Destination: Caribbean Town of Portobelo in Colon Province

fuerte-de-san-lorenzo-portobelo-panama

Portobelo is a port city in the Colon Province of Panama, founded in 1597. Its strategic location made the city prosper and become an important port in the colonization of the Americas. As a stopping point for all Spanish treasure fleets, this city starting hosting the famous Portobelo Trading Fairs, a precouser to Panama’s Free Trade Zone.

Because of all the wealth that passed through the area, it became a favorite for pirates such as Captain Henry Morgan, Sir Francis Drake, and Admiral Edward Vernon of the British Empire. The last attack proved the vulnerability of the Spanish trading practices and devastated Portobelo’s economy, which did not rise again until the Panama Canal was build.

Now a days, Portobelo is a sleepy city with a population of less than 5,000. It has a deep natural harbor and has become an well known eco tourism and adventure tourism destination in Panama.

In 1980 UNESCO declared the nearby Fort of San Lorenzo (picture above) a World Heritage Site.

Adventure Tours:

Longest Canopy Line of Panama or Jungle Camping

Horseback Riding Tours in Portobelo

Errabache Embera Native Experience

Tubing down Rio Piedra

Snorkeling and Diving Tours:

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving on the Caribbean of Panama

Dive 2 Oceans: Pacific and Atlantic

Hotels:

More photos of Portobelo:

fuerte-fort-de-san-lorenzo-portobelo-colon-panama

canons-san-lorenzo-fort-pirates-portobelo-colon-panama

aduana-portobelo-colon-panama

colon-portobelo-gente-people

diablitos-devils-portobelo-colon-panama

For more information about Panama travel, tourism, and locations contact Panama Travel Group today.

info@panamatravelgroup.com

+507-202-1111 (Panama) | 1-786-539-4731 (USA)

Twitter Digg Delicious Stumbleupon Technorati Facebook Email

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Panama City | What to do in Panama - 07. Dec, 2009

    [...] sector of Panama City called Casco Viejo, and the Spanish fortresses and custom house in Portobelo in the Province of Colon, all of which have been declared World Cultural Patrimony by the United [...]

Leave a Reply

Overall Rating
Location
Service
Price