A small, thin, balmy green island running parallel to the southernmost coast in Panama (the Azuero peninsula), Isla Canas is a gorgeous, islolated paradise: A headache to get to, but very worth it. Its primary claim to tourist fame is its vast stretch of golden beach that doubles as sea-turtle nesting grounds in September and October.

During the peak of the season, there are hundreds of enormous turtles and thousands of eggs, enough so that the local people collect them to eat and to sell (although now, thanks to the island's status as a national wildlife refuge, there are regulations that limit the numbers).

To get there, you have to start from a nearby town's bus station (which even then would take you a long time to get to depending on where you were last; there are no big cities in the area), take a cramped ride in a van over bumpy roads for two hours, and then wait for a boat -- or if it's low tide, walk alongside the boat -- that'll take you to the island for fifty cents. It is so beautiful, though -- crimson crabs crawling among the roots of the mangroves and along the beach; large, frothy palms heavy with coconuts; bananas on the trees and, depending on the season, watermelons in the fields; long, warm waves curling up on the sand -- that the fatigue of the journey will wear off soon enough.