High Tourist Season: from November to April.Very high tourist season: November bridges, year-end celebrations, Carnival and Holy Week.Low season: from early May to late October (a little less in July-August).
A Blessed Country of GodsUnlike its neighbours in Central America, Panama is immune from major natural disasters (hurricane or earthquake). The vagaries of weather are limited to very heavy rainfall in winter (our summer).A generous natureA true biological bridge between North America and South America, the country has a concentration of the richest animal and plant species in the world, with an exceptional level of endemism in some regions. From the Atlantic to the Pacific, from tropical rainforest to coral archipelagos, the country is a huge ? garden! Some of its jewels already enjoy a great reputation with several natural sites on the World Heritage List of Humanity. By organizing your trip on-line with a local agency, you will experience the experience of the best hiking guides, they will take you to the discovery of these multiple landscapes of Panama.A mosaic of faces and culturesPanama brings together an incredible diversity of mixing, born of the country's strategic position between two oceans in the heart of the Americas. Latino, Europeans, Africans and Asians have no fewer than seven Amerindian groups, which are still distinguished today by their lifestyles and traditions. To organise his stay via a local agency is the guarantee of multiplying contacts with the Panamanian people for an authentic experience in meeting the premises.
By eating local, by bus and by air conditioning in its hotel room, you can live for US $ 50 to US $ 25 per day. With a little more comfort or activity, from US $ 90 to US $ 50. For luxury, no limit... The euro/dollar exchange will significantly vary the cost of living for a European, just like the tourist season.It should be noted that foreign residents, from 55 years for women and 60 years for men, have the same benefits as retired pensioners: 25% reduction in restaurants (off fast foods); 25% in air transport, 30% on buses or boat; 50% in hotels Monday to Thursday (30% from Friday to Sunday), etc.FormalitésNo visa is required for a stay of less than 180 days in Panama. The passport must be valid at least 6 months after the return date, and a return ticket (plane or bus) may be requested from land borders. Canadian citizens will have to obtain a properly stamped entry stamp from immigration officers at their entry to Panama.
The official language is Spanish. The other languages spoken are those of the seven Amerindian ethnic groups, and guari-guari, an Anglo-Jamaican Creole in the Yí del Toro region. English is spoken by a large number of people in particular in tourist corners.Learning the language. There are different ways to learn a few basics of language and the offer for self-learning can be done on different media: CD, DVD, exercise books or even directly on the Internet.
The official currency of Panama is balboa (the name of the conquistador who discovered the Pacific Ocean) in fixed parity with the US dollar since 1904. For convenience, we chose the sign of the dollar (US $) and not that of balboa (BPA or B/) as a reference throughout the guide.The country does not issue banknotes and currency paper is the U.S. dollar in cuts of 1, 5, 10 and 20. U.S. $ 50 and US $ 100 bills are rarely accepted except in major hotels, service stations or supermarkets (sometimes you have to show your ID). It is possible to change his big tickets in banks in Panama City.Panama manufactures its own pieces of 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 centavos and 1 balboa, of the same size and alloy as the American cent, with the exception of balboa and the balboa medio (50 cent). The cents of pab or dollars are used without distinction. Panamanian often use the words real, cuarra and peso to qualify 5, 25 and 50 cent coins respectively.
The climate is of humid tropical type. It is hot all year long, with an average of 28 to 31 ? ° C during the day and 20 to 23 ? ° C at night (elevation can drop temperatures under 10 ? ° C in Mountain). Rainfall varies according to seasons. The Caribbean side receives nearly 3 metres of rain per year, twice as much as the peaceful coastline, but microclimates are numerous. During the wet season, called winter (invierno), from late April to early December, heavy rains hit the whole country, but they usually last only a few hours a day.During the dry or summer season (verano), from December to mid-April, the breeze makes the air less moist and showers are rarer. This period is much more marked than peaceful.
© Dominique Auzias & Jean-Paul Labourdette
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