Search hotels in Portobelo

I've been traveling to Portobelo many times and I love this place. Only a couple of hours' drive from Panama City, and you reach a Caribbean Jam with a lot of History, one of the most beautiful bays I've ever seen, and friendly people. The place is full of History ( Ruins of Spanish fortresses, the Aduana building, etc). Christopher Columbus named Portobelo when he arrived there and saw its beauty, and it was a very significant town in the old days (as important as New York nowadays), as the Spaniards moved the Gold they had taken from the Indians from Latin America. There are 3 fortresses surrounding the village (one on the other side of the bay) as Potoibelo was constantly attacked by Pirates such as Henry Morgan, Sir Francis Drake, and even the brother of George Washington. The people who live in the village are mainly the descendants of the Cimarons ( the runaway slaves).In the village center, you will see the San Felippe Church with Cristo Negro (the Bleck Christ). When the missionaries arrived in these countries, they made Black Jesus statues to bring the African slaves into Christianity. The pilgrims of Cristo Negro walk each year from Panama and the surrounding countries, walking dressed in purple (sometimes on the knees and rolling on their backs for many kilometers) There are 2 important events each year: Diablos and Congos Festival each March and the Cristo Negro event in the 21st of October each year, which we had seen for the first time now. A must!

The town of Portobelo is small and worth about an hour to see the black Christ in the church and few forts that are around. It's better to stay on the outskirts in one of the beach hotels. Most have restaurants.

Portobelo is an ideal destination for a long weekend trip on your journey through Panama. The towns are very simple, however what we liked most was the people and the authenticity of the region. You cannot miss the nice beaches and beautiful places like "Isla Mamey", "Isla Grande", "Playa Blanca", "Venas Azules"

Portobelo is perfect location for divers, known for the sunken plane but there is so much more. We have seen the most fish out of 3 locations we have been to in Panama (Bocas and Coiba). Corals are beautiful there, water quite calm. We would highly reccomend Golden Frog diving, our guide Rey was amazing, calm guy with a lots of knowledge :)