This Central American Country Has Incredible Rain Forests, Beaches, and Wildlife-How to Plan Your Trip

"As we zipped above the waterway, I was awed by the audacity of its creation. The canal, completed in 1914, operates 24/7, like a conveyor belt, passing vessels back and forth between the oceans. Ships the length of several football fields glided past tidy parcels of farmland and Soberania National Park, a 55,000-acre natural preserve. From inlets covered in neon-green algae, snow-white egrets took flight over ships stacked with thousands of brightly colored containers-imagine a mash-up of Gauguin and Mondrian."

"With almost 13 million acres of the world's most biodiverse rain forest, rich with jaguars, hummingbirds, and 2,000 butterfly species (take that, Costa Rica), plus some 1,800 miles of unsullied coastline, this country is poised for a tourism boom. Historically, lodgings outside the capital have contented themselves with hosting the budget-conscious backpacker crowd. But more recently, thanks to government initiatives and the efforts of conservation-focused developers, a new class of luxurious resorts has come to offer a cushier way into the country's insanely unspoiled attractions."

Panama City rises above the Pacific with gleaming skyscrapers and the Panama Canal, a 1914 engineering marvel that operates 24/7, moving enormous ships between oceans. The canal threads past farmland and the 55,000-acre Soberania National Park, where egrets take flight from neon-green algae inlets. Panama contains almost 13 million acres of biodiverse rainforest with jaguars, hummingbirds, and 2,000 butterfly species, plus about 1,800 miles of largely undeveloped coastline, positioning the country for a tourism boom. Lodgings outside the capital historically served budget backpackers, but government initiatives and conservation-focused developers have introduced luxurious resorts. Panama City now feels markedly more cosmopolitan and international.

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