Alt: 128 m Pop: 8500
This sweltering city on the Costa Rica-Panama border is constantly abuzz with activity. People cluster inside the giant immigration building, while outside buses and 16-wheelers scream through the streets.
Paso Canoas, like its name suggests, is a step between destinations. There is little to this place beyond transportation and duty-free shopping. It's not an unpleasant city, but neither is it a tourist destination in and of itself, and it is missing the upscale restaurants and hotels you would find in most important cities.
Traditionally the economy of this region has been based on cattle ranching and agriculture, with important crops including bananas, cocoa, beans, corn, rice, oil palms and sorghum. Nowadays, however, agriculture only makes up a small percentage of economic activity in Paso Canoas, and tourism is the main source of income.