Panama City to Portobelo and Fuerte San Lorenzo: Day trip

Portobelo was founded by Spanish explorer Francisco Velarde y Mercado in 1597. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, it served as one of Spain’s most important port in Central America, exporting Peruvian gold and treasures from the far east back to Europe. So important was the port that Sir Francis Drake was buried in a lead coffin near Portobelo Bay though his body has yet to be found. Though English privateers managed to raze the town multiple times, the Spanish continued to maintain fortifications in the bay, and along the coast - a defensive network now recognized by UNESCO for their pragmatic and creative genius. The colorful fishing town actually has two Spanish forts - Fuerte Santiago, with nearly 10 foot-thick cut coral walls, watchtowers, artillery sheds, and officers’ headquarters, and the larger Fuerte San Jeronimo, with its 18 cannons, and still-standing watchtowers and officers’ quarters.

Fort San Lorenzo was built at the end of the 16th century by order of King Philip II of Spain. Guarding the mouth of the Chagres River, and watching over miles of coast, the fort protected Spanish commerce and slaves ships from marauding pirates and buccaneers. After the destruction of Portobelo in the early 18th century, San Lorenzo briefly served as Spain’s chief port in the region before being abandoned a few decades later. Today, the ruins of the mighty fort with its rusting canons serves as an atmospheric reminder of swashbuckling days-gone-by. From its hilltop position, visitors are also treated to some stunning panoramic views, and the surrounding protected area is home to a colony of monkeys.