Panama City and the Canal

Panama City is a blend of skyscrapers and colonial heritage. Its Casco Viejo, a UNESCO World Heritage site, features churches, plazas and 17th-century buildings. Panama City juxtaposes modernity and colonial heritage. This historic district bears witness to the city's trading past as a strategic crossroads of the Spanish Empire, but it is the Panama Canal that defines the region. Put into service in 1914, it links the Atlantic to the Pacific and sets the pace for global maritime trade. From the Miraflores locks, you can watch the huge cargo ships pass through this artificial waterway, a masterpiece of engineering. All around, nature contrasts with urban density. Soberanía National Park, along the canal, is home to exceptional biodiversity: howler monkeys, toucans and sloths thrive in the shelter of the tropical jungle.