3 Best Sights in Eastern Panama, Panama

A short trip to the west of Achutupo is the island community of Aligandi, which played an important role in the Guna revolt of 1925. There is a small museum and cultural center focusing on the Guna Revolution. You'll see the Guna flag displayed here, as well as a statue of the local revolutionary Simral Colman, one of the architects of the autonomous Guna Indigenous Preserve.

A fascinating option for adventurous travelers is to spend three nights in the Emberá village of La Marea, a 48-km (30-mile) boat ride southeast of La Palma. Advantage Tours Panama offers four-day tours to La Marea that include nights in rustic accommodations and hiking tours into the nearby rain forest to look for wildlife such as spider monkeys, blue-and-gold macaws, and harpy eagles.

You can experience Emberá life up close in the village of Mogue (pronounced MOE-gay) on a bank of a river of the same name, about 30 km (19 miles) southwest of La Palma. The trip there takes you up a winding river through a thick forest to a traditional Emberá community, where people live in thatched huts perched above the ground on wooden posts. From there, you can hike to the nearby rain forest, which has plenty of wildlife. Some cruise ships visit as a day trip. The tour company Eco Circuitos has a four-day tour to Mogue with overnights in traditional Emberá dwellings.