Tucans
like this one can be found flying over Ancon Hill, in the heart
of the city. |
Visitors
in other countries often need to travel long distances to get to the
nearest natural refuge, but in Panama City you can be there in a matter
of minutes. There are five natural refuges in the metropolitan area
(three of them national parks) making eco-tourism a very feasible
and inexpensive activity.
Soberania
National Park
Located 30 minutes from downtown, Parque Soberanía
contains excellent hiking trails, including segments of the Camino
de Cruces - the cobblestone road by which Peruvian gold was transported
on its way to Spain. The park’s area measures 22,104 hectares.
One of
the park’s best attractions is Pipeline Road, a thoroughfare
built by U.S. forces in Panama during WWII which is visited by hundreds
of birdwatchers each year. The road is the site of the Audubon Society’s
annual bird count, on Christmas day.
An excellent
place for camping is Sendero del Charco, a nature trail located on
the way to Gamboa.
Chagres
National Park
Encompassing an area of 135,000 hectares, this park preserves
the main watershed of the Panama Canal. About 80% of the water needed
for the canal's operation, and all the drinking waterfor Panama City,
originates in this watershed. The park takes its name from the Chagres
River, which supplies fresh water to the Panama Canal and the Panama
City-Colón metropolitan area. The forests surrounding both
the Chagres River and Alajuela Lake are dotted with villages of the
Emberá-Wounaan Native American tribes, whose way of life has
not changed very much in 500 years, and who are known for their excellent
handicrafts. A number of tour companies offer trips via the Chagres
to these villages. Call Panama City Tours, tel.: (507) 263-8918
Metropolitan
Nature Park
This park, a 15 minute drive from Panama City, has numerous
nature trails and is the site of extensive tropical rainforest research.
Although
close to the city, it is home to more than 250 species of birds and
40 species of mammals. The view from the the top of Cerro Mono Titi
is spectacular, offering a panoramic vista of the city, the port of
Balboa, and neighboring Camino de Cruces National Park.
Camino
de Cruces National Park
Just 30 minutes from Panama City, this splendid park (4,950
hectares) was created in 1992 and its location between the Soberania
National Park to the north and the Metropolitan National Park to the
south guarantees the flow of species from the other two parks while
at the same time protecting the east bank of the ecological basin
of the Panama Canal.
Multiple
species of birds and mammals can be seen in this lush rainforest,
which takes its name from one of the trans-isthmian colonial roads
used by the Spanish to transport Peruvian gold to Spain.
Ancon
Hill
Towering 199.34 meters above sea level, Ancon Hill, the
highest point in Panama City encompasses a secondary tropical forest
as well as a fascinating history. The hill is home to endemic species
of amphibians, such as the dentrobates aurastus, an attractive black-and
turquoise frog, in addition to toucans, monkeys, white-tail deer and
thousands of species of insects.
The summit
of this natural reserve can be reached by a walk of between 20 and
30 minutes and offers spectacular vistas of the Panama Canal and the
Panama City area.
Ancon
Hill was used during as a vantage point during the colonial period.
A gentle stream provided fresh water to the city’s inhabitants
for centuries until the early days of the construction of the Panama
Canal. During that period, part of the hill was leveled by the U.S.
military, which built a system of bunkers and tunnels there. Entrance
to the park is free. It opens daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The
hill’s main entrance is on Avenida de Los Mártires (4th
o July Avenue), near the Mi Pueblito Tourist Center.
