One of the greatest travel experiences of my life was when I sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar. In middle school, I would peruse the maps of my World History book and felt completely mesmerized that the tiniest little location could get you a huge view of the world… Africa to your right and Europe to your left. Two continents! It became something I was obsessed with trying to see and it would sort of drive my travel style! There was a “Travel Ninja Jump” involved and you know that’s when I’m excited! It’s like being at the mountain top of Tennessee and being able to see 7 states at one time! That’s cool to me! Or, how about visiting Greece, one country, and being able to visit the Aegean, Mediterranean and Ionian Sea within hours? Oh, Greece, and all her seas.
My past trips to Panama have been mostly geared towards visiting family. Lately, however, there have been more opportunities to visit for just relaxation and exploration. I try and squeeze in a new bucket list item every time I come here. One of those items was to travel the country hitting both oceans in one day! Panama is pretty skinny… so it is completely doable, hence the Panama Canal! I’m doing KMs over here now. It’s about 80KM from coast to coast.
My original plan was to visit San Blas, on the Atlantic or Caribbean side of Panama. Yes, head shaking, I still have not visited San Blas! It’s a bloody shame, I know. But it will be amazing when I finally get there. I had a full itinerary planned out for it, but Covid closed it down right before we got here and I had to scram for plan B.
From my parent’s place (the Pacific side) to Portobelo (the Atlantic side) it takes about two and a half hours. I decided to book a catamaran by Portobelo to take us island hopping on the Atlantic side. (Check out Coronado Tours….Joanna is diii best). The Atlantic side is often referred to as the Caribbean coast. The stark difference between the coasts are very noticeable. The Caribbean coast is greener (from more rain) and the waters are more blue and turquoise. It was absolutely gorgeous!
The kids and I had the most perfect day! We started our journey at 5:30 am. “Mission Pacific to Atlantic” took us over the Panama Canal and to two stops at the “Va y Ven” (their version of Sheetz). We bought PaWa (Panama Waters), coffee, empanadas, cheetos, and M&Ms- because those are the essentials and it is Gabrielle’s favorite thing to do in Panama.
We arrived at the port around 8:30 am and hopped on a little moter boat that took us to the catamaran. Maybe it was the Dramamine, or maybe it was because we woke up early, either way, all of us immediately fell asleep on our slow sail down to the beach. Nap one, down!
We sailed past many beautiful little islands and coves. Our first stop was at Playa Blanca for swimming, snorkeling, and kayaking. This was my favorite stop and I would have just stayed here all day. There’s no use trying to describe it. Just look at the pictures. Absolute paradise.
Our next stop was Venas Azules. The water changed from a deep blue to gorgeous lighter blue through the lagoon. Our captain shared this drone shot that we loved! This location was rugged and remote. Panama’s natural beauty just showing off!
A very traditional Panamanian lunch was served and the kids ate it up. I couldn’t get over the eyeball on my plate, but, to each her own.
After a day of the most beautiful views, salt air, and sun, we all took another nap on the way back to the port. We are really getting a hang of this siesta laid back vibe! I would love to check out the town of Portobelo more. There is so much history here from Spaniards hiding gold from pirates to the first established Catholic Church of Panama. I hear Isla Grande is amazing and new luxury hotels are popping up everywhere. We can’t wait to make it back! Our Pacific to Atlantic adventure has us pretty convinced that Panama is just perfect.
Travel Ninja 