Why Pedasi?

Playa Arenal – Located in Pedasi; this is the spot where you can take a boat to Isla Iguana, hire a captain for fishing or whale watching.  There is a cantina that serves standard Panamanian breakfast/ lunch and alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks.  This is a popular hangout for locals and expats on Sundays.  Walk to the left and you will be able to cross 2 rivers; Pedasi and Mariabe.  It’s a beautiful walk, but make sure you only cross rivers when it’s low tide.  (tide schedule is below) Walk to the right and you will eventually make it to the next beach.

Playa del Toro – On the opposite side of Playa Arenal, you will find this beach.  Unlike its counterpart, this beach has many rocky areas that add to its’ raw beauty.  This is a beautiful beach to not only swim but watch the waves crash against the high rocks.  During low tide, you can search all the tidal pools for shy marine life.  There is a cantina off the beach that has a pool and allows visitors for a small daily fee.  If you walk to the left from this beach, you will end up at Playa Arenal.

Playa Lagarto – This is the beach behind the neighborhood of Costa Pedasi.  It’s the place where body boarding competitions are held certain times of the year.  Like Playa del Toro, it is sprinkled with the black volcanic rocks which makes the waves spectacular to watch.  If you walk all the way to the right, there is a hill that has a path for you to cross.  The other side of this is the part of the beach that is not rocky.  It’s also one of THE spots to see the turtles nesting during the season.

Playa Los Destiladeros – This beach is in Los Destiladeros, a town past Limon.  Make a left at the Limon intersection and follow the road until you see signs that tell you to turn right.  Follow this road all the way down and it will dead end to the beach of Los Destiladeros.  This is a beautiful beach but can have quite strong undertows, so be careful.

Playa Escondido/Panamais – These are beaches that are off the beaten path, but you do NOT want to miss.  To get there, you will drive as if you’re going to Playa Los Destiladeros beach, but you will turn right at a sign that says “Azuero Lofts.”  You will follow this very rough road staying left always for about 10 minutes before you run into one of these beaches.  Escondido is the beach on the left when you come to a “Y” in the road.  This one is in a bay area with no waves and has a lot of shade.  It is one of the most beautiful beaches in Pedasi.  It’s my favorite.  Panama is is the beach at the dead end if you don’t go left at the “Y”.  This is a surfer beach, all waves.  There is no shade here, so you will need to bring your own umbrellas.  Contact me and I can give you directions.

Playa Playita – This beach is in front of a hotel and there really isn’t any public access.  You will need to pay to park and pay to bring an ice chest onto the beach.  I believe it’s $5 per person, but that may have changed.  This is also in a bay so there are no waves.  It’s a great place to snorkel.  They also have some beautiful exotic birds roaming, monkeys, and deer.  There is a restaurant although I believe it’s only open during certain peak seasons.  They provide showers and clean bathrooms which is definitely a luxury!  To get to this beach, you will take the road towards Venao.  Right before you get to Venao, you will see a sign on the left for Hotel Playita.  This is where you turn.

Playa Venao – The ultimate surfer’s beach.  Even if you don’t surf, it’s fun to go and watch all the surfers do their thing.  There are many hotels and hostels right on the beach.  You will find most hotels have restaurants as well.  Most of them will allow you to use their bathrooms if you are eating/drinking from the restaurant.

Playa Cambutal – This is the end of Azuero Peninsula and will take you about 2 hours to drive here from Pedasi.  It’s a black sand beach that is another surfers’ haven.  There are a few nice hotels out here but limited if it’s a busy weekend.

Please check link below for the daily tide schedule as it changes every day. http://tides.mobilegeographics.com/locations/343.html

All dates are approximate and can change year to year

Carnaval – Usually in February or March; it will always precede Ash Wednesday.  This will be 4 days of parades where you can see the Reinas (Queens) of each side of town display their beautiful floats and costumes.  The party begins at 9 AM and doesn’t’ end until 4 AM every day.  This event takes place in most villages (including Pedasi).  The largest and most known location is Las Tablas. 

Semana Santa (Holy Week) – This is the week before Easter.  Their will be processions by the church with displays of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  This is a very popular time for families to get together, cook and go to the beach.  Takes place all over Panama. 

Feria Internacional de Azuero – This is a 5-day agricultural fair that takes place in Villa de Los Santos in late April.   There are artisans selling furniture and decor, delicious foods, amusement park rides, and rodeos. 

Corpus Christi – This celebration which occurs 40 days after Easter can be experienced also in Villa de Los Santos.  This is where you can see the deviled masks and other elaborate costumes participate in the parades. 

Pollera Festival – In July, Las Tablas has the most spectacular display of the Pollera dresses worn by young and old alike.  These dresses are handmade and cost in the thousands of dollars.  There will be parades, music, food and parties.

Feria de La Mejorana – This is the largest folkloric festival in Panama that takes place in Guarare in September.  You can find many artisans selling the handmade Mejorana stringed instrument. 

Oxcart festival – This happens in many different villages, but you can see it sometime in October in Pedasi.  It’s a parade of carts pulled by bulls that shows all the different agricultural representations of each village.  Right before the sun goes down, you can watch the running of the bulls happen right in town square. 

Fiestas Patrias – The month of November has many patriotic holidays.  Panama celebrates two independence days:  From Colombia and from Spain.  There is also a Shout out day and a flag day.  Many businesses are closed A LOT during November.