While Panama is known mostly for its famous canal, the country's natural attractions offer an irresistible lure to far-sighted travelers. This oft-overlooked country offers some of the finest birding, snorkeling and hiking in the Americas.

Panama's charms include its stunning coastline of palm-fringed beaches, its astounding wildlife - boasting an incredible diversity of tropical birds - and its proud, vibrant indigenous peoples, such as the Kuna. While in Panama, you'll find it hard to shake the inescapable feeling that you're in on a secret the rest of the traveling world has yet to discover.