Panama is an emerging country that offers incredible nature and jungle experiences and the opportunity to meet indigenous tribes, great beaches, and cosmopolitan and dynamic Panama City. The historic and magnificent Panama Canal that cuts through 48 miles across this narrow country is a man-made wonder and worth taking a Panama Canal cruise to experience. Offshore, the San Blas Archipelago is a haven for ecotourism and with some of the world's best beaches. Panama is a packed with culture, tropical beaches, rainforests, history, wildlife, and basically all you could wish for if you are looking for an adventurous holiday.

The best time to visit would be during the dry season, from December through April, similar to the Caribbean. October is the rainiest month.

Panamanian cuisine is much like that of some of its Caribbean neighbors. Sancocho is a chicken soup with potatoes, culantro, yuca and plantains. Ropa vieja is a beef stew with black pepper, cumin and oregano. Panamanian tortillas are thicker and made from corn dough like arepas and can be grilled or fried. Patacones (tostones) are fried green plantains. Cocadas are coconut cookies made with condensed milk. Chicheme is an unusual sweet corn drink made with evaporated milk, cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg. Java nerds will not want to miss out on the “champagne of coffees,” the geisha coffee grown on the mountains of Boquete, where coffee plantation tours are available.

The Path between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 (D. McCullough), The History of Panama (R. C. Harding), Panama Fever (M. Parker), The Panama Papers (B. Obermayer & F. Obermaier), The Tailor of Panama (J. le Carré), Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal (N. Engle), The World in Half (C. Henríquez), The Darkest Jungle (T. Balf), The Darien Gap (M. Mitchinson), Modern Panama: From Occupation to Crossroads of the Americas (G. E. Bigler & M. Conniff), Divorcing the Dictator: America's Bungled Affair with Noriega (F. Kempe), Emperors in the Jungle (J. Lindsay-Poland).