The fourth in a series of articles comparing Central America’s two leading expat and retiree destinations. Costa Rica is the more established of the two, but Panama is the upstart new kid on the block with a full head of steam and a pocket full of dollars. Who will come out on top? Read more and find out.
Click here for Round 1: Retirement Benefits
Click here for Round 2: Climate
Click here for Round 3: People and Culture
Round 4: Things to do
If you are going to pack up (or sell) everything and move to Central America, you might as well go somewhere where there is stuff to do; after all, you can only sit on the porch and drink so many margaritas before it becomes mundane (or does it…). In this matchup, the cultural and outdoor activities of each country are looked at and a winner decided. Round four, begin!
Note: While sitting on the beach all day is fun, it can be done in both countries with equal laziness. Thus, beachbumming does not count as an activity.
Costa Rica
Expats, retirees, and tourists wouldn’t have been flocking to CR for two decades if all there was to do was sit on the beach all day. For a tiny country, Costa Rica boasts a huge array of attractions that can keep the average gringo busy for months, if not years. Here are a few top picks, both in outdoor activities and cultural discoveries.
Into the wild:
1. Arenal volcano- Yeah, its been exploited more than Macauley Caulkin, but Arenal still is one of Costa Rica’s most impressive, and easily accessible, natural attraction. Not only does lava commonly spurt from the top, but the surrounding area is popular for hiking, fishing, and canopy tours.
2. White water rafting- This is some intense stuff. The #1 river to raft is the Pacuare River, which not only offers a rush of adrenaline but also a chance to see virgin rainforest up close, without the mosquito bites.
3. Parque Corcovado. It would be a sin to leave out Corcovado from any list. This is the absolute best place in Central America to immerse oneself in the rainforest without going “Man vs Wild” Bear Grylls-style. Far enough from the tourist trail but still within civilization, the park offers unparalleled access to plants and animals in their natural habitat. And the hiking isn’t all that difficult.
Whats a Tico, anyway?
1. San Jose museums and opera house- not many travellers or expats spend much time in the capital, but the gold and jade museums, along with the Belgian/Italian designed opera house, are worth checking out to get some background on Costa Rica’s long history.
2. Grana de oro- Coffee is big time in CR, and even non-fans of the stuff (like me) will find the coffee regions intrguing. The process, the climate, the scenery, plus the opportunity to taste and buy some of the “gold grain”
3. Craft shopping- Even the guys out there will enjoy this, as every manpad (or dining room…) should have at least one piece of badass foreign art that you can tell your friends about. Despite not having a gloried pre-Colombian past, the country boasts some excellent handmade crafts, from pottery and dolls to colorful oxcarts, that are available for a fraction of what you would pay for them in North America.
While it can sometimes feel like you are being led around by the hand by tour guides and its often hard to go five minutes without seeing a fellow gringo, Costa Rica has a ton of activitis to offer, too many to list here. The infrastructure is top notch, making even the novice traveler or expat feel comfortable.
Panama
In a country that is still being discovered by gringos, Panama has some really cool stuff for the expat, retiree, and tourist alike.
Into the wild:
1. Wildlife viewing- Rainforests and cloudforests dominate Panama, so there is no lack of opportunity to get out and see some nature. The famed Pipeline Road is close to the capital in the Soberania Park and is great for birdwatching, and the Baru National Park in Chiriqui is well known for its Quetzal birds.
2. Tree canopy adventures- scattered in forests throughout the country, these “rides” consist of a person being harnessed and attached to a zipline, then literally flying around the forest canopy from one platform to another. Really cool, safe, and a total adrenaline rush.
3. Diving and snokeling- Get off the beach and into the water. Around Portobello, Isla Grande has well-established dive programs and Bocas del Toro offers some untouched diving spots.
The canal and more
1. Panama Canal- Every tourist, expat, and retiree should see the canal in action at least once. Not only is it really a remarkable feat of engineering, but also a big part of each Panamanian; a true source of pride. If possible, book a trip from the Pacific to the Caribbean or vice-versa.
2. Portobello- Steeped in history, this Caribbean town was once one of the most important cities in the Western hemisphere. Some of the most famous pirates fought brutal campaigns in and around the town, and the ruins are quite amazing and the tourist infrastrure well set up.
3. Go native- Panama boasts some pretty unique and accessible indigenous tribes, each one being different in some way, beit customs or language. The Embera people mainly inhabit the dangerous Darien forest along the border with Colombia, but a few communities have made their way to the Chagres River by the canal area and welcome visitors daily. Along the Caribbean coast, the Kuna people make their home among the 400 islands of San Blas, so visitors are treated to an incredible setting as well as indigenous customs.
Round 4 winner: Costa Rica. This was a close one, but Costa Rica’s far superior infrasture gives it the edge. While this might not appeal to everyone, CR is just more accessable than Panama; however, given the right oversight Panama could easily equal, or even surpass, Costa Rica in terms of cool things to do. And man, Corcovado just plain rocks. Score: Costa Rica: 2, Panama: 1, 1 tie
Voice your opinion below. Agree, disagree, or have additional info thats been left out? We want to hear from you…
There are a few important points of Panama that were left out, i.e. carnavales, Baru Volcano, the highlands of Panama and their sooooo cool climate, rafting, the Pacific shores with great beaches….well, a lot and more left out…
yeah silvia, much left out. I could write a volume of books about all the things these two countries have to offer. Unfortunately, had to limit it to only a few things…trust me,it was hard to leave off Baru
Sylvia,
Te hace falta una buena visita a Panama, supongo que eres “Tica” por lo mucho que defiendes CR, los Panamenos somos apasionados, amigables, y nuestra carreteras estan superiores a CS, es una pena que utilizes la red para desinformar y confundir en vez de ilustrar a los visitantes y potenciales residentes a Panama. La indiferencia Tica ante la politica no los hace necesariamente mejores y mas inteligentes, muy por el contrario. Pero no importa Panama es para los Panamenos, y aquellos con mente abierta que desean salir de su area de comodidad, no se si los Ticos sabrian qe eso eso. VIVA PANAMA!
Costa Rica is the best country around central america. I was there a couple months ago and since the people until the natural enviroment is just amazing!!! Other point, is the wheater!! I loved it!!!!
Panama is very warm, but the main city is oh my loard! Awesome!!
Anyway, both places are beautiful!!
Corcovado National is a beautifull place, it is the most important natural reserve of costa rica.
Do I care about what this Tico disguised as a “Gringo” has to say? Hell no! You can easily see that he is trying to misinform people using the web because they are begining to feel the hole in their pockets, since CR is not longer the tourist attraction it used to be. Now, on the other hand, Panama is the new kid on the block with a full head of steam and a pocket full of dollars (using your own words) (something that Costa Rica lacks) furthermore, you are going to use any means you can to destroy Panama, but be careful and beware, Panama, in the latter years, has had almost as many tourists as Costa Rica and believe me very soon we are going to surpass CR.
What is the meaning of infrasture? Did you mean infrastructure? If so, man you dont know what you are talking about. CR having better infrastructure than Panama hahahahahahahaaha. This was a joke.
Costa Rica is so invaded you would think it was part of florida. Duty is so expensive you can’t buy the toy’s like boats motorcycles and cars. Who has the better Roads. Who has the better Atlantic? What beach in Costa Rica compares to Santa Clara? Who has the best islands? San Blas, Pearless. Who has the better food? Who has the best Lake? Gatun the best in the world. Who has better Golf? Who speaks more english. Who uses the US dollar? Who has the coolest black people? Who has the best weed?
Both countries SUCK, if you like to spend life with water up to you knees looking a tiny frog on a tree, there is Costa Rica, Panama City looks nice from the distance or by night, but nothing else.
I personally have a hard time when choosing between Panama and Costa Rica. I’ve written many blogs comparing the two countries, but I really liked the various categories into which you broke down the comparison. I live in both places and travel back and forth constantly. I find myself favoring Costa Rica for some things and Panama for others. There are unfortunately times when I don’t care for either country, and times when I am in love with both. I think it’s easier to start a business in Costa Rica but better to live or retire in Panama (at this minute), but things change with each new administration. Costa Rica has a LOT more going for it in terms of tourism and a head start on protecting its national parks, but Panama is years ahead in commerce. If the two neighbors would only learn from each other, rather than the xenophobic approach reflected in some of the comments here. One can only hope!
Just ask all the thousands of gringo Retiree’s pouring into Panama from Costa Rica. Why would that be???? Perhaps, the other side of the story.
I love Costa Rica and all, but could you explain the superior infrastructure deal a little better? There seems to be a typo. I don’t think you really mean Costa Rica’s infrastructure is better than Panama’s.
My family is planning a escape – we have two teenagers who love the rainforest, animals, riding quadrunners, snorkeling. We would ideally like to rent a home there as we may be joined by another family. Any suggestions would be appreciated and thank you!