Carnival Holidays – End of day Friday through Ash Wednesday

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Everyone is SO excited, it’s finally the weekend and thousands and thousands of people are heading to Las Tablas for Carnival. It’s a huge celebration in Panama (Feb 14-18 this year) as you can see from the video and photos here: http://www.facebook.com/internationallivingpanama/posts/10153065688948252.

Looks fun, right? Have you ever been to a carnival or mardi gras celebration?

I’ll be out of office for the carnival holidays (5pm February 13-8am February 19) with little to no access to Internet. I will reply to posts as quickly as possible, but you are also welcome to send urgent or time-sensitive inquiries to Customer Service or Events if related to the Panama seminar. I’m posting some important info below, in case it helps!

Have a fabulous weekend wherever you are!

Important info:

Planning a visit? Here is some important information about Panama travel and resources:

Arriving/Departing: Most travelers fly into Tocumen International Airport (PTY), known as the Hub of the Americas. Located in east Panama City, Tocumen the nation’s only major international airport for commercial flights. Copa is Latin America’s largest airline and has helped transform Tocumen into the region’s busiest hub with a great selection of international flights (plus domestic flights between Panama City and David).

The Marcos A. Gelabert Airport in the Albrook sector of Panama City (aka “Albrook Airport”) is the hub for domestic airline Air Panama.

The Enrique Malek airport in David, Chiriqui offers flights to and from Costa Rica; all other flights to and from David are domestic. If you plan to visit the mountain region in and around Boquete, you can drive or fly from Panama City to David, then drive about 30 minutes north from David to the Boquete region.

There are small domestic airports/airstrips all over Panama, including the San Blas/Gunayala region, Chitre/Pedasi, Contadora Island, and Bocas del Toro.

* The new Scarlett Martinez airport at Rio Hato (Pacific Coast near Coronado) serves only charter flights.

Customs & Immigration for U.S./Canadian citizens: You must have a passport to visit Panama. Check your passport expiration date prior to booking travel—your passport must be valid for six months from your date of arrival. No visa application is required. Be prepared to show proof of solvency and of intended departure.

Citizens from visa waiver countries, including Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, El Salvador, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, and Uruguay, may also visit Panama for up to 90 days without a visa*.

*This list and other information in this message is subject to change. Always check with your nearest Panamanian consulate or your home country’s foreign affairs office prior to travel to ensure you have the latest information.

If you need help planning your visit, contact a travel agent or make use of reduced travel websites such as Kayak.com. Promotional airfares are often available via Copa/United websites. Panama is served by many of the world’s major airlines. Spirit offers budget flights to Panama.

Local tourism/travel contacts:

Road trips, tours (day tours, eco-tours, etc), ground transportation, airport pickups, etc:

• Panama Vacations, http://www.vacationtopanama.com

• Ancon Expeditions, http://www.anconexpeditions.com

• Roadrunner Panama, web: http://www.panamaroadrunner.com

• Inside Panama, email: transport@insidepma.com, tel: +507-6675-6601

• Panama Travel: http://www.panamatravelunlimited.com, info@panamatravelunlimited.com

• Sealandsky Journeys, email: ditase@yahoo.com, tel: +507-6630-0847

• Marco Colucci, tel: +507-6672-1201, email: macoluche@hotmail.com

New hotels are constantly opening in Panama. For help choosing a hotel and other information try review sites such as TripAdvisor.com. The Riande Airport Hotel (www.hotelesriande.com) is close to Panama’s Tocumen International Airport, but far from city conveniences. If staying in Panama City you may want to choose hotels in central or downtown areas for ease of exploration.

Rental Cars: There are many rental companies in Panama, including National Rent A Car: http://www.nationalpanama.com/english/index.htm. Find more companies listed at: http://www.panamatours.com/Services/serv_carentals.htm.

Taxis are available nearly everywhere and are very inexpensive. Fares within the greater metropolitan area are usually $3 to $5. Visits to outlying areas like the Panama Canal Miraflores visitor center can cost $6 to $10. Taxis do not use meters; they carry charts showing the price increase by district and number of passengers. Taxis are yellow and have ID numbers painted on their sides. Taxis charge extra for pickup at hotels, airports, and other tourist destinations. It is not customary to tip yellow taxi drivers (unless the driver has gone above and beyond or helped load luggage). Always ask the taxi driver what the fare will be before getting in.

Tocumen Airport fare (yellow taxi) should be $25 total for up to two people or $10 each for groups. “Tourism taxis” are white, you will find them at Tocumen Airport. These and private ground transport companies usually charge around $35 total for up to two people. For more airport fares see: http://www.tocumenpanama.aero/index.php?cccpage=transporte_publico. Services like Uber do operate in Panama but are not regulated by the government, insurance authority, etc., so caveat emptor. I have successfully used one of these services called TuChofer.com several times.

Waze is an excellent app to have on your smart phone and help you navigate Panama City.

Country Information:

• Currency: Panama uses the U.S. dollar ($), locally referred to as the Balboa (B/.). Paper currency is entirely U.S. while coins are a mix (U.S. and Panamanian). Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted in Panama City, Amex is accepted in some but not all locations. Outside the city, you may need to use cash for some expenditures, including hotels/motels (a good rule of thumb is to assume nothing & ask before you go).

• Foreign exchange: If you are coming to Panama with anything but U.S. Dollars, note that this is not a country where you’ll find exchange posts around every corner. Your options are generally to withdraw USD from ATMs in Panama City, use your credit card, ask whether your hotel offers exchange services, or plan on getting to a bank during business hours.

• Climate: Panama is tropical with average temperatures of 88º F and two seasons: dry (summer) and wet (“winter”). The dry season is December through April in most parts of the country. The rainy season is mild, with most of the Pacific Coast experiencing only afternoon showers. The heaviest rains usually happen from August to November, but even then entire days of rain or gloomy weather are rare. Boquete and Bocas del Toro get about double the rainfall of Panama City and other Pacific Coast destinations. In highland regions temperatures can drop to 60º F at night. No matter where you go in Panama, consider bringing a light cardigan or jacket. (If you’re coming back from the beach and are wet from swimming, the breeze can feel cold. Also air conditioning in restaurants etc. can be cold.) Panama does not experience hurricanes. For current weather information consult Google News, The Weather Channel, or any other trusted news or weather source.

Important Resources For Potential Expats:

As IL’s Panama Editor I travel the country in order to write about it. It is my pleasure to answer your questions about Panama. I also enjoy meeting valued readers at International Living events in which I am featured as a speaker. As I am a full-time writer, I do not offer or accept payment for any services (consulting, real estate, travel, etc). Here are some providers that will be happy to hear from you and help with relevant matters:

Legal assistance: Whether you plan to live, invest, retire, or have a home in Panama, you’ll need a Panamanian lawyer to assist you with legal matters. If you don’t already have one, send your legal questions to:

The Law Offices of Rainelda Mata-Kelly
Suite 406-407, Tower B, Torres de las Americas
Punta Pacifica, Panama City, Panama
Local tel: +(507) 216-9299
From the U.S. or Canada tel: (011 507) 216-9299
Email: rmk@mata-kelly.com
Website: http://www.mata-kelly.com

Real estate: Send your real estate/rental queries to Pathfinder International Real Estate, exclusive marketer to International Living:

Pathfinder International Real Estate
info@pathfinderinternational.net
Website: http://www.pathfinderinternational.net

*Kindly note that International Living does not sell or broker real estate or rentals.

International Living is the ultimate information source

Subscriptions and Memberships: Do you have questions on IL subscriptions, products or services? Do you need help troubleshooting login, change of email, password, or other technical issues? If so, please contact International Living Customer Service via: https://internationalliving.com/about-il/customer-service/.

Products: Subscriptions, detailed reports, and other products are available for sale at the International Living bookstore, http://www.ilbookstore.com.

Advertising: To learn more about advertising in International Living magazine and other publications visit https://internationalliving.com/about-il/advertise-with-us/.

Best of luck with all your Panama plans! And if you have any questions about any of this, don’t hesitate to ask!

Best,

Your Panama Insider Editor, Jessica Ramesch

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International Living holds highly informative seminars in Panama every year. Exhibitors and speakers range from legal and real estate specialists, to expats who have already made the move, to tax and insurance experts.

The 2015 Fast Track Panama event has been slated for April 9-11 and already close to sold out; check your inbox for registration information or visit https://internationalliving.com/events/fast-track-panama-conference-2/. If you have already registered, remember to check out all the helpful information at your exclusive attendee website.

The 2014 Fast Track Panama event recordings and presentations package is available via IL customer service and/or the IL bookstore (links above).

To contact IL Events about the April 2015 seminar, visit https://internationalliving.com/customer-service/events-questions/
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Panama Holidays 2015*:

January 1: New Year’s Day
January 9/12: Martyr’s Day (Dry: no alcohol sold for 24 hours on the Friday*).
February 14-17, 18: Carnival & Ash Wednesday
April 2-5 Holy Week (Dry: no alcohol sold for 24 hours Good Friday)
May 1: Labor Day
August 15: Founding of Panama La Vieja (Original Site of Panama City)
Nov 3-5, 10, 28 (30): Fiestas Patrias (Independence/national holidays)
December 8: Mother’s Day
December 25: Christmas Day (Many businesses close at noon Dec 24/31)

* subject to change

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