COUNTRY PROFILES Panama THE CROSSROADS OF LATIN AMERICA Capital city: Panama City | Languages: Spanish, English, indigenous | Currency: Balboa | Visa: Not required by British citizens | Time zone: GMT -5hrs


eponymous canal. It is also gaining in popularity as part of multi-centre Central America itineraries thanks to some great beaches, fascinating indigenous culture, diverse wildlife, and pristine wilderness. The Bocas del Toro archipelago in


L


ocated at the southern extreme of the Central American isthmus,


Panama is something of an international crossroads. Its airport is one of the biggest and best connected hubs in Latin America and, of course, is home to the


■ Bird-watching in the Panamanian rainforest


SAMPLE PACKAGE The Adventure Company's 16-day Central American Explorer visits Panama City, Portobello National Park, the Panama Canal, Colon, Pedasi – for reef snorkelling – and Boquete in the highlands, before moving on to Costa Rica and Nicaragua.


the north, for example, boasts white-sand beaches, coral reefs, clear waters and dense forest, while tourism is low-key thanks to the islands' National Marine Park status. In the south of the country, the 350-plus San Blás islands are also a protected area, and are home to the indigenous Kuna Indians who have near-autonomous governance. Cosmopolitan Panama City –


where pretty colonial buildings sit alongside towering skyscrapers – is the country's capital and sits on a bay at the Pacific end of the canal. Close to the canal's Caribbean


HIGHLIGHTS  Bocos del Toro archipelago  Panama City and Canal  Chiriqui Highlands  Kuna Indians of the San Blas  Darien National Park


entrance, Portobelo was once the holding point for the gold and silver bounty of Spanish raids to the south. Its fortified remains are a UNESCO World Heritage site. In western Panama, the villages


and coffee plantations of the Chiriqui Highlands are popular with hikers, while the cross-border La Amistad International Park is the largest protected wildlife reserve in Central America. In the far east of Panama, meanwhile, is the once- impenetrable Darien Gap, a region of impressive biodiversity that has been awarded National Park status.


WWW.VISITPANAMA.COM


Paraguay P


LAND OF MYSTERY Capital city: Asunción | Languages: Spanish, Guarani | Currency: Guarani | Visa: Not required by British citizens | Time zone: GMT -3hrs


araguay is something of an enigma among South


American countries. It is bordered by two of the continent's biggest destinations – Brazil and Argentina, plus Bolivia – yet is rarely featured by UK tour operators. That very fact will be an incentive


for some travellers to visit this low- key country, where extremes of wealth range from the designer malls and slick sports cars found in capital city Asunción, to indigenous tribes that still live as they did long before the conquistadors swept in from Europe. As for Paraguay's


HIGHLIGHTS  Jesuit settlements  The Itaipu Dam  The Gran Chaco  Capital city Asunción  Cerro Cora National Park


history of political corruption and shady dealings, well that might just add to its appeal. The country is a crossroads for


overland travel, despite much of Paraguay's northwest presenting a tough test for regular vehicles. A single dusty road bumps and winds its way through the Gran Chaco to Bolivia, and in the wet season it's a no-go area. It's a journey that has become something of a rite of passage for hardy backpackers. Although the influence of native


Guarani Indians remains strong throughout the country, there's a tangible European feel to capital city, Asunción. Southern Paraguay is the most densely populated area of the country and is home to historic sites such as the ruins of Jesuit settle- ments around Trinidad and Jesus –


■ Ruins of Jesuit settlements in Trinidad


SAMPLE PACKAGE Tucan Travel's 15-day Iberá tour combines Paraguay with Brazil and Argentina. It begins in Buenos Aires, visits the Iberá wetlands and Iguazu Falls, before crossings into Paraguay to visit capital city Asuncion, and continues on to Salta.


one of the world's least visited UNESCO-listed sites. Impressive national parks include Cerro Cora with its ancient petroglyphs, while the world's second-biggest hydro- electric power project, the Itaipu Dam, is also on the must-see list.


Latin America | 33


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