We chug along to Santa Catalina, a sleepy fishing village on Panama’s undulating Pacific coast, where life lived at a comfortable snail’s pace. There is no supermarket, no ATM and no petrol station. What you will find here are inviting bars, fantastic waves for surfing and rugged, heavenly beaches. It is tempting to laze away the day in the warm sand, but make sure to take a boat trip to Isla de Coiba. This island paradise is home to so many species of flora and fauna that the entire island has been designated a national park. In the surrounding water, you can dive or snorkel amidst humpbacks, sperm whales, hammerheads, sea turtles, stingrays and even the occasional stray orca.