Panama is a proud nation that offers astounding wildlife adventures, that respects its seven indigenous peoples and that celebrates it Spanish heritage with frequent and colorful festivals. It's difficult to leave the country without feeling you're in on a secret the rest of the traveling world has yet to discover.

Located at the southern end of Central America, Panama is a 500-mile land bridge where the wildlife of North and South America meet and intermingle. It is largely because of its geographical position that Panama is home to a recorded 940 bird species -- more than in all of North America. Panama is the only country where jaguars and mountain lions prowl a short drive from the capital. It is home to some of the most remote and some of the most accessible rainforest in the world.

This country, whose Indian name means "abundance of fish," has mostly evaded the tourist's radar screen despite having much more to offer than its widely popular western neighbor, Costa Rica. Tour guides in Panama are fond of saying that in Costa Rica 20 birders would be lucky to see one resplendent quetzal, while in Panama one birder might see 20 quetzals. There's truth in what they say: The crush of tourists who pass through Costa Rica's national parks tends to scare off wildlife, while in Panama's national parks tourists are as scarce as harpy eagles, and wildlife abounds.

There are rivers in Panama where rafters can ride 20 sets of rapids in a single afternoon. There are scores of picturesque palm-lined beaches with hardly a human on them. There are several peaks from which travelers can see the Pacific Ocean over one shoulder and the Caribbean Sea over the other. There are mangrove forests on both Panamanian coasts that transport imaginative souls to times when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. In fact, the dinosaurs' closest living relative -- the crocodile -- still lurks in many Panamanian swamps.

There are 1518 islands off the coasts of Panama and, because the coasts are less than an hour's drive apart, you can easily spend the morning snorkeling in the Caribbean and the afternoon swimming in the Pacific. Some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in Central America can be found near Panama's Isla de Coiba, which, until recently, was both a national park and home to a penal colony. If you stayed on Coiba two years ago, your boatman likely was a tough-looking policeman and your cook a soft-spoken prisoner.

Surfers from all points on the globe have discovered Playa Santa Catalina in Veraguas Province, which periodically hosts waves with 5-meter faces, and the breaks near Isla Colon in Bocas del Toro Province are comparable to those along Costa Rica's eastern shore but lack the crowds. Orchid lovers can see some of the world's largest and smallest in Santa Fe, an easygoing town set amid spectacular jungle three hours' drive from Playa Santa Catalina.

More deep-sea fishing records have been broken in Bahia Pina, off the Pacific coast of Panama, than anywhere else in the world. You can observe sea turtles by the dozen much of the year along both Panamanian coasts. Cana, at the heart of Parque Nacional Darien, is birding nirvana, where four species of macaw—including great green and blue-and-yellows' shriek across the sky with astonishing frequency.

As for culture, Panama beams with it. The Península de Azuero in central Panama is like a slice of Spain dropped into the Americas, with traditional Spanish festivals celebrated often and with great gusto. Unlike some places where locals put on a show for tourists, on the Azuero the people perform for themselves. Likewise, the country's indigenous peoples share a desire to maintain their traditions. They are a pleasure to encounter on an island or in a jungle, as long as you don’t hound them with cameras or otherwise behave badly.

Historically, Panama is a story of riches, of Peruvian gold carried by Spaniards across the isthmus from Panama City on the Pacific coast to Nombre de Dios, later, to nearby Portobelo on the Caribbean coast, where the precious metal was stored until it could be shipped to Spain. Huge forts were built from blocks of rock and coral to protect the gold from mauraders, but the bastions failed to deter pirates. Ruins from those days of yore, complete with cannons and moats, make for fascinating touring.

Then there’s the Canal. Its construction by the USA during the 20th century is, like the pyramids of Egypt, a stunning testament to what humans can accomplish. Nearly a century after the SS Ancon became the first ship to traverse the lock-and-lake waterway, the Panama Canal remains one of the engineering marvels of the world. Whether they are seen from the deck of a boat or from a viewing stand, the great locks of the canal leave no visitor unimpressed.

It is difficult to write an introduction to an online guidebook on Panama without sounding a bit like a tourism official; the country truly is an unpolished gem. But Panama isn't tourist-perfect. Because the country's tourism industry is now in its infancy, travelers expecting to see five-star accommodations a stone's throw from the pristine rainforest will generally be disappointed. And reaching destinations can be a pain; for starters, the country could do with a few thousand more road signs.

But if you have ever found yourself saying, "Oh, you should have seen this place 10 years ago, before it was overrun with tourists," chances are you leave Panama today feeling you've visited at just the right time. As John la Carre writes in his novel, The Tailor of Panama, "We've got everything God needed to make paradise. Great farming, beaches, mountains, wildlife you wouldn't believe, put a stick in the ground you get a fruit tree, people so beautiful you could cry." It's the voice of a fictional character, but it's also the attitude of most Panamanians, who take great pride in their country. As well they should.