The Amador Causeway

The rock and earth dug out of the Culebra Cut had to go somewhere, and a good deal of it went into a causeway running six kilometres out from the mainland to join four small islands, built partly to stop silt drifting into the canal entrance. It is now the city's promenade: a wide path along both sides used by cyclists, runners and everyone else in the evening, with the skyline of Panama City on one side, ships queuing for the canal on the other, and the Bridge of the Americas overhead. The Biomuseo stands at the landward end and Punta Culebra has a small marine exhibit run by the research institute.

What you actually see

• The skyline view - the whole city across the bay from the causeway.
• Ships at anchor - queuing for the Pacific entrance to the canal.
• The Bridge of the Americas - spanning the canal mouth above.
• Punta Culebra - the marine exhibit and coastal dry forest at the end.

When to go

December to April is the dry season. Late afternoon and evening is when the causeway fills and the light on the skyline is best. Weekends are busy with families. It is fully exposed, so midday is hot.

Honest expectations

It is a promenade rather than a destination, and the restaurants along it are priced for visitors. Traffic on the road is heavy at weekends. There is no shade for most of its length. Swimming is not advisable; the water at the canal entrance is not clean.

Nearby

Casco Viejo is fifteen minutes; the Biomuseo is at the causeway entrance.