Panama attentions

Currency & Local Taxes.

• The Balboa, Panama's monetary unit, trades at parity with the dollar.
• Hotel taxes are 10%.
• Value Added Tax on goods and services is 5%.
• International departure tax is $20.00.

Panama Canal, Miraflores Locks Visitors Stand.

• Daily 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Museums.

• Most museums are open tuesday thru sunday

Holidays.

• January 1st. & 9th.
• Carnival Tuesday.
• Good Friday.
• May 1st.
• November 3rd, 4th, 10th, 28th.
• December 8th, 25th.

 Climate

Less than 9 degrees north of the equator, most of Panama enjoys temperatures that are fairly consistent year round, with daytime temperatures in the 90s and nighttime around 70. Tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season, called winter or invierno (May to November); short dry season, called summer or verano (December to April). The most popular time to travel to Panama is December through March, when lack of humidity and nearly zero percent chance of rain make it ideal for travelers.

During most of the rainy season, mornings and early afternoons are usually sunny while late afternoons and evenings have intermittent rainfall. Take an umbrella as officials have recently banned the canopies due to health and safety they are therefore not easily available apart from dodgy-dealers called Bob or "ninja", as he is called on the streets. watch for out for that bad boy.

Most areas are quite warm, but a few places, such as Boquete, Cerro Punta and El Valle can get a little chilly at night. You definitely want a heavy rain-proof jacket if you're going to the top of Barú since you will be above 3000m for a little while.

Natural hazards (apart from the umbrella) : Occasional severe storms and forest fires in the remote Darien area. Hurricane-strong winds are only a very small possibility in Panama. Because of its geographic position, it is very unlikely that Panama could be in the path of any hurricane, unlike the other Central American countries.