Taboga

Taboga lies about twenty kilometres off Panama City and has been the city's escape since the Spanish period, when it was a supply station for expeditions south. The village runs up a steep hillside in narrow lanes with flowers over every wall, which is where the island of flowers name comes from, and the church of San Pedro is claimed locally as among the oldest in continuous use in the western hemisphere, founded around 1550. The southern part of the island and neighbouring Urabá are a wildlife refuge holding one of the largest brown pelican colonies in the world. Paul Gauguin worked on the canal and stayed here in 1887.

What you actually see

• The village lanes - narrow, steep and heavy with bougainvillea.
• San Pedro church - claimed as among the oldest in the hemisphere.
• The pelican colony - one of the world's largest, on the refuge side.
• The Cerro Vigía walk - up to the cross above the village.

When to go

December to April is the dry season. Weekends bring large numbers from the city and the small beaches fill; weekdays are much calmer. Ferries run several times a day and the last return is early evening.

Honest expectations

The beaches are small and get very crowded at weekends, and water quality has been criticised. The island charges an entry fee on arrival on top of the ferry. Facilities are limited and prices high for what they are. The ferry can be rough in the afternoon wind.

Nearby

Panama City is 45 minutes by ferry; the Pearl Islands are further out.