El Porvenir

Introduction

El Porvenir is the capital of the Panamanian comarca (indigenous territory) of Guna Yala. The settlement is located on a small island and contains a landing strip, a museum (the Museo de la Nación Guna, or Museum of the Guna Nation), a hotel, government offices, and an artisans' cooperative. There is also a small beach.

Getting There

By Plane

The domestic airlines Air Panama and Aeroperlas have daily flights.

Sleep

There is a small hostal on the island and on nearby Nalunega you will find the also very affordable Hotel San Blas. The offer tours to other, uninhabited islands as part of their rates.

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafes can be found in cities and most major towns. Wifi is on the rise though with many hotels, restaurants and bars offering this services, especially in the major tourist areas like Panama City, Bocas del Toro and Boquete. Some mountainous or off the beaten track areas might not have any internet services at all.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Panama's country code is 507. All cellular numbers start with the number 6 and have 8 digits. Land line phone numbers have 7 digits. 911 is the general emergency phone number.

Calls to the USA and Europe are between 4 and 10 cents a minute. The best way to make international calls from Panama is to buy prepaid telephone cards that are sold at every corner. The most popular is the TeleChip card. If you bring your cellphone, you can choose to buy a local simcard, instead of paying high charges for internet use through your home provider.

Post

Correos y Telegrafos is the national postal company of Panama. It provides a wide range of services though you usually have to use the post offices for both sending and receiving mail and packages, including buying stamps. Post offices can be found in many cities and towns and are open from 6:30am to 5:45pm Monday to Friday and 7:00am to 5:00pm on Saturday. Domestic mail takes several days but to the USA and Europe for example it can take anywhere from 5 to over 10 days depending on the country. For sending larger packages, you might also consider using companies like FedEx, TNT, UPS or DHL, as they offer fast, reliable and competitively priced services as well.

External Links