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History and location of the BALA BEACH AND RESORT
Located in the province of Colon on the Caribbean coast, the Balä Beach Resort is just minutes away from some of the most interesting landmarks you’ll find in all of Panama. Some of the attractions include the historic port town of Portobelo, the popular weekend tourist destination Isla Grande, historic forts built in the 16th century and the second largest free trade zone in the world, the Colon Free Trade Zone.
Sitting on the Caribbean end of the Panama Canal only 48 miles by road from Panama City with a population of just over 200,000, Colon is the closest large city to the Balä Beach Resort. In Colon you will find modern amenities such as hospitals, U.S. educated doctors, shopping malls, hardware stores, pharmacies, restaurants, etc.
Founded in 1850 by Americans working on the Panama Railroad, Colon and the surrounding areas have seen economic boom and bust thanks to the construction of the Panama Canal, the Panama Railroad, three modern shipping ports and the Colon Free Trade Zone. Currently, there are many plans to improve Colon city as well as the surrounding area. Some of the plans include the construction of the new Panama – Colon highway (already commenced), the improvement of the existing ports to welcome more incoming cruise ships packed with tourists as well as the development of residential projects such as Balä Beach Resort.
Nearby towns and attractions east of the Balä Beach Resort
Heading east along the Caribbean coast and only 20 minutes from the location of the Balä Beach Resort, Portobelo is described as a sometimes sleepy but always beautiful historic port town with gorgeous churches and nearby white sand beaches at Playa Langosta. Portobelo is home to Panama’s annual Black Christ celebration held each year on October 21 in the ancient Portobelo Cathedral.
Very near to the town of Portobelo, you will find the sprawling Portobelo National Park comprised of 34,846 hectares filled with coral reef communities, coastal forests, historic sites that were once storehouses for the gold and silver of South America and the remnants of the pirates of the Caribbean that left traces of their existence throughout the park.
Heading further east from the Portobelo area along the Caribbean coast, the scenery becomes even more beautiful as just 30 minutes from Portobelo (or 50 minutes from the Balä Beach Resort), you will encounter Isla Grande, a weekend destination for many divers, snorkelers and surfers. Here you can stay at one of the area hotels, take a stroll through town to check out the historic lighthouse and grab a bite to eat in town as you experience the beauty of the sunset over the Caribbean ocean.
Nearby towns and attractions west of the Balä Beach Resort
If you have any interests in the import / export business, a visit to the Colon Free Zone in Colon city is worth the trip. Even if you would just like to visit the free zone as a tourist, with more than 1,100 acres of warehouses packed with goods that you could buy and ship home, you are guaranteed to find a bargain and experience something like never before. If you do go, remember that goods purchased in the Colon Free Zone cannot be taken out by the purchaser at the time of purchase but instead are sent in-bond from the Colon Free Zone to Tocumen Airport where they are delivered to passengers when departing the country. Be sure to leave plenty of time to get your purchases out of the customs area on the lower level of the airport before you check in for your flight on the day of your departure.
Bypassing the Colon Free Zone and continuing the sightseeing tour, your next stop should be Fort San Lorenzo near the Panama Canal at the mouth of the Chagres River. Here at this Spanish built fort, you will find what remains of the cobblestone treasure route, El Camino Real, as well as the remains of ancient vessels at the bottom of the sea and witness for yourself the destruction the fort endured by the English pirate Henry Morgan when he ransacked the fort as he made his way to Panama City in 1666. Legend has it that in this area, there is still buried treasure waiting to be found.
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