Santa Catalina
Situated on the Chiriqui Gulf of the Veraguas province, Santa Catalina was a secluded fishing village until its discovery by adventurous surfers during the 1970s. It is considered one of the best surfing destinations in all of Central and South America, with year-round surfing breaks and fantastic waves.
Predominantly a fishing village, Santa Catalina has boosted its image of being a surfing paradise, with its various surfing shops, surfing camps, as well as having low cost accommodations. Restaurants are few however, but as seafood is widely available and the choice diet of the locals, there will be something to satisfy the visitor’s palate. However, there is a restaurant that serves traditional American like food, such as burgers and steaks.
Santa Catalina has an ideal year-round climate, where temperature often ranges between 30 to 34 degrees Celsius. This makes snorkeling, scuba diving and deep sea fishing perfectly accessible and available throughout the year.
Playa Santa Catalina and Playa Estero are the two most famous beaches in the area. The closeby islands are easily accessible by boat, and are highly recommended for day tours. These islands include Cabaco, Cativo, Coiba, Octavia and Pelonas.
Numerous bird species and flora abound in these areas and on the islands, so much so that UNESCO has declared the region of Coiba as a World Heritage Site in 2005. A lot of the region has remained undeveloped and it is this very quality that serves to attract the tourists and surfers to the area of Santa Catalina.
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I recently went to Santa Catalina and absolutely loved it. (March 2009)
As far as restaurants go there are only really four options
The Burger Place, The Pizza Place, both open at 5 pm. The house of a local lady, couldnt work out if it has a name, which seems to open and close a bit sporadically. Last but not least is The Chicken Lady.
She or her husband, depends on who’s cooking on the day, have a BBQ along the road and when it runs out thats it. So you got to be quick! Damn good chicken
I would not recommend going for a day trip to Coiba. It takes 90 minutes each way and all the boats seem to have to be back in Santa Catalina by 4 pm. So it is not really worth it. There is SO much to see and do there