3 Best Sights in Portobelo, The Canal and Central Panama

One block east of Real Aduana is the Iglesia de San Felipe, a large white church dating from 1814 that's home to the country's most venerated religious figure: the Cristo Negro (Black Christ). According to legend, that statue of a dark-skinned Jesus carrying a cross arrived in Portobelo in the 17th century on a Spanish ship bound for Cartagena, Colombia. Each time the ship tried to leave, it encountered storms and had to return to port, convincing the captain to leave the statue in Portobelo. Another legend has it that in the midst of a cholera epidemic in 1821 parishioners prayed to the Cristo Negro, and the community was spared. The statue spends most of the year to the left of the church's altar, but once a year it's paraded through town in the Festival del Cristo Negro. Each year the Cristo Negro is clothed in a new purple robe, donated by somebody who's earned the honor. Behind San Felipe are the ruins of the Iglesia de San Juan de Dios, which date from 1589.

Playa Blanca is a small, white-sand beach about 30 minutes by boat east of Portobelo. It has the nicest sand of any beach in the area, some shade trees, and there are reefs off shore for snorkelling. There are no roads there, nor are there restaurants or stores. The water is almost always calm, but if there are waves, don't go in deep. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; snorkeling; swimming.

The easiest beach to visit in the vicinity is Playa La Angosta, which is about 8 km (5 miles) south of Portobelo. The long, beige beach backed by coconut palms and other trees is quiet during the week, but on weekends and holidays, it can get packed with visitors from Colón and Panama City. There is a small charge for parking a car and renting tables on the beach with thatched sombrillas; you can also rent Bali-style daybeds for $15-$20 for the day. Restaurant Mamani, on the beach, serves a small selection of seafood and cool drinks, and has the only bathrooms. Amenities: food and drink; parking; toilets. Best for: partiers; swimming; walking.