Fuerte Amador - Panama Viejo - Coffee

[deadzone1003]

We will be aboard the Coral Princess in March-April and Fuerte Amador is one stop that nothing has been planned. It appears that we will do it on our own, generally using cabs. However, getting to Panama Viejo appears to be a bit of problem. It appears that I have to take a long cab ride or go on an excursion or hire a tour guide to take us there. Are there tour operators at the Pier that will take you to Panama Viejo or do a tour of Panama City? What is the cost"?

 

Another question, where can I get high quality Panamian coffee in Panama City or Fuerte Amador?

[BillB48]

You should be able to arrange for a tour with a cabby where the tenders land, depending on traffic to get out to Panama Viejo would take about 45 minutes or so. That would probably be the farthest point in a city tour and see whatever else you were interested in. Guessing here, I would say $20 to 30/hr would be a ball park figure.... of course it is negotiable. If you don't speak Spanish, just make sure your driver's English is OK.

 

Coffee, this is probably more of Richard in Panama's area, but there are a couple of supermarket chains that you maybe able to find some decent coffee. If you are stopping in Costa Rica, have a look for some there as well.

[pilotdane]

If you have a taxi or guide I like to have them take me to a local grocery store to find beer, water & coffee. The coffee might not be the highest grade exported to the states but it's more fun bringing home the packages that have no English on them.

[Richard in Panama]

Best to take home beans - which have a shelf live of about 1 year, instead of ground coffee which has a shelf life of about 3 months. There are stores where the tenders drop you off at Amador that sell coffee - again, beans are better. PALO ALTO is Arabica grown in our area and is quite popular with Americans visiting Panama. CAFE RUIZ is from Boquete and where we sell our beans - so every bag may have one of my beans in it! DURAN and SITTON are the other big brands. In some of the stores you may find some of the small brands from individual fincas in Boquete with a variety of names. Like wines, coffees have different tastes even from a small area like Boquete, depending on the microclimates where they were grown. You may find PANAMA PILOT'S COFFEE which is grown on a neighboring farm by a guy who is a Canal Pilot and has a coffee farm down the road. Good stuff!

 

There are some local tour operators with vans at the pier - not a lot, but some - who will take you on tours. The yellow cab drivers I end up with in Panama City have always been nice guys, eager to please and very helpful. I'd negotiate an hourly rate and get him to show you Panama City. Casco Viejo (the French, colonial area as opposed to "Old Panama" the ruins of the original city of the 1500s) isn't that far from Amador.

 

Regards, Richard

[deadzone1003]

Thanks, Cafe Ruiz it will be:D, but something tells me it will come down to availability.