Best things to do in Panama Panama Holidays & Tailor-made Tours

The Panama Canal is, rather surprisingly, home to one of the most accessible areas of jungle in Latin America, teeming with colourful birdlife.

The Panama Canal is not only a place to observe one of the world's greatest feats of engineering, but it is also, rather surprisingly, home to one of the most accessible areas of jungle in Latin America.

When the canal area was flooded over 100 years ago it unwittingly created one of the most accessible and animal and birdlife-abundant areas of rainforest in Latin America. The inhabitants of the area were forced upwards, to the areas which now are above the water surface, largely undisturbed by human influence, in spite of the activity taking place nearby.

Just 45 minutes from Panama City, the Soberania National Park is a wonderful place to observe these creatures. Nature walks lead by expert guides afford frequent sighting of toucans, mot-mots, hawks, green iguanas, sloths, howler and capuchin monkeys, as well as many rare breeds of birds. The observation tower at the nearby Panama Rainforest Discovery Center is another excellent platform from which to view them.

The Interoceanic Rail runs almost parallel to the canal and offers a great vantage point from which to appreciate the verdant Panamanian countryside.