We went to Panama during the week of Christmas 2014 and it was a fabulous experience. We booked a tour through Thomson Family Adventures and they did an amazing job showing us around.
Our adventure started in Gamboa, near the Soberanía National Park. We stayed at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, a lovely hotel in a gorgeous jungle setting. From here we did hikes to waterfalls and boat excursions on the river, looking for wildlife while admiring the scenery. Toucans, agoutis, crocodiles, tarantulas, anteaters, millipedes, sloths, several species of monkey, capybara, iguanas, ospreys and kites were just some of the animals we saw.
Prior to the trip, our daughter was assigned a “pen pal” from an Emberá village. Once there, we visited the village, arriving on the river by canoe, and she got to hang out with her, which was cool. They provided us a window into their lives, teaching us about their culture and daily life. Then we tucked into a massive feast, which was a highlight of the entire trip.
We took the Panama Canal Railway to Colón, which was a lot of fun. We visited Gatun Lake, which leads into the Panama Canal, and toured the Canal’s museum, which was fascinating.
We flew to David, where we stayed at the Panamonte Hotel for a few days. From there we visited the beautiful mountain town of Boquete, where we did some zip-lining and rafting.
We spent Christmas Day at the beach on Gamez Island, in the Gulf of Chiriquí. We played in the ocean, hunted shells, and kicked the ball around with some locals.