Head over to Panama’s Caribbean coast for a day spent exploring colonial fortresses.

As you drive along the road that connects Panama City with Portobelo, you’ll enjoy spectacular views of the Panama Canal, forests, and finally the Caribbean coast.

In Portobelo, you’ll have the opportunity to visit the city’s five fortresses, some of which date back to the mid-1700s. These forts were aimed at protecting Portobelo, which was once one of the most important ports in the Spanish empire. Gold was regularly transported through the town and the ports were under constant attack from pirates and buccaneers. Today, they are interesting (and crumbling) sites. Some even have cannons that still face the ocean.

Portobelo is also home to the Black Christ, a statue that resides in the Iglesia de San Felipe. The statue is surrounded in legend. Every year thousands of Panamanians travel to Portobelo to attend the Black Christ Festival and pray to the Black Christ—it is believed to have healing powers.