Raised by cataclysmic volcanic eruptions millions of years ago, Panama is the connection between the continents. Panama has it all together with a vibrant economic grace to being the passage of most of the ship cargo around the world. The Panamanians are very proud to tell you that their country is the only one in Latin America where you can drink tap water.

The fantastic combination of the old and new cannot be better explored elsewhere than in Panama City. The country also was able to preserve several indigenous tribes. In the jungle is the Embera, living in communion with nature and creating spectacular crafts. Close to the Embera are the Kuna Indians living in the paradisiac archipelago of San Blas, a collection of 400 islands surrounded by the crystal clear green and blue waters of the Caribbean. On the opposite side of the country, the Ngobe live in the areas around Boquete, a hilly place peppered by coffee plantations.

Driving south, Santa Catalina is a gem, a forgotten village almost falling into the Ocean that has in its close waters the unique habitat of Coiba National Park, an island used exclusively as a small penal colony for nearly 100 years. Its inaccessibility preserves the pristine ocean around it with extensive corals and tropical fish like in a giant fish tank. For the escapees, the choice was to fight the crocs of the island or the sharks in the Ocean.

But nothing is more Panamanian than the carnival, probably the best in Central America that explodes with dance, booze, and parties until very late hours of the night in all cities and villages. The most famous is in Las Tablas, where the competition between the “calles” can run till the wee hours of the day with floats, queens, dance, music, and lots of drinking.