Top 10 Cool Facts about Panama
Word on the street is that Panama is one of only three Carbon Negative countries!
️Could it be because of our 900 square miles of mangroves? Did you know that mangroves absorb up to five times more carbon dioxide per 2.5 acres than a forest does? They store this carbon dioxide in their leaves, trunks, roots, and soil. While on your retreat, you can sign up for our Mangrove Tour where we explore the mangroves on a SUP board.
Panama is a birders Paradise with 1002 identified bird species.
And Istmo is a hotspot on E-bird with over 88 species identified here on our 4-acre property.
Fun Fact: When Sean and I met he was working for the Peregrine Fund in the Education Program. One of his many cool jobs was flying and feeding Luigi, their educational Harpy Eagle. Here is a picture of Sean when I met him.
Panama has 7 indigenous Peoples each with its unique culture and language.
The 7 Indigenous Peoples of Panama are Ngäbe, the Buglé, the Guna, the Emberá, the Wounaan, the Bri bri, and the Naso Tjërdi. According to the 2010 census, they number 417,559 inhabitants or 12% of the total Panamanian population. We are lucky to be located about one and a half hours away from an inviting EMBERA Community.
Make sure to include the Embera Tour in your Retreat.
The worldwide hit Despacito was written by Panamania Artist Ericka Ender.
I know this is a kinda outta palace on this list, but my kids and I just love that song and we are thrilled when we found out it was written by a Panamanian.
You can go from Miami Glitz and Glamor to Primary Rainforest in 15 minutes.
Did you know that the densest Rainforest of Panama is right by the City? This is because Panama NEEDs its rainforest to keep the Panama Canal functioning. If we cut down the Rainforest it won't rain enough to keep the most important economic asset of the country in business.
Another interesting fact is that it rains a lot more in the City than where Istmo is located. The forest around us is considered Tropical Dry Forest.
From skyscrapers galore to humble fishing villages, cloud forest mountain towns, indigenous villages, waterfalls, or island archipelagos in less than an hour.
Panama City has over 50 skyscrapers that are over 30 stories high (that is as many skyscrapers as Houston has), but you drive a few miles, and you are surrounded by natural tropical bliss.
You can see the sunrise over the Pacific Ocean and the sunset over the Caribbean Sea on the same day.
That is just super cool and something very unique about Panama, especially considering that the drive between costs is less than 2 hours. At its thinnest part, Panama is only 30 miles (60 km) wide.
Panama means - Abundance of fish and butterflies.
There are over 50 species of game fish and countless more tropical and freshwater fish populate the oceans and waterways of Panama. There and over 1,500 species of butterfly that either live or migrate through Panama. I still am awestruck when I see a Blue Morpho butterfly drifting by as I eat breakfast.
No Jet Lag and short inexpensive travel if coming from Canada or the USA.
Especially if you just have a week or less of vacation time, that is PRICELESS!
Panama is the bridge of the world and the heart of the universe.
ISTMO is the Spanish word for isthmus or a small body of land connecting two larger bodies of land. When the Isthmus of Panama rose from the sea, it changed life on Earth in many countless ways. Today this bridge of life hosts an astonishing wealth of biodiversity and is the nexus of a multitude of connections- climatic, biological, and cultural- that link the globe.
Our hope is that you can feel the heart of the universe beating as you walk the Labyrinth on our property.
10.5 - along the lines of the bridge of the world and the heart of the universe...
Panama is very diverse with people from all over the world considering it home. The country has Hindu temples, a Bahía Temple, mosques, Catholic and Protestant churches, Synagogues, rich history of Santeria, and countless other expressions of ways people celebrate their unique connection to the universal creator. We celebrate this diversity on the Humanity Trail that winds through the forest on our property. It has 7 different stations with inspirational quotes about tolerance and compassion. Ideals that we embrace here at Istmo.
