Central America

In this Panama Special Report, we tour Panama’s Causeway in Amador, a former U.S. military outpost and Canal Zone recreation area that is today enjoying a multi-million dollar makeover.

The Amador Causeway has a long and winding history tied to the construction of the Panama Canal and the nearly 100-year occupation of the Canal Zone by U.S. military forces. Used first as a military base, Amador was later repurposed as a sprawling recreation area for the exclusive use of U.S. military personnel and their families. Languishing in neglect since the 1999 handover dictated by the Torrijos-Carter Treaty that returned the land to Panama, the Causeway is today the focus of an ambitious plan to transform it into a five-star residential community whose key feature, a cruise-ship terminal, will rival ports of call throughout the Americas.

In this Panama Special Report, we bring you the areas of Balboa, La Boca, and Amador Causeway, all located within Panama City.

Only a few miles away from the hustle and bustle, the bright lights, and the hectic honking of cab horns, brings you to what used to be considered the Canal Zone. You know you’ve entered this area when on one side you see multicolored storage containers stacked one on top of the other, like a Lego village, while on the opposite side of the street you see boxy, tan-colored old military barracks and government buildings.

Our Best of Panama’s Caribbean Coast Special Report is your beginners guide to finding the best opportunities on this side of the isthmus.

The Caribbean Coast of Panama is notoriously underdeveloped—a pro or a con depending on what kind of lifestyle you’re looking for. This side of the country’s infrastructure is basic at best, and, as a result, fewer foreigners have settled on Panama’s northern side. English is less generally spoken than on the Pacific side, though the touristy Bocas del Toro is an exception—here the high volume of visitors means most working in the service industry speak English, and many businesses are American or Canadian owned.

From the rugged but expat-popular Bocas del Toro islands in the far west to the colonial cities of Colón and Portobelo, the Caribbean options are few but varied. This report details Panama’s best options on the Caribbean…

In this Panama Special Report, we bring you the peaceful town of Cerro Azul, Panama.

Cerro Azul is only 45 minutes outside Panama City, but its crisp, cool weather, abundance of wildlife, and peaceful tranquility make you feel as if you are on the far side of the country. Many expats and even many Panamanians have traveled far into the country’s interior to find the lifestyle that some have realized here in Cerro Azul, so close to the city.