Panama really does have an active surfing life
Few people think of Panama as a hotbed of surfing; however, Panama's Santa Catalina Island has one of the surfing world's best-kept secrets, the Punta Break, which stayed under the radar for years because of the small number of people who even knew that there was some great surfboarding in Panama's Coiba National Park. If you are a regular, though, you know about how great it is to surf in Panama, and you know that you have to register early to get some of the recently renovated and upgraded accommodations at Rancho Estero.
Veterans of Panama's surfing know just how treacherous the Punta Break on Santa Catalina Island can be, and now that it has become a part of the worldwide surfing conversation the number of riders waiting for the right wave is beginning to look like a traffic jam at rush hour. That's why a facility such as Rancho Estero, whose staff is from the area and is tremendously warm and helpful, is also the staff to rely upon to find better breaks on one of the many small islands that dot the national park. Indeed, Isla Coiba, itself, has some interesting surfing and few know of it.Ranch Estero, during this season, in fact, is very popular with people who know the best places to stay, so you will have to make your reservation quickly or else think of alternative accommodations such as another Santa Catalina hotel that caters to surfers and that has been recently renovated and modernized. Some Santa Catalina hotels have had the same type of upgrades as Rancho Estero, but it's tough to find a place that can compare on every level.