Favorite easy-to-access beach from Panama City? Punta Chame

 

The weekend beach crowd often drives right past the turn for Punta Chame and heads straight to the stretch of beaches further along the Pan-American Highway, where high rises and throngs of people compete for open stretches of sand.

For a pleasant surprise, turn left at the large Punta Chame sign (right after Quesos Chela, the ever-popular roadside stand that sells delicious chicheme (popular Panamanian sweet corn milk drink) and cheese empanadas among other snacks) and drive along the winding road for about 30 minutes to Punta Chame, a narrow peninsula with relatively untouched beaches. Punta Chame has one main road - if you prefer to stroll on the beach by yourself, park on your right-hand side and walk along the right side of the peninsula. If you like a bit more action on the beach and want to try out kite-surfing, head left! The water on the left-hand side is very calm and shallow. Undecided? I usually park close to the end of the road and walk around the tip of the peninsula to see both sides.

Punta Chame is an excellent beach for a nice walk or long run given its expansive and relatively flat, well-packed stretches of sand. Depending on the season, you may see several jellyfish.