Panama

Let’s compile a list of everything we know about Panama. Hats, obviously. A canal, of course. General Noriega ... ummm ... more hats. Ah, the joy of going to a country most people know hardly anything about. Which is what I want to convince you to do.
Panama might be off the radar, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a cracking place for a holiday. It has all the unspoilt beaches, wild countryside, exotic fauna and historical richness you could ever wish for, and, as far as travel frontiers go, it’s decidedly soft — no tinpot regimes, no gun-toting militia, no famines or plagues. In fact, the only thing likely to interrupt your leisurely terrace breakfast in the warm Central American sunshine is the noisy arrival of a nosy toucan. You can even drink the water.

On the map, Panama is little more than a sinuous squiggle that connects the two Americas — but in that squiggle, you will find more bird species than there are in the whole of Europe, hanging out in more tree types than there are in the whole of North America. They share space with beautiful old colonial towns and a beautiful modern capital city — a mini-Miami, with all the excellent bars, restaurants and shops that go with it.

As for the hats, they’re actually from Ecuador — but unless you’re the Man from Del Monte, you can live with that.

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