Planning a trip to Panama

Q: Can I plan my own trip to Panama for bird-watching, canal-watching and culture? Do I need to be on a tour or can I get my own guides and keep my costs down? What is the best time of year to travel to Panama?

Trent, Seattle

A: Yes, you can certainly go on your own, and Panama has some of the best bird-watching and hiking in Central America. However, when you are hiking or bird-watching in remote areas, you might find it easier — and safer — to go with a group.

The advantage of guides is that they can arrange transportation and they'll know local conditions. For instance, some parts of Darien province, near the border with Colombia, are unsafe because of bandits and drug smuggling. The wild, and wildlife-teeming, Darien National Park is there; you would definitely want to be with a local guide and a group for security. Some authorities, including the U.S. State Department, have advised against traveling to all of Darien province; see its Panama information sheet at www.travel.state.gov.

Certain areas of Panama City and the city of Colon also should be avoided, particularly at night because of robberies. The best time to go to Panama is roughly from mid-December to mid-April, which is the drier season. That's also when hotels are most expensive, however. Christmas and Easter are very busy travel periods for locals and foreigners, although there are many religious processions and cultural events in Holy Week (the week before Easter). If you plan to visit during that time, make hotel reservations far in advance.

For seeing the Panama Canal, you can easily arrange a one-day tour from Panama City. There are many tour/travel companies in the city; hotels will have information. You can get information on Panama through the government tourism office's Web site: www.visitpanama.com/. And you can find also sorts of tours, including escorted nature tours arranged by U.S. companies, if you search online for "Panama and tours."