If you’re looking for a tropical getaway to spend your retirement days in, why not look to Central America and Panama in particular. It has just been named the top investment destination by Property Frontiers for 2009, and it is increasing massively in popularity as a lifestyle destination too.
Located between Costa Rica and Columbia, Panama is a modern, tropical paradise with all the comforts of a first world destination, but the lower cost of living of a developing nation. With beaches on both the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, retiring in Panama offers days of fishing, diving, golf or any other activity you can think of.
But do not be put off by the thought of hot, humid days and nights. The climate in Panama varies, from the sandy beaches to the mountain ranges - and fresh breezes tend to rise after dusk. Regarded as one of the prime retirement destinations, Panama may well be calling you. In this introduction to living in Panama we’ll take a look at geography and climate.
Bordered on two sides by beautiful sea and with a central mountain range, expats who want to move to live or retire in Panama have a choice of climates to choose from. The Cordillera Central is the central spine of mountains that run the length of Panama, and at their highest they reach 3,475 metres (11,401 feet). It is not unknown for there to be frosts in the Cordillera de Talamanca in the west of Panama, and towns and villages along the mountain slopes such as Boquete, a village tucked away on the slopes of the Volcano Baru, offer a near perfect climate, with temperatures between 16 and 26 degrees centigrade all year round. Taking things to the other extreme, the city of David is actually located below sea level just off the Pacific coast, here the climate is hot and humid and retirees to Panama should be prepared for temperatures up to 30 degrees centigrade all year round.
Brits looking to retire in Panama will be pleased to know that they can forget about winter. The country has two distinct seasons, rainy season which runs from May through to November, and the dry season which runs from December to April. This does not mean that it is going to rain every day all day through the rainy season, generally late afternoon will see the most of the rain. Average rainfall in Panama is between 1.3 and 3 metres per annum depending on which location you choose to live in. With this amount of rainfall per annum it is no surprise to find that there are almost 500 rivers that cross Panamas lowland plains to the sea.
If you are choosing to live in Panama you will never be more than 60 miles from the sea. At its widest the country is 120 miles across, and around the canal the distance from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea is just 50 miles. If you are a water sports fan then for you, living in Panama could be the ideal destination. The Pacific coastal waters are extremely shallow with wide mud flats extending 45 miles seawards and depths do not reach 180 metres until you are outside of the Gulf of Panama.
Panama’s climate supports an abundance of vegetation and 40% of Panama is still wooded, although deforestation has removed 50% of Panama’s cover since the 1940’s. Humidity in some of the rainforests along the canal runs at 100%, so even if there isn’t a cloud in the sky you could still get a soaking.
All in all the country offers those who wish to retire in Panama an impressive diversity of locations, climates and opportunities to discover this tropical, cosmopolitan nation.
