Page 102 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

100 The Panama Canal and CenTral isThmus The road To Gamboa
with a drink before catching one of the regular buses back. You would need to
organize a boat to meet you in advance ($5/person); the park wardens can arrange this
for a couple of dollars. Alternatively, hike half of the Camino de Cruces in a westerly
direction, breaking off down the 5km Sendero de la Plantación (Plantation Trail). This
is the gravelly remnants of a paved thoroughfare that once led to the largest private
agricultural venture in the old Canal Zone, harvesting rubber, coffee and cocoa, which
you can still occasionally spot growing wild amid the rainforest. It eventually disgorges
2 you onto the road to Gamboa, where you can flag down one of the regular Gamboa–
Panama City buses.

Canopy Tower Ecolodge
Semaphore Hill, on the main road to Gamboa, 6km south of Gamboa and around 20km from Panama City • Half-day visits $120, including
meal, park fee and guided walk • T264 5720, Wcanopytower.com • It’s a steep 1km to the lodge from the drive entrance
For serious nature lovers who can’t afford the overnight rates (see below), it’s still worth
considering a half-day trip to the Canopy Tower Ecolodge, which has to be organized in
advance, and includes a guided walk on which you’re likely to spot manakins, antbirds,
tinamous, sloths, coatis and agoutis, as well as an abundance of butterflies and insects.
You also get time on the truly special canopy-level observation deck, which is equipped
with a telescope and sun loungers, allowing you to indulge in some spectacular
armchair birdwatching.

Rainforest Discovery Centre
2km along the Camino de Oleoducto from central Gamboa • Daily 6am–4pm • Peak hours (6–10am; maximum 25 people) $30, other
hours $20; advance booking is advisable • T306 3133 in Panama City, visitor centre T6450 6630, Wpipelineroad.org
The Rainforest Discovery Centre, on the park boundary, boasts an impressive canopy
observation tower with multilevel viewing platforms, a series of short trails and an
interpretive centre, whose main draw is the observation deck, where bird feeders attract
scores of hummingbirds. The drawback is the hefty entrance fee, especially if you arrive
during prime birding time (6–10am), though it’s definitely worth the outlay if you’re
keen on birds or you make a day of it with a picnic. Profits go towards environmental
education, research and conservation projects.

arriVal and inFOrmaTiOn ParQue naCiOnal sOBeranÍa
Park entrance and fees Fees ($5) are payable at the the Camino del Oleoducto, alight at the park in Gamboa,
park headquarters (Mon–Fri 8am–4.30pm, though there walk 1km along the road parallel to the railway and Canal,
is always a warden on site out of office hours; T232 4192), then follow the signs up a dirt road to the right to the
15km northwest of Panama City on the road to Gamboa entrance barrier.
where the road forks. By car There are car parks at the trailheads.
By bus Gamboa-bound buses from Panama City’s Albrook By taxi A taxi from central Panama City will cost around
terminal can drop you off at the park HQ, several kilometres $20–30 depending on where in the park you want to go.
away from the main trails, and 2.5km further along the Tours Panama City tour operators (see p.76) run a variety
road, at the entrance to the Sendero de la Plantación – also of day-trips to the park, which can involve birdwatching,
the turn-off for the Canopy Tower Ecolodge (see below). For hiking, kayaking or even mountain biking.
aCCOmmOdaTiOn
Canopy Tower Ecolodge Semaphore Hill, Parque better deals) include full board, with tasty meals served
Nacional Soberanía T264 5720, Wcanopytower.com. from the panoramic dining lounge. Minimum two-night
US radar tower converted into a four-storey, twelve-room stay. $534
ecolodge with a genuine commitment to conservation. MIA camping It is possible to camp at the park
Simple, functional single rooms with shared bathroom are headquarters (where they have an ablutions block) or, if
offered alongside more comfortable en-suite doubles and you prefer, you can arrange to camp wild along the
suites; all have screens, fans and hot water. Guests get a Sendero de la Plantación or the Camino del Oleoducto;
free guided walk each day, with excursions available that though there are no facilities, several of the available
also cater to non-birders. Rates (multiday packages offer spots are near running water. Per tent $6

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