Page 162 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

160 The Azuero PeninsulA The cenTral peninsula
ArriVAl AnD inForMATion CeneGÓn Del MAnGle
Refuge entrance and fees The entrance (daily at a bus shelter and petrol station to París. At the fork by the
8am–4pm) is at the mouth of the Río Santa María off the village church, bear right and then right again at an unmarked
Carretera Nacional, east of París (a far cry from its namesake crossroads a few hundred metres later. The tarred road soon
in Europe, this Paris is named after a local indigenous peters into dirt, which continues another 4km before signs to
chief). Pay your admission fee ($3) here. the reserve re-emerge, which you follow to the park office.
By car You’ll need 4WD in the rainy season. It’s a 45min ride By taxi To get here by taxi (4WD in the rainy season) will
from Chitré: 7km northwest of Parita on the highway, turn right cost around $25 from Chitré or $15 from Parita.

La Ciénaga de las Macanas
4km east of El Rincón, which is 32km northwest of Chitré • Daily 8.30am–3.30pm • $3 • Take a bus to El Rincón from Chitré; you can then
walk the 4km to the marsh (right at the church, then right at the fork); the local environmental organization GEMA (T976 1040; or
Hector Escudero T6021 4919) offers guiding services (in Spanish) and boat trips, and can arrange transport for you
Set on Río Santa María’s floodplains, La Ciénaga de las Macanas is the region’s largest
freshwater wetland area. It attracts an abundance of resident and migratory birdlife,
visible from the observation tower near the water’s edge. In addition to waders and
ducks you might see Brahman cattle chomping through the greenery; they help
regulate the invasive water hyacinth, though conservationists are keen to reduce the
number of grazing livestock.
Amenities are better here than at nearby Cenegón del Mangle: beside the tower are
toilets, picnic tables, a short interpretive path and a jetty protruding over the water,
4 with a couple of boats tethered. If you fancy boating on the water to get closer to
wildlife or throw a fishing line, contact one of the ecotourism groups in the nearby
village of El Rincón (de Santa María).

The central peninsula
The best way to get a feel for rural life in the Azuero is to head west of the Carretera
Nacional into the agricultural heartland of the peninsula. Here you pass rolling hills
of pastureland sprinkled with giant hardwoods, fields of sugar cane and flower-filled
towns and villages where the unhurried pace of life is infectious. There is precious little
accommodation in these places, but the main population centres, such as Ocú and
Pesé, are well connected by public transport on decent roads and two or three can
easily be combined into a day-trip.

Pesé
One of the prettiest towns within reach of Chitré, lying 24km southeast and
surrounded by a carpet of sugar cane, PESÉ is known for its liquor and its Good Friday
re-enactment of the Passion of Christ. The ironic juxtaposition of faith and booze is
evident the moment you set eyes on the church, which looks disapprovingly across the
road at the Varela Hermanos distillery.
Varela Hermanos distillery
Hacienda San Isidro • Tours in English or Spanish $102, including rum tasting and lunch • T974 9401, Ereservaciones@varelahermanos.com
Founded in 1908 by Spanish émigré José Varela – ancestor of Panama’s current
president – as a sugar mill and refinery, Varela Hermanos became a distillery in 1936
and has never looked back. Today it supplies ninety percent of Panama’s spirits,
including the country’s top rum, Ron Abuelo, and the national knockout tipple, seco
(35 percent). A million cases of spirit a year are produced here, much of which ends up
down the throats of revellers at the Azuero’s many celebrations, including the Festival
de la Caña de Azúcar held in Pesé at the end of March to mark the end of the harvest.

150-177_Panama_3_Ch4.indd 160 30/06/17 11:50 am