The dazzling blue coastline and shimmering skyscrapers say Miami, though many joke that you hear more English spoken in Panama. Panama City is nothing if not culturally diverse and driven, rough-edged yet sophisticated. There's much that's new or improved. Central America's first subway is ready, the historic Casco district is renovated and a massive canal expansion nears completion. Take in the city's funky particulars. Pedal the coastal green space, explore the Casco or attend an avant-garde performance and you will realize this tropical capital isn't just about salsa: that's just the backbeat.

Endless Summer

With a spate of deserted islands, chill Caribbean vibes on one side and monster Pacific swells on the other, Panama sits poised to deliver the best of all beach worlds. And a whole other world begins at the water's edge. Seize it by scuba diving with whale sharks in the Pacific, snorkeling the rainbow reefs of Bocas del Toro or setting sail in the indigenous territory of Guna Yala, where virgin isles wear nary a footprint. Meanwhile surfers will be psyched to have world-class breaks all to themselves. Hello, paradise.

The Great Outdoors

In Panama, nature is all about discovery. Explore the ruins of Spanish forts on the Caribbean coast or boat deep into indigenous territories in a dugout canoe. Wildlife is incidental: a resplendent quetzal on the highland trail, an unruly troupe of screeching howler monkeys outside your cabin or a breaching whale that turns your ferry ride into an adrenaline-filled event. Adventure tourism means zipping through rainforest canopies, swimming alongside sea turtles or trekking to sublime cloud-forest vistas. One small tropical country with two long coasts makes for a pretty big playground.

Why I Love Panama

By Carolyn McCarthy, Author

In a world where wilderness and native cultures are disappearing, Panama – against all odds – continues with its essence intact. Trekking through rainforests, watching Congo drumming and sailing between pristine tropical islands offer wonder and delight. The wildlife viewing is astounding both in expected places, like the waters of Isla de Coiba, and in patches of preserved forest just outside the capital. For me Panama is a confluence – an explosion of nature, cultures and beliefs in that messy, musical arrangement that's everyday life in Latin America. All that energy feeds you, and you see the world in new ways.

Lost-World Adventure

You don't have to make it all the way to the Darién to get off the beaten path – though if you do, you've hit one of the most biodiverse spots on the planet. Go where the wild things are. Soak in the spray of towering waterfalls near highland Santa Fé. Visit one of Panama's seven indigenous groups through community tourism. Live out your castaway fantasies in the Guna Yala or idle on a wilderness beach in Península de Azuero. Howl back at the creatures sharing the canopy. Panama is as wild as you want it to be.

The morning I arrived in Havana, bleary after a 4am check-in for a charter from Miami, my group decamped to the terrace of historic Hotel Nacional in need of caffeine. Strong coffees in hand, we were receptive when our trip leader, a well-traveled, unflappable American on his fourth season guiding in Cuba, started the icebreakers.

Asked to share our hopes for a week in a country that’s only about 300 miles from the United States but still (for now) a world away, we voiced the breathless mind-set that’s everywhere these days. 

“I want to see it before it changes,” was the theme among the group on this trip organized by the high-end operator. We were kind compared to what we overheard from nearby Brits and Aussies: Let’s get here before the Americans ruin it.

The thing is, we’re all wrong. Yes, Cuba is about to welcome large cruise ships with US passengers and, most likely, scheduled flights on US carriers. Even without mass tourism from the US, some 3 million people visited Cuba last year, and there’s no question tourism will continue to grow.The morning I arrived in Havana, bleary after a 4am check-in for a charter from Miami, my group decamped to the terrace of historic Hotel Nacional in need of caffeine. Strong coffees in hand, we were receptive when our trip leader, a well-traveled, unflappable American on his fourth season guiding in Cuba, started the icebreakers.

Asked to share our hopes for a week in a country that’s only about 300 miles from the United States but still (for now) a world away, we voiced the breathless mind-set that’s everywhere these days. 

“I want to see it before it changes,” was the theme among the group on this trip organized by the high-end operator GeoEx. We were kind compared to what we overheard from nearby Brits and Aussies: Let’s get here before the Americans ruin it.

The thing is, we’re all wrong. Yes, Cuba is about to welcome large cruise ships with US passengers and, most likely, scheduled flights on US carriers. Even without mass tourism from the US, some 3 million people visited Cuba last year, and there’s no question tourism will continue to grow of the country’s wacked-out dual currency and improve everyday Cubans’ lives be blessings, even if they make things less charming for visitors?)

Anyway, Cuba is evolving, which is why visiting right now is fascinating. We’re nearing another inflection point—Cuba’s succession plan for when (if?) Raul Castro steps down in 2018 is a big question, as is the outcome of the upcoming US election.

For now, the safest, and most educational, way for Americans to go is on a “people-to-people” visa arranged by a tour operator that has earned State Department approval and has organized heavily structured itineraries of “cultural exchange” with at least one Cuban contributing to the conversation at all times. (While still technically illegal, the option of making an undeclared visit via a third country is as viable as ever.) GeoEx was one of the first US companies to secure permits and agreements with the Cuban journalists, economists, musicologists and others who give lectures, lead museum tours and organize artistic performances. Given the staggering growth in people-to-people trips, it’s safe to stay those locals are in high demand. GeoEx snapped up the cream of the crop.

The Mekong Delta is the region in southern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea. It is a very rich and lush area, covered with rice fields, that produces about half of the total of Vietnam’s agricultural output. Subsequently, life in the Mekong Delta revolves much around the river, and all the villages are often accessible by river rather than by road.

.
Reine is a pretty fishing village in the Lofoten archipelago, an area of starkly beautiful Nordic wilderness, where sapphire bays punctuate fjords and mountains. It’s the administrative centre of the municipality of Moskenes in Nordland county, Norway. The village has been a commercial centre since 1743. Despite of its remote location, thousands of people visit this village annually. The village is situated on a promontory just off the European route E10 highway, which passes through the village