Why this ride
From Curundú it runs 286 km to Curundú; allow about 5 h 02 of riding. It goes by way of Colón and Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Pa. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Camino de Cruces Section 3 and Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Pa
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 286 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 02
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Near Curundú
This point lies on the western side of Panama City, in the belt of land that was once the American-run Canal Zone, between the old neighbourhoods of Curundú and Ancón and the green slopes leading towards the canal. Ancón Hill, the forested hump that dominates this part of the city, was for decades the administrative heart of the zone, and the area still has the wide lawns, tidy wooden houses and tropical trees of that era.
Read the complete Near Curundú write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Camino de Cruces Section 3 is where the day begins. Next is Camino de Cruces Section 1.
2. Near Colón
West of the Panama Canal's Caribbean end, the land goes quiet surprisingly fast. You cross from the Colón side on the Atlantic Bridge, the long cable-stayed span that finally replaced the old swing bridge and the ferry over the canal entrance, and within minutes the container cranes give way to rainforest, old American base buildings and a narrow road heading north toward the mouth of the Chagres River.
Read the complete Near Colón write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Camino de Cruces Section 1 comes up about 80 km into the recorded legs. Next is Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Pa.
3. Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Pa
Columbus named it Puerto Bello, the beautiful harbour, in 1502, and for once a sailor's first impression was right. Portobelo sits on a deep, sheltered bay on Panama's Caribbean coast, backed by steep green hills, and for two centuries it was the point where the wealth of Peru left the New World. Gold and silver came by sea up the Pacific coast to Panama City, crossed the isthmus on mule trails like the Camino de Cruces, and were loaded here onto the Spanish treasure fleets. Every year, a great fair was held, with merchants and soldiers crowding the little port, and prices and diseases both soared.
Read the complete Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Pa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 138 km into the recorded legs you reach Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Pa. Next is back through Camino de Cruces Section 1.
4. Near Colón
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Near Colón write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Camino de Cruces Section 1, late in the day. Next is Camino de Cruces Section 3.
5. Near Curundú
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Near Curundú write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Camino de Cruces Section 3. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Pa to Near Colón
Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Pa → Near Colón is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.