Isla Taboga is a lovely little island just half an hour from Panama City's Harbour. It's quite small, and not touristy. Just a little town, surrounded by water with a great view of the Panama City skyline! A great place to visit for a day if you're in the City and want an easy escape. Take a book and some snacks, or grab a bite at one of the local eateries, and just enjoy the white sand beach and calm warm waters.
It's now $11 return by boat, which leaves from the Amador Causeway - pay no more than $5 by taxi from the City!
The island itself is an array of small streets and hidden paths and steps, leading up and around the packed little houses of the town. It has a small church in the middle, which is supposedly the second oldest church in the Western Hemisphere. It also has an art centre / community project in construction at the site of Paul Gauguin's former house. The island itself has been popular with artists and pirates over the years, including Welsh pirate, Captain Henry Morgan, who destroyed a lot of Panama City, and Sir Francis Drake.
The villagers are cheerful as you explore the island. The kids look like they're living the ideal childhood, and the pace of life is slow. There are a couple of crosses mounted up in the hills if you fancy a small hike. There is no longer a hostel on the island, so if you are shoestringing, you'd be out of luck. There is a hotel, but you might find a day trip would be enough anyway, especially as a lone traveller.
So in short, a great place to escape the bustle of Panama City and grab a bit of sun without straying too far. Quiet, pretty and relaxed, but for absolute beauty or fab eating and drinking, you can't compare with other Panamanian islands, such as within Bocas Del Toro or San Blas, but maybe that's it's charm - a real quaint village, surrounded by pretty beach, a stone's thrown from the big city!
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May 23rd, 2008
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