The BPS travel group in front of the Panama landmark

I thoroughly enjoyed my first trip to Panama from 23 to 30 April 2025, as a member of the Barbados Photographic Society tour.  Our very knowledgeable tour guide, Rafael, and excellent coach driver, Carlos, ensured that we were fully immersed in the history and rich culture of their country as we visited the various sites on our itinerary.  From the engineering marvels of the Panama Canal to the verdant landscapes fed by copious amounts of rainfall; from the legacy of the Barbadian and other Caribbean contributions in the building of the canal to the preservation of the rich heritage of the Embera Indians; the modern Panama City with its Casco Viejo contrasted with the visits to Monkey Island and Gamboa, where the natural beauty was on full display.

A ship making its entry into the Canal at the Pacific end of the canal.

We started our itinerary with a visit to Miraflores Locks (the old locks) – here I witnessed the functioning of the canal as one ship made its passage through the locks. Afterwards, the amazing experience through the 3D IMAX movie narrated by Morgan Freeman, brought to life the intricacies of the canal’s development and operation, as well as the great human and financial cost incurred.

The modern skyline of Panama City

The modern structures of Panama City contrasted with the UNESCO heritage area Casco Viejo, a network of small streets, with colonial structures (such as St. Joseph’s Church with its gold altar), now faced with the modern-day scourge of traffic.

BPS photographers joined visitors on tour of Casco Vieho

The area was a natural attraction for many tourists, including keen professional and amateur photographers, seeking to capture the varied beauty or to experience the varied and delicious culinary attractions.  We returned to the area the following night to enjoy and participate in a traditional culinary and cultural experience, where some members of the group showed their skills in learning a few steps of a traditional folk dance.

Having seen the Miraflores Locks, our visit to the Afro-Antillean Museum the following day gave further context to the contributions of the Barbadians and other Caribbean citizens who participated in the building of the canal.

The Afroantillian Museum was once a church where Caribbean workers worshiped

 It displayed a wonderful collection of very familiar items from Bajan homes of yesteryear, such as a “jucking board” and “wash pan” once used for laundry and the traditional clothes iron that was heated on a fire, in the days before electric irons were invented.   The Museum Director highlighted the amount of work needed to preserve the wooden structure of the museum, given the climatic conditions and the pressures of development.  I can only hope that they are successful in preserving that structure and its contents for future generations and visitors alike. 

Traveling by canoe on the Chagres River was certainly an adventure for most of us.  It was not a very long trip, but it was the only way that we could travel to visit the Embera Indigenous village of Parara Puru within the National Park, far away from the hustle and bustle of Panama City. 

Going ashore at the Indian village of Parara Puru

The village chief and other members of the community provided a demonstration of the life of the Embera, whose activities have been channeled towards tourism since they can no longer fully exploit their hunting and forestry activities in the national park. Several indigenous communities which had lived for hundreds of years in the remote jungle areas were resettled from their traditional habitats which were to become part of the massive artificial lake of the Panama waterway when the canal was being constructed.  Today the Embera villagers at Parara Puru have maintained their traditional way of life, language and culture, but are now exposed to the outside world through touristic visitations like ours from the BPS. We were treated to an explanation of their way of life, their artistry in basketry and other craft, and we enjoyed a traditional lunch and dance with them.

The Embera indian welcoming party.

On Monday we travelled to Gamboa to embark on a visit to Monkey Island.  I was relieved that our transport had changed from the narrow canoe (pirogue) to a somewhat larger boat as we navigated across the artificial Gatun Lake, a key feature of the overall canal system.  This gave us another perspective on the operation of the canal.  The trip promised the opportunity to see three species of monkey – capuchins, howlers and tamarins – I saw at least two.

Monkeys were enticed to board our boat by the offer of ripe bananas

While some stayed a respectable distance in the trees, others (mainly the capuchin) hopped in and out of the boats, in the hope of finding some food or maybe making off with a handbag.

A few of us took the opportunity that day to do another trip to Portobelo in the north of Panama.  While it was technically still the dry season, I got a full experience of what the rainy season could be like as the rains accompanied us for most of that trip.  Any sight-seeing meant venturing into the rain – As the rain abated, we were able to visit ruins of previous fortifications, and to see the Black Christ in the San Felipe church, whose presence there is surrounded by much folklore and mystery.

The Black Christ in San Felipe Church, Portobelo Town

Unfortunately, the Customs House was closed that day, but a nearby small museum provided insights into the history and culture of the town.  We were a few days ahead of a festival which the town hosts to celebrate history and culture of the people whose ancestors were brought directly from the Congo in Africa.

On the final day before our return home, we went once more to Gamboa, where we spent an enjoyable time doing some of the activities available from the Gamboa Rainforest Resort – one such was a cable car ride which took us over the forest canopy; from the top we were able to make our way further to the top of a structure that provided a panoramic view of the canal.

 Once back from that cable car ride we viewed exhibits of miniature frogs, butterflies and sloths.  A delightful lunch in those surroundings offered a fitting end to our trip to Panama. 

One of the many species of butterflies in the Gomboa Rainforest Resort exhibit

As we prepared to leave for the airport early the following morning, we took the opportunity to show our appreciation to Rafael,out tour guide and Carlos, our driver for the excellent service they provided to make our tour the very enjoyable one that it was.

Yvette Goddard

Photos courtesy of Victor Gittens