Portobelo / Isla Grande Travel Guide

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Portobelo and Isla Grande are both on the Caribbean side of Panama, in Colon Province. Portobelo is a small, sleepy little town with some amazing ruins. There are several resorts along the road heading into town which feature scuba diving and snorkeling. Once in town, check out the ruins of Spanish forts built to protect the city when it was the main port of departure for gold leaving Central American on its way to Spain. The white church in the middle of the town square houses the other great tourist attraction - the "Black Jesus" (or Nazareno to the locals.) This is a lifesize statue of Jesus carved from dark brown stone, so that Jesus appears to be, like most of the residents of Portobelo, of African descent. The best way to get to Portobelo is by bus from Sabanitas (about an hour and half ride).

Take the bus further along the Costa Arriba route to arrive at the departure point for water taxis to Isla Grande. This small (despite its name) island is a popular weekend getaway for people from Panama City. There are no cars, and only a narrow sandy path rings the island. There are a couple of resorts, but the best deal is to stay at Cabanas Super Jackson and use the public beach a quarter mile down the path. This beach is a little peninsula that juts out into the warm turquoise water back toward the mainland, with incredible views of other, smaller islands in the distance and jungle-covered hills back on the mainland. If you go during the week, you're likely to get the whole beach to yourself. Back in "town" (the strip of restaurants along one side of the island), make sure you hit the "Jamaican bar" -- it's the one painted wildly in red, green and yellow with a massive Bob Marley mural -- to meet super friendly locals and tourists and to dance on their little strip of beach with a pina colada in one hand and a beer in the other! There is also a path (ask a local to show you where it starts) that leads into the uninhabited interior of the island, with stairs to top for great views or a romantic picnic spot.

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