Why Panama?

Sadly it wasn't a good time to sidestep from Colombia into Ecuador, which was in a state of emergency (a cartel gang having taken a news team hostage live on national TV).

Panama seemed like a calmer neighbour, and would be a gateway to the eco-paradise of Costa Rica.

So ! It was time to find out whether the Panama Canal could truly measure up to those of Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent! 

Our Route

We hugged the Pacific coasts of Panama and Costa Rica for 1400 miles, with a brief foray into Nicaragua

(then back down to Costa Rica for our flight out from Liberia).

The Journey

PANAMA

Pedalling into Panama from Colombia wasn't an option. The Darién Gap borderland is a dense roadless jungle, full of natural and human dangers.

We were fortunate to have the choice of flying over this region: many desperate migrants risk their lives to hike through it.

Above: A crocodile warning sign, en route to the Panama Canal (none sighted here!)

We arrived at tiny Panamá Pacífico Airport, just outside Panama City.

The very North American feel of the first supermarket was a world away from Colombia, with a vast array of recognisable brands and no armed guards at the door!

We can't deny going a bit shop-crazy, eating our way through a selection of 'daydream delights' - fantasising about food is a big part of cycle touring !

It was a short pedal to Miraflores at the Pacific end of the Panama Canal, where visitors can watch monster ships passing through massive locks. 

And ok, we were impressed!

Above: Standing at the back of the seating area gave us a great view over the crowds at Miraflores observation deck.

We thought Miraflores was worth the entry fee. You just need to be lucky with your choice of viewing time (there aren't always ships at the locks). And the explanatory IMAX movie is a must-see.

A spine of mountainous jungle divides Panama's Pacific and Caribbean coasts.

Digging a ground-level canal through it would be impossible.

The ingenious solution: create a huge lake spanning the land (by damming a river, to flood it).

Add locks at each end to raise ships up to the lake, and lower them back to sea level on the other side of it.

And all this was completed by 1914 !

We headed along the Pan-American Highway, our sole road option through Panama.

It was uninspiring. Along its eastern half the traffic was heavy, and the towns were all malls and drive-thrus.

There was a decent hard shoulder to ride on, but tyre debris caused us regular punctures (our sealant had dried out long ago, and we were back on inner tubes).

Above: Altos de Campana National Park

We did escape from Highway 1 into a national park area and some coastal spots like Santa Catalina and Las Lajas, which were refreshingly low-key and peaceful.

Above - Time to dip those feet at El Farallón del Chirú. As sweaty cyclists, it's a must !

Further west: Panama's Highway 1 became quieter, with just a few trucks and pipa fría (coconut water) stalls (below).

COSTA RICA

The border crossing at Paso Canoas turned into a farcical hokey cokey. We were just a bit too relaxed !

When the Costa Rican border guard asked how long we were staying for, and we replied "about a month", he stamped our passports for a 30-day stay.

We then realised that we might overshoot this, asked him for an extension, and were told that we needed to leave Costa Rica, cross back into Panama, then start afresh. This process took all day🤦‍♀️🤦‍♂️

We had a blast touring the unspoilt Osa Peninsula, home to Corcovado National Park.

Lush rainforest, quiet tropical beaches, toucans, hummingbirds, scarlet macaws, howler monkeys ... it was BEAUTIFUL, true "pura vida".

Below: the beautiful Osa Peninsula

Below:- A cycle and a trek to King Louis Waterfalls - Osa Peninsula - tested Molly's 'rope climbing skills'!! 

Below: Howler monkeys taking an afternoon nap in the Osa Peninsula

Below - "Pedal or push!" on the sweaty slog to Sierpe 

Continuing north: the coast became much busier and more touristy - notably around Quepos and Manuel Antonio National Park. 

We took the ferry (we love a ferry trip!!) from Puntarenas to the Nicoya Peninsula, where things felt calmer once again.

A chance encounter in Jacaral took us to their annual rodeo show - an ELECTRIFYING spectacle.

We were captivated by the skilful cowboys (above and below), who somehow lassoed the raging bulls once the riders had been thrown off.

No serious injuries were sustained that night, despite the best efforts of crazy locals who played "chicken" at the edge of the bullring (above) to demonstrate their bravery !

Although we didn't have much time, we couldn't resist popping up into Nicaragua.

It was a hot, dry pedal up to the border. We passed a ten-mile queue of lorries waiting there. A friendly trucker confirmed that this was quite normal, due to bureaucratic backlogs.

Above: Some drivers hung hammocks under their trucks to while away the 3-day wait at the border !

NICARAGUA

Nicaragua has an authoritarian government, and a complex political history. Within a few kilometres of the border, we had to pass through a tense military checkpoint. Lots of questions followed, including about the contents of our panniers ! 

Below - our accommodation stop in Nicaragua (Blue Morpho Lodge - beautiful) where the owners Michael and his wife gave us a very comfortable stay and the Ometepe Island visit recommendation 

Ometepe was peaceful, rustic and beautiful. The island road loops in a figure-of-8 around the two volcanoes, and made for a great couple of days' relaxed pedalling.

Above and Below - Ometepe like 'stepping back in time'

Caballeros still herding cattle (with a smile and a wave to 2 crazy cycle tourists!)

A family preparing a home grown pig 

We took our least restful "rest day" ever on Ometepe, taking a hike up the dormant volcano (below) with a local guide. An amazing adventure 🌋👍

The jungle paths were so steep in places that we had to pull ourselves up on a rope and abseil down on a rope. Six hours of trekking, yep we earned our beer that day! 

We definitely needed a guide too as the route up and down was not easy to follow! Our guide was fantastic, pointing out interesting facts and spotting various birds/animals on route.

The cycling legs were 'jelly like' the next day! We just can't resist a 'rest day challenge' 💪

Above - made it to the top! Now just the 'getting down' bit! 

Above - Ometepe is a Treasure Island a Must Visit on a bicycle - we loved it 🚲 ... and have daydreamed about taking a small group cycling tour there one day.

Below - on the road back to the land border with Costa Rica we stopped to 'cadge' some boiling water for our coffee flask - The Belgian motor-home folks were only too happy to oblige and as it was Easter time gave us some Belgian Chocolates too! Charlie was in heaven!! 

Food & accommodation 

Standard Latin American fare prevailed: chicken/fish, rice and beans, salad. Panama and Costa Rica were expensive, so we cooked our own simple meals whenever possible. 

Nicaraguan cuisine was very similar, but eating out was much cheaper.

Panamanian Beer (well, you gotta try it) - Balboa the local currency has the same name! 

Even "budget" rooms in Panama and Costa Rica cost around £50/night, sometimes more. 

Costa Rica is very relaxed about wild camping, but we just couldn't deal with the extreme heat inside the tent. Charlie ended up sleeping outside !

Again, Nicaragua was far cheaper.

Above - the driveway up to Blue Morpho B&B (Nicaragua) 

We used a mixture of AirBnB, Bookingcom and direct calls to places on Google Maps (this generally needed some basic Spanish).

Below: we experienced a range of comedy showers throughout Latin America - this one was from Paso Canoas

Below - some beautiful places to stay in Latin America 

Panama & Costa Rica:

our thoughts

Another beautifully challenging adventure. 

Land border crossings always 'interesting' and a learning experience.

Jungle, coastline, villages, ferries, hills, tarmac, gravel, dust and more. 

Blue skies, sunshine. 

Sweat and more sweat! Tears, laughter and smiles!

Wonderful 'real world' experiences! 

Throw in a volcano trek and it all came together as 'one hell of a great few days out on a bike'!!