OVERVIEW

Colon, the second largest city of Panama, is a port town that features a duty free shopping district and access to the Panama Canal. While definitely worth the visit, Colon can be difficult to access for the physically challenged traveler, as one must utilize ground transportation to see more than just the portside shops. On our visit to the canal, we were able to see two ships pass through the locks, which was an amazing sight.

LANGUAGE

The official language of Panama is Spanish. However, other languages such as English are spoken as well.

CURRENCY

The official currency of Panama is the Balboa. We used U.S. dollars everywhere we shopped on the trip without a problem.

QUICKLINKS

LOGISTICS: Air – Water – Ground
ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotels – Resorts
ENTERTAINMENT: Tours – Activities – Restaurants & Nightlife
EMERGENCY SERVICES: Hospitals – Medical Equipment
ABILITYTIPS: Precautions

COLON : Logistics

AIR TRANSPORTATION/AIRPORT

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GROUND TRANSPORTATION

If you are dependent on a wheelchair, you will probably need to use a manual wheelchair if you want to visit the city. On our visit, we could not find any wheelchair accessible transportation.

TAXI

We could not find a wheelchair accessible cab when we visited the city. However, we found it fairly easy to transfer into the front seat of the micro bus the taxi drivers use and place my wheelchair in the back of the cab. We were able to see many beautiful landscapes by cab, tour downtown local neighborhoods, visit the Free Trade Zone, and see the amazing Panama Canal.

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RENTAL CAR (Wheelchair Van)

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TRAIN (Heavy Rail)

Panama Canal Railway: The Panama Canal Railway offers visitors the chance to travel the scenic route between Panama City and Colon. We are still trying to determine if this train is wheelchair accessible and will hopefully have more information shortly.

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COLON : Accommodations

HOTELS

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LUXURY RESORTS

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COLON : Entertainment

SIGHTSEEING TOURS

Ancon Expeditions of Panama: Ancon Expeditions offers a wheelchair accessible bus tour of Panama. The bus is equipped with an automatic lift, not a ramp. It can accommodate one wheelchair and a total of 42 mobile passengers. The bus has safety features to tie down the wheelchair and seat belts. The tour is not mentioned on the Ancon Expedition website, so contact Marco for more information about specific accessible sightseeing tours. Also, be sure to book in advance as many cruise ships visit the Colon, Panama area.

Colon 2000: Colon 2000 is a tour company that offers a variety of accessible tours in Panama. The most popular accessible tour is the ferry tour that will cruise you through the magnificent Panama Canal. Note that passengers using power wheelchairs who need to stay in their wheelchairs, can do so, but must remain on the lower deck of the ferry during the duration of the cruise. This ferry cruise can be booked through most of the cruise ship’s shore excursion desks. However, if you’re not visiting via cruise ship, contact Mr. Augusto Terracina to book an accessible sightseeing expedition through him directly, or contact him if you have additional questions regarding accessible features of the tours.

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ACTIVITIES

Panama Canal: The Panama Canal is a short drive from Colon. The Guan locks are an amazing site in action. We were able to see two very large ships pass through the locks, one of which was a full size cruise ship full of passengers. Tours and cruises of the canal are available.

Free Trade Zone: The Free Trade Zone is a massive area devoted to re-exporting goods such as clothing, perfume, and many other items. It is fun and interesting to tour and shop in the area. Beware that it’s not very wheelchair friendly.

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RESTAURANTS/NIGHTLIFE

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COLON : Emergency Services

MEDICAL SERVICES/HOSPITAL

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COLON : AbilityTips

PRECAUTIONS

Because wheelchair accessible transport in Colon is limited to non-existent, be sure you are easily able to transfer in and out of whatever vehicle you choose to utilize during your stay in Colon.