In the towns of this province have been kept the rich cultural expressions created during the years of the Spanish colonization. The traditional dances such as the cumbia, the tamborito and the punto are as ancient as the people of these towns who take this culture with them wherever they go. A visit to the towns of the Herrera and Los Santos provinces places tourists in contact with the most representative aspects of our culture. During the fairs and celebrations, both men and women dress beautifully in traditional ways that are very pleasing to the eyes and sing and dance to the rhythm of the vernacular music accompanied by drums, violins, mejoranera, socavon and churuca. During each time of the year there is some fair or celebration to enjoy in Ocú, Parita, Pesé, La Villa de Los Santos, Guararé, Las Tablas o Tonosí and each festivity is a sample of the cultural traditions carefully kept during centuries in these two provinces. In the cascos antiguos of the main towns of each province tourists may also visit the colonial churches whose ancient walls still hear the people’s prayers.

Chiriquí, located at the westernmost region of Panama, is the province with the largest agricultural yield of the country due to is fertile earth of volcanic origins. It is a land of great beauty and its towns, high in the mountain range, have earned the name of Valley of the Moon. The whole province offers a great variety of attractive features such as its beaches and islands in the Gulf of Chiriquí to its woodland surrounding the Baru Volcano. More than 100 years of tradition as coffee growers have earn this land international prizes for the quality of its crops. The local cuisine is very much appreciated and renowned for its exquisite and exotic flavors.

This Caribbean province is located at the North of the Panama Canal. Colón is the land of the “congos”, descendants from African slaves that have preserved some expressions of their native land and with the passing of the years these expressions have included the cultural expressions that are appreciated today, mainly in their rhythms and dances, their vibrant music, their sensuous dances, their colorful clothing and the way in which they prepare their meals, particularly the seafood which is very much appreciated by the people living in the Caribbean coast. In the towns of Portobelo and San Lorenzo, the silent walls of the Spanish forts preserve the memory of the attacks by famous pirates such as Henry Morgan and Edgar Vernon and corsairs such as Francis Drake whose remains are kept at the Bay of Portobelo

During the colony, African slaves escaped from their captors and went deep into the Panamanian tropical jungle, where they were more at ease. A great number of them traveled great distances to reach the Darien jungles, where they established settlements. It was in these palenques that the fast, seductive rhythms and provocative verses of the bunde and bullarengue, which can still be heard in the towns and festivals of Darien, were born. In the indomitable Darien jungle the African slaves and the ethnic races native to America lived side by side, and their descendants still share the fascinating territory of Darien, while they sing and dance under the spell of the mysterious jungle.