The Azuero Peninsula is a major tourist destination located in Southwestern Panama, about 25 km south of the city of Santiago. The peninsula has a broad coastline that boasts of lush mountains and a large number of scenic white sand beaches. The area is divided into two parts – Western Azuero and Eastern Azuero. The eastern side consists of Las Tablas, the epicenter for the world-famous Carnaval, and Pedasi, the town known for surfing and sportfishing. The western part, however, is considered the more exciting part of the two as most of the beaches are located there, where people engage in surfing, fishing and sunset viewing. The tourists visiting enjoy a blend of the local charm and festivities of the eastern towns and the exciting and adventurous experiences of the western beaches.
The region is also known as Arco Seco, which has the best weather in the country and attracts a lot of tourists worldwide. The coastline is also called ‘Tuna Coast’ as it houses a large population of yellowfin tuna, a billion-dollar industry in and of itself.
Major Attractions and Beaches
The area boasts of a plethora of beaches and sights, rendering the best experience in the country for visitors. Relevant information regarding some of these places is mentioned in the points below:
Playa Los Destiladeros
This beach, situated 10 km to the south of Pedasi, is known as the most ‘intimate’ beach in the Azuero peninsula. There is less hustle and bustle, making it a more peaceful option for visitors. The beach is mostly used by elderly visitors for yoga and couples generally use it for celebrating marriage anniversaries and Valentine’s Day. A walk along the sand can expose you to various resorts and hotels with contemporary architecture. The place is best for people looking for a peaceful and private opportunity to spend quality time with their loved ones.
La Playita
The beach at La Playita is a busier option compared to Playa Los Destiladeros. It is a place made for day-trippers and can become very crowded during weekends. The beach is also great for swimming fanatics. Trees provide shade, and good resort hotels and restaurants are also featured.
Playa Venao
Playa Venao is a beautiful beach located in Pedasi, perfect for swimming, surfing, and other watersports. The beach has a tropical atmosphere; visitors can enjoy walking on the sand, touring the jungles, walking through the rocky terrain to experience the beautiful waterfalls, and engaging in fishing in the rocky islands. Although the place is known for surfing that doesn’t mean that it is a place only for surfers. The beach also offers beautiful hotels and restaurants that are perfect spots for family reunions and enjoying the sea views.
Playa Garita
This beautiful beach in Pedasi is a renowned and a pretty calm spot for fishing and surfing. At the entrance, the beach is bordered by rocks has a dirt path. It is not as busy and crowded as the Playa Venao, and as such, it can be booked as a private beach for large gatherings. It has underdeveloped upscale homes in close proximity and also features a ‘Beach Club’ with a bar and restaurant, and a pool that showcases scintillating views of the ocean.
Playa Ciruelo
Another popular beach of the Azuero coastline, Playa Ciruelo, is located just a 20-minute drive from Pedasi, before Playa Venao. This place, rarely used for surfing, is known as the ‘Fishing Village’ of the region. The beach renders a peaceful experience for visitors and also features a spate of buildings demonstrating local architecture.
Playa Lagarto
Playa Lagarto is the best beach in Pedasi, and it is also known as Playa ‘Pedasi’. The beach offers a conducive environment for fishing and surfing, attracting a mixed crowd. Its open, breezy atmosphere makes it a popular pit stop for tourists. The beach offers no hotels or cabins, but is located close to Marbella, which has good accommodation options.
Playa El Toro
Playa El Toro is located 2 km east of Pedasi. It is a great surfing spot with good rock bottom breakpoints on both sides. There are, however, no facilities available for staying and eating on the beach apart from a restaurant up from the main beach, which is open at inconsistent hours. But you can always find good hotels and restaurants in nearby towns.
Playas Cambutal and Guanico
Playas Cambutal and Guanico are both located to the south of the Tonosi. Both are excellent surfing spots on par with Playa Venao. Playa Cambutal is more expansive and underutilized compared to Playa Guanico and is sometimes considered as the ‘Next Playa Venao’ by the locals.
Isla Canas
Located in the vicinity of the beaches, this world-famous wildlife reserve is one of the rare places where Ridley Sea turtles are found in big numbers. The reserve also houses a number of endangered turtle species, including the Loggerhead Sea, Leatherback, Hawksbill, and Green turtles that nest here from July till early November with the peak months being September and October. Large groups of tourists visit this reserve to catch a glimpse of this beautiful exhibition of turtles.
Places to Stay and Eat
The beaches forming part of the coastline along with the towns nearby provide a number of hotel and restaurant options to take care of the staying and eating needs of visitors. The best options available include:
Posada Los Destiladeros
This luxury resort located in Playa Destiladeros is one of the most attractive staying options in the peninsula. The place has seventeen rooms to offer, each providing scintillating views of the unending ocean. There are both modern rooms and contemporary African thatched hut accommodations available. The rooms offer comfortable canopy beds with ancient carvings and a modern bath.
Villa Camilla
This villa is a popular haunt of tourists due to its ‘privacy first’ policy. The resort has been a host to famous celebrities like Michael Jordan and Shakira. The Asian-style rooms are comfortable, but with no TVs. A footpath from the villa leads to the beach.
Resort La Playita
A number of different monkey species live around this resort in La Playita. It offers eight rooms with showers and air conditioning. An on-site restaurant specializes in local Panamanian food and seafood.
Hostal Casa Estrella
This excellent value inn is located in Playa Ciruelo. It offers four beautiful blue rooms with comfortable beds and hot-water showers, plus a family living area. Fishing and surfing is just a few steps away.
Selina Playa Venao
This beautiful specialty lodging is the best place to stay in Playa Venao. The accommodation offers rooms of different sizes that have ACs, private balconies and walk-in showers. The place also offers free parking, Wi-Fi, a swimming pool, game Room, bar and restaurant.
Conclusion
The coastline of Azuero boasts of a number of picturesque beaches that have a lot to offer. People indulge in a number of fun activities on these beaches, including surfing, sportfishing, sightseeing, and much more. It can be concluded from the above discussion that the Azuero Peninsula should be an integral part of every traveler’s bucket list.
What’s Nearby?
