When we look for areas that promise growth in the future, we look for anomalies. An anomaly is something very unusual, irregular, outside the normal. Often, when you first see an anomaly, you wonder, why? It does not seem to make any sense. In looking at it more carefully, you will slowly understand why it is different. Once in awhile, that will offer you an opportunity not yet noticed by others.

Real estate development in Panama is following a logical path, geographically. It reflects the availability of infrastructure and proximity to urban centers, including the smaller cities. This is very understandable and makes sense. There are no substantial anomalies that do not have an obvious explanation.

Except one. This is the area along the Pacific coast and east of Panama City. East? Who goes east? Very few people and not very far.

What's it like there? The one word that best describes the area is "tranquil". It's rural, peaceful, and very lightly populated. An hour from Panama City and you're driving on a paved road (the Inter-American highway) through teak forests, rice fields, cattle ranches, and farmland. The villages are small and the people are like country people everywhere in Panama, friendly. I fell in love with it immediately. You are still very much in Panama Province, but you feel as if you are in another more beautiful world.

The lake is an environmental jewel. The variety of local wildlife from macaws to howler monkeys and more is wonderful. The silence of the countryside is profound. The lake has been stocked with fish, specifically tilapia, although other varieties are found there too in smaller numbers. Many in the indigenous population make their living from fishing and huge quantities are shipped out daily for use here and for export. Despite that, the lake remains packed with tilapia. If you like fish, you will not go hungry here. There is plenty of rainforest, but also a lot of open farmland suitable for construction without harming the rainforest.

There are many reasons to be interested in the economic potential of Lake Bayano. Here are five:

• Proximity to the Panama City metropolitan area - An hour and a half from downtown Panama City, an hour and 15 minutes from Multiplaza, Punta Pacifica hospital, and other amenities. An hour from Tocumen International airport. For foreigners interested in a winter home or other vacation property, it is easy to rent a car and drive directly to your home without having to cross Panama City and its traffic.


• Access - Because Tocumen, Punta Pacifica, Punta Paitilla, Coco del Mar, San Francisco and others city neighborhoods on the eastern side of the city, their residents have especially easy access to Lake Bayano. And no one in Panama City ever has to cross the Canal to get to the Lake, meaning less stress in travel and more time to enjoy life.


• Waterfront - For people in the traditional Panamanian real estate sector, "waterfront" means "ocean". But for well over a hundred million North Americans and Europeans, it means "lake". Millions of lake waterfront homes have been residences and vacation homes for northerners and are much loved. For many people the ocean is a nice place to visit, but lakes are more peaceful and easier to use for boating, fishing, and swimming than the ocean. Ocean waterfront as near to the metro area as Lake Bayano is rare, very expensive, and often not half as beautiful as the Lake.


• Our Neighbors - 80% of the Lake's waterfront is part of the Comarca de Madungandi, owned by our indigenous people, the Kuna and the Embera, who maintain their traditional cultures at the Lake. Thus most of the Lake retains its wild beauty and is not available for sale to outsiders. This helps to guarantee that the Lake will not become a maze of construction and commercial exploitation, while retaining its natural beauty for generations to come.


• Price - Land prices are far lower at the Lake than you will find further to the west of the city. The difference can be huge, especially for waterfront. As the Lake becomes more popular, as is beginning to happen now, this will change and dramatically, just as it has in other areas of Panama that have been "discovered" by those looking for the perfect place for a country home, a vacation property, or an investment property.

These important factors give us great confidence in the future of the Lake Bayano area. In years to come, it will serve as a major tourist and vacation center for all of Panama. If you are interested in investing in properties, let us know. We can help you.

Bob Adams
President and CEO
Panama Wave S.A.
RAdams@PanamaWave.com