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Portobelo

This Caribbean fishing village is so laid-back and languorous, it's hard to imagine it was once the greatest Spanish port in Central America. Mules carried Peruvian gold and Oriental treasures to Panama City via the fortresses at Portobelo. Though English privateers destroyed them many times throughout their history, several of these atmospheric colonial fortresses still stand amid village homes.

It's not just the scenery that looks amazing in Panama – its buses do, too © Mark Read/Lonely Planet

©Mark Read/Lonely Planet

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