El Copé: a tourist destination emerges

Research & Photos: Ruben Flores Ulloa.

 

 

Tourist guides in El Copé. Residents of the area is being trained to receive visitors.

As tourism in Panama grows, many hidden treasures are being discovered – beautiful places with a lot to offer but which, until now, have "blushed unseen" because of their inaccessibility.

One of these treasure is the town of Cope de la Pintada which is situated in the Parque Omar which forms part of the Biological Corridor, a protected area stretching from Mexico, through Central America and into Panama.

Breathtaking beauty.

ANAM ( the national Authority for the Environment) has an office in Cope and now that an asphalted road has reached the area they expect many more visitors. It is even possible to take a bus from the Albrook Terminal in Panama

To meet the projected influx ANAM is working hard to prepare the local community. They have given seminars and created groups of local guides ( 21 groups in different communities to date). these guides have received intensive environmental training in order to give meaningful service to visitors.

An "undiscovered" waterfall.

The area has many animals --tigrillos (small cats) manigordos (ocelots), macho monte (tapirs) leopardos ( leopards), pantera negra ( black panthers). It should be noted that the English translations for theses animals denote larger and fiercer animals than the actual fact. Panamanian cats are quite small.

Birdwatchers will be delighted with the bird life which abounds in the area Toucans, hummingbirds, falcons, sparrowhawks and small eagles.

Sra. Elicenia Magallón (left) training a Cope resident as a tourist guide.

Another attraction could be the Mirador in Parque Omar from which it is possible to see both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Sra. Elicenia Magallon is ANAM's Community Environment Promotor in the area. It is a labor of love. She has been involved in promoting the environment from childhood when her father was involved in the same task of awakening the conscience of the community and encouraging them to take care of the environment. She has travelled to Peru, Venezuela and all over Central America in training with ANAM. For those visitors who wish to experience "the path less traveled" there could be no finer place to start. Call Mrs. Magallon at 983-9089 for more information.

Multiplaza mall offers packages for tourists

Multiplaza Pacific Mall at Panama City's Punta Pacífica district has developed special shopping packages for tourists. With a strategic alliance with the tour operator, Turista Internacional, the mall offers a "Panama Weekend Tour" to Latin American guests with the mall as the highlight of tours to various sightseeing locations.

For visitors passing through the mall offers a Canal orientation package along with the shopping.

Of Mall Multiplaza Pacific's 160 stores, 70 are "concept stores" offering specific trademarks and 7 are department. There are 30 restaurants and cafés and 8 cinemas.

Ambitious residential project launched

From left to right: Frank Morrice Jr., Manager of Century 21, Guillermo García de Paredes, Jorge Oller and Alfredo Alemán, Manager of Casas Bellas.

Panamanian real-estate developer Casas Bellas recently held a business luncheon to launch its newest project: Embassy Gardens, an exlusive residential community located on the banks of the Panama Canal.

The development's residences and apartments, which feature a Spanish-colonial architecture, will be built in idylic settings overlooking the Panama Canal, surrounded by the Camino de Cruces National Park.

Casas Bellas is part of Grupo Los Pueblos, the consortium that built the successful Los Pueblos shopping center (Vía Tocumen), Albrook Mall, and Gran Terminal de Transporte –the country's main bus station.

An artist's rendition of the project.

Elevación S.A. Offers tours and emergency service by helicopter

A property development company, Elevación S.A., has announced its intention to contract 3 helicopters , for its operations and the promotion of tourism in Panama.

The primary purpose of the helicopters will be to provide a fast, efficient method of transportation for Elevación's clients to real estate development sites across the Isthmus.

"We've invested a significant amount of time and money into Panama already, believing it's not just a good investment, it's a great one. So, we are actively promoting it and passing this message on to others, Helen Tonkin, Vice-president of Marketing and Public Relations of the company told "The Visitor".

"Helicopters are a big part of our lives already and it's the best way for us and our clients to get around the various locations, many of whose resort owners are putting in heli-pads already.

"Having also seen the need to provide our clients with an emergancy helicopter service we will be equipping one of the helicopters as an Air ambulance and dedicating it to this role, along with a medical team available on-call, initially during daylight hours only, due to Aeronautica Civil (AAC) restrictions.

"The idea for a dedicated helicopter for emergencies, available to our clients that subscribe, came from constant requests for the service when discussing our plans in Panama. The emergence of "LifeFlight", Panama's first helicopter emergency medical service, is long overdue and we are dedicated to bringing this exciting but very necessary support to the inhabitants of our favorite country".

For more information about LifeFlight, log on to www.lifeflightpanama.com

Master plan gears David Airport for predited growth

Panama's Civil Aviation Authority is predicting steady growth for the Enrique Malek Airport in David and recently announced a development plan phased over 25 years.

David Airport's runway, built by the U.S. during World War II is 2,100 meters long by 48 meters wide. The absolute minimum for planes like the Boeing 727 and 737 is 2,100 meters under ideal conditions, so the runway will be extended to 2,225 m. (7,380 ft.)

This is the major item in the first two-year phase, costing US$2 million, which also includes a new perimeter fence, a new fire station and a tank farm for much greater fuel capacity. At present, only jet fuel is available in limited quantities and no avgas, limiting the airport's attractiveness to general aviation and private aircraft, the majority of which have piston engines.

The passenger terminal will be improved by moving the car rental offices out to the present parking lot, thus increasing the space in the check-in area by 250 square meters.

Already installed as part of the first phase is a new VOR/DME system, a location and distance measurment beacon to resplace the old system dating from 1986.

Traffic at Enrique Malek Airport has doubled since 2000 with an annual throughput of some 120,000 passengers. The two main domestic carriers, Air Panama and Aeroperlas Regional account for the bulk. At present there are no scheduled international flights, although at least two overseas carriers have apparently shown interest.

Mr. Gregorio Montero, engineer and planner of the Civil Aviation Authority, said the master plan contemplates a $10 million price tag over the next eight years and will include expansion of the passenger terminal to accommodate sthe expected increase in flights.