From the UK

Financial Times' Top Destinations 2012 - Panama lets you get a taste of the whole of Central America in one trip. This article has a reference to one place to stay in Bocas, but there are many options.

Stylist Magazine - The people are welcoming and the living is easy. This the description they gave to Bocas del Toro. Right on.

National Geographic

In its article "Best Trips 2012," National Geographic Traveler has named Panama as one of the best destinations for 2012. This article discusses Panama in general.

Emerging Terrains News references the National Geographic article and adds more information regarding why you should take a trip to Panama. This article references a few different locations within the country as options for travelers.

Travel and Leisure

As part of its Hottest Travel Destinations of 2012, Travel and Leisure states that Panama is courting high fliers. This article doesn't reference Bocas del Toro.

Momma & baby Sloth

New York Times - The 45 Places to Go in 2012

Take a look at this New York Times Travel article - The 45 Places to Go in 2012. Panama is number one on the list. The article gives a brief description about things in Panama City and recommends Bocas del Toro. Bocas del Toro is much more than a backpacker's haven - it is a naturalist's dream. The province of Bocas del Toro hosts two national parks, one of which is a world heritage site. One park, Bastimentos National Marine Park, covers a large portion of the archipelago and is home to a variety of ecosystems that thrive at or around sea level. Expeditions into the parks are designed to cover a diverse range of ecosystems and terrain and can be tailored to meet your areas of interest, experience and physical abilities. You can find more on the specific excursions available from here.

Inexpensive Flights

I just received a fare alert this morning that shows inexpensive flights beginning on January 20, 2012 and running at least through February, 2012 from Houston to Panama. TACA is flying from Houston to San Salvador to Panama with one stop on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. If you schedule your flight to arrive and depart on one of those days then the airfare is running under $350 round trip. Check it out if you are planning to visit Panama next year.

Good examples of sustainability

Conservation of our natural resources is an extremely important issue world wide. Each of us is responsible for taking care of the earth in some way or another so that we may pass it on to the next generation and so on. Obviously with our business based upon eco adventure we are concerned about these issues. We subscribe to a variety of publications and are members of different groups which work to support the earth and all of its inhabitants in one way or another.

I recently came across two different initiatives that I found compelling. One was an interview that the Adventure Travel Trade Association did with Neil Rogers of Francis Ford Coppola Resorts. I have never personally visited any of the Coppola family's resorts, but I have studied them a bit. As we were developing our business here in Panama we researched throughout Central America for businesses which had a like-minded outlook on sustainable tourism. We studied each of these businesses and took away pieces of information that might help us as we developed our own lodge. This article gives a brief look into many of the issues facing sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism can be a challenge and a blessing no matter where the business is located.

The second initiative I encountered over the weekend was one put out by The Nature Conservancy. TNC has a new campaign called Use Your Outside Voice. Now, as a mom of young children I thought I knew all about "outside voice", but apparently I was a bit off. TNC has put together a campaign to have people speak up for nature and is calling it Use Your Outside Voice. This appealed to me. If each one of us would do something for our community a long the same vein as we do for our children's schools or our other affiliations then we would be able to make a difference. One of my children's favorite stories is Dr. Seuess' The Lorax. Our children received it as a gift from our dear friends David and Linda Cerutti. The Lorax speaks for the trees. More of us should speak for the trees. Maybe this campaign by TNC is your chance to speak up a bit.

Bizarre Airfare Deals & New Flights to Bocas

When you begin to plan your vacation to Panama, you should consider looking around at the different airports within a reasonable area of where you need to depart from and return to on your trip. A good example is travel from Texas to Panama. Continental Airlines has several non-stops each day traveling in and out of Houston, Texas. Certain times of the year, you can get a better price flying out of San Antonio rather than from Houston. For example, if you fly from Houston at the end of October to Panama round trip the airfare is $660 per person. If you fly from San Antonio it is $457 per person. Why a $200 difference when you are taking an additional flight and then getting on the same flight to make it to Panama? I can't tell you. My best understanding is that they have more competition out of San Antonio. The flights from Austin are about the same price as the flights from Houston and in some instances they are more expensive.

On a separate note, Aeroperlas has begun flying from Tocumen International Airport to Bocas. There are two flights a day from Tocumen International Airport over to Albrook Airport and then on to Bocas. The flights are the same price as the flights from Albrook to Bocas and it takes a step out of the transportation process because you do not have to arrange for ground transportation to get from the international airport to the domestic airport in Panama City. The flight leaves Albrook for Bocas around 3:00 pm each afternoon. Each morning the flight leaves Bocas for Panama around 8:40 am to then be transferred over via airplane to Tocumen by 11:00 am. You cannot book these flights on sites like Travelocity just yet, but we expect it to be available to you in the next few months. You can book these flights from Aeroperlas on www.aeroperlas.com

Travel to and from Bocas del Toro and Panama is getting just a bit easier. Why don't you check it out for yourself? And you might find a less-expensive fare if you poke around a little bit.

Up and Down: Sloth

Upside Down Jellyfish

Cassiopea or upside down jellyfish that we find around Tranquilo Bay. You can learn more about them here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassiopea One thing that we have found different than what is explained in the wikipedia article is that we have never had anyone be stung by this species. We go snorkeling around these jellyfish on a regular basis. We find them in these large groups that resemble bouquets of flowers. The variance in color, etc. is amazing.

Carnival Mask

Here is a great carnival mask that Jim snapped in town this month. These things are worn by the diablos participating in the Carnival festivities on Isla Colon.

Panama Video

This is a beautiful compilation of footage around Panama. Enjoy!

Birding Panama

Jim, Ramon and Natalia have worked hard to put together this video. It is amazing. Let us know what you think!

Bocas Town

Zapatilla Cayes

Tranquilo Bay Grounds

Scenes from Punta Valiente

Family @ Punta Valiente

Women @ Punta Valiente

Children @ Punta Valiente