
Valid until October 31, 2011
Do Panama Right: Base in Casco Viejo and Explore the Country in a Chauffeur Driven SUV (4 nights, $1440 double occupancy).
In Europe, renting a car and exploring on your own is a time-honored tradition. While getting lost on an Italian back road might be just part of the fun, in Panama there is a better way: hire a SUV and a bilingual driver.
Since most of Panama’s attractions are within an hour or two from the City, the amount of exploring you can do in just four days is awesome. We’ve had guests swim in the Caribbean in the morning and the Pacific in the afternoon, then go bird watching, museum hopping and do a gallery crawl the next day, followed by a day exploring the mountains and cloud forests of El Valle and a final day shopping in the Colon Free Trade Zone! All the while returning each night to Las Clementinas’ comforts and the old quarter’s excitements. Below are a few suggestions, but the list is almost endless, and our staff is always available to help you plan your itineraries, either in advance of your arrival or on the fly.
Beyond the convenience and flexibility, the cost is quite reasonable–it many cases it is less expensive than taxi’s and a la carte tours. Plus, you will be with a local who can show you things you wouldn’t discover on your own, and make sure everything goes smoothly.
Las Clementinas offers a four-night package that includes the car and a bilingual driver for eight hours each day, breakfast for two, welcome cocktails, and airport transfers with VIP immigration/customs clearance. Cost is $1440 double occupancy. See restrictions below.
What can you do with your freedom? A few of our suggestions…
- Lake Gatun/Panama Canal excursion–where else in the world can you see monkeys, crocodiles, toucans and PanaMax freighters at the same time? ** This is an absolute must.
- Visit an Embera Indian village on the banks of the Chagres River by canoe. (We highly recommend allowing us to hire for you an experienced guide who can help you understand all of the intricacies of Embera culture and the surrounding wilderness).
- Lunch or dinner on the Panama Canal overlooking the Mira Flores locks.
- Visit the Metropolitan Botanical Garden and Zoo, if for no other reason than to see a live Harpy Eagle. This terrifyingly intense bird is the largest and most powerful raptor in the Americas and Panama’s national bird. It is almost impossible to see in the wild. (The monkeys are kind of funny, too.)
- Do a contemporary art gallery/museum crawl, either on your own or with a knowledgeable art guide. Or if local handicrafts are more your thing, explore the various markets and galleries that specialize in traditional and contemporary artesenia.
- Take a day to explore the Pirate’s Coast from the haunting ruins of Fort San Lorenzo and Portobello to the beaches of Isla Grande. Many guests take the historic Panama Canal Railway** through the jungle to Colon in the morning and are met by the driver to continue the journey down the Caribbean coast by car. This part of the country has a distinct Afro-Caribbean culture that is a fascinating contrast with Panama City’s more Latin rhythm, not to mention some of Panama’s best scuba diving, and a pretty decent zip line.
- Relax (or surf) on the beaches outside Panama City. A string of beach communities begins about one hour outside of the city. Ask us about our favorite beaches for bathing, surfing and kite boarding, or our favorite restaurants along the way. Or for a quick beer and pescado frito, try Veracruz beach just over the bridge.
- See professional baseball Panama-style. In the land of Mariano Rivera, Carlos Lee and Rod Carew, baseball is serious business, but you wouldn’t know it from going to a game in the National Stadium, where a brass band and dancing are as much a part of the game as the players. Or for a deeper cultural experience, go see a game in Herrera, to our knowledge the only baseball team with a professional witch on staff!
- Hike the “India Dormida” and see pre-Colombian petroglyphs along the cloud-forested rim of El Valle de Anton’s volcano crater. (Good option for Sundays when El Valle has its farmers market.)
- Golf at beautiful and deceivingly difficult Summit rain forest course, with its unique view of the Panama Canal, or choose from half a dozen other courses in and around Panama City.
For more information and to reserve this package please write us at: reservations@lasclementinas.com
Restrictions: This offer is valid from May-October. If you would like to book outside of these dates please contact us for more information. *Car and driver provided a total of 8 hours per day and includes 125 kilometers. Each additional hour costs $20. A fuel surcharge applies beyond 125 kilometers. Note that museum entrance fees, boat charges, train tickets, road tolls and other third party costs are not included. We have tried to indicate activities that incur these types of costs with **, but there may be some we missed. $50 per additional person per day.