2025 Ancon Travel Guide: Must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transportation routes (updated in May)

The Panama Canal (Canal de Panamá), a symbolic landmark of Central America, spans approximately 80 kilometers, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Opened in 1914, it continues to serve as a vital hub for global maritime logistics. 📍Visiting Location Miraflores Locks / About 20 minutes by car or taxi from central Panama City 🕰️ Best Timing to Visit the Canal - Ships pass through twice a day (morning and afternoon) - Aim to visit during passage times / If you want a front-row spot on the observation deck, it's recommended to arrive an hour early 💸 Admission Fee (as of March 2024) - 17.22 Panamanian Balboa (PAB) = approximately 2,550 JPY → Includes film screening, exhibits, and access to the observation deck - Tickets can be purchased at the local counter or reserved online 🌟 How the Panama Canal Works (Simple Explanation) - The canal consists of three sets of locks and three artificial lakes - When a ship arrives, the water level within the locks is adjusted step-by-step to match the sea level, allowing passage - While now electronically controlled, it’s astonishing to learn that operations were once manually handled - The scale and precision of this over 100-year-old engineering marvel are truly remarkable 🌟 Highlights - The theater screens films that make the history and mechanics of the Panama Canal easy to understand - On the observation deck, you can closely watch massive cargo ships gradually move through the locks - Always check the ship passage schedule before visiting - Convenient access via taxi or ride-hailing apps / Ensure you have transportation arranged for your return trip

- Attractions: - Panama Canal: This is the core attraction of Panama, and you must visit the Miraflores Locks. Watching the huge cargo ships pass through the locks, you can feel the greatness of human engineering. The Canal Museum is also worth a visit, where you can learn more about the history and construction of the canal. - Casco Viejo: This area is full of Spanish colonial-style buildings, colorful houses, and ancient churches. You can stroll through the narrow streets and admire the beauty of the architecture. There are also various specialty shops, cafes, and restaurants along the street, allowing you to fully experience the local laid-back atmosphere. - F&F Tower: A landmark building in Panama City, you can overlook the entire city from the top of the tower, including the beautiful coastline, bustling downtown, and the Panama Canal. It is recommended to visit at sunset to enjoy the beautiful sunset and the romantic scene of the city lights gradually lighting up. - Amador Causeway: With the sea on one side and the city on the other, this is a great place for walking and watching the sunset. There are also many entertainment facilities, restaurants, and bars along the way. - Food experience: - Traditional Panamanian cuisine: Try the roasted pork knuckle, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside; the corn tamales have a rich taste; the seafood fried rice is full of ingredients and delicious. - Coffee: Panama's Geisha coffee is a specialty coffee, and you must go to a local cafe to taste a cup and experience its unique flavor and aroma. - Coca-Cola Cafe: With a history of over 100 years, it serves authentic Panamanian home-cooked dishes, where you can experience the local life of Panamanians. - Accommodation suggestions: - If you like lively places and convenient shopping, you can choose to stay in the new city center, where there are many modern hotels and apartments, convenient transportation, and large shopping malls. - If you want to experience the historical atmosphere, hotels or homestays near the old town are a good choice, with convenient transportation and many delicious foods nearby. - Precautions: The local climate is hot, so take sun protection and moisturizing measures; when visiting attractions such as the Panama Canal, pay attention to the instructions of the staff; take care of your personal belongings in crowded places.

🍭After not wearing a mask, I started running around everywhere hahaha~ This stop - Panama • 🍭LATIN AUTO PARTS EXPO is an important auto parts exhibition in Latin America. If you want to develop business in Latin America and the Caribbean, and happen to be engaged in auto parts and other businesses, then this exhibition is very necessary to attend! • 📍Exhibition address: Panama Convention Center The center has 59,000 square meters of space. Nearly 400 international exhibitors from auto parts manufacturers, auto service, tools and equipment, tire manufacturers, tire service and repair companies, retreading, wheels, and more will be in attendance. 200+ Exhibitors Tire and automotive parts manufacturers from all over the world gather at the show every year, seeking to develop their Latin American markets and meet directly with new buyers. Mainly from China, the United States, and Mexico; professional buyers mainly come from Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Peru, Brazil and other countries. Over 4,500+ qualified B2B buyers in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Mexico who are decision makers, executives, managers, distributors, and retail store owners in the tire and auto parts industry; • 🍭Centralized and convenient location in Latin America Panama is a country with a very advantageous geographical location and has become one of the important logistics centers in the region, serving as a hub for connecting and mobilizing passengers from the American continent and providing modern services that promote the country's commerce and economy. • 🍭Exhibits range: ✅Auto parts and systems: car driving parts and components, chassis, wheels, body, electronics and electrical appliances, car interior, exterior, driving power and electronic control; ✅Gas station and car wash: gas station equipment, car wash and care; ✅Repair and maintenance: car maintenance and repair equipment, workshop maintenance and painting, repair station construction and management; ✅Accessories and modifications: auto parts, special equipment, modification service systems and improved designs, tires and tire accessories; • ♥️Experience of the exhibition: ① Transportation: The cost of living in Panama is not very high, so you can just take a taxi to get there. There are some discounts for downloading UBER. ② Catering: There are relatively few restaurants near the exhibition hall, and the catering inside the exhibition hall is slightly more expensive. It is recommended that you bring some simple food, such as bread, bottled water, etc. Of course, if you have acquaintances, you can go to their booths to pick up the food. ③ Dress: Actually, there are no requirements for visiting the exhibition, just dress casually, but girls should not wear high heels for the sake of beauty, it is really tiring after the whole process;

#fallishere I didn’t originally plan to visit but am so glad I did! It was $8 for foreigners and I loved walking around each of the exhibits and enjoying the views. The staff were so friendly and helped me spot all the frogs in the exhibit, which was really fun! I also saw a lot of iguanas, birds, and two sloths asleep in the trees. Overall it was a great area to walk around and I would absolutely recommend visiting! All signs are in English and Spanish which is extremely helpful for tourists.