Page 200 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

198 Chiriquí and Veraguas DaviD anD the Chiriquí LowLanDs
5 1300m, on the edge of the Reserva Forestal La Fortuna – there are three private doubles. To get here by bus, alight at
established to protect the Fortuna reservoir’s catchment basin the Km 42 marker, at the hamlet of Valle de la Mina, where a
– it boasts numerous cloud-forest trails, offers a range of sign directs you up a lengthy flight of steps to the right. Very
modestly priced tours and puts on free fun activities, including popular, so book in advance. Cash preferred. Two-night
treasure hunts. Dorms have single and double bunks, and minimum stay. Camping $10, dorms $14, doubles $40

David and the Chiriquí Lowlands
In contrast to the Highlands – the destination for the vast majority of visitors to the
province – the oppressive heat of the Chiriquí Lowlands does little to attract the
punters. Nor do endless fields of maize, rice, bananas, sugar cane and cattle. Still it’s
hard to avoid David, or at least the city’s vast bus terminal, since virtually all the
province’s public transport passes through here. What’s more, Chiriquí’s capital is
growing in appeal as a place to chill out for a couple of days and enjoy a few city
comforts as well as a couple of local attractions.
West of David, the Interamericana speeds along 47km of flattish terrain to the
frontier with Costa Rica. Just before the border post, the road veers off left down the
narrow Península Burica, weaving through plantations and passing the former banana
boom town of Puerto Armuelles, before an undulating road eventually peters out close
to the southern tip, where the handful of travellers who make it this far can stroll along
deserted beaches and watch the waves.

David and around
The only one of three Spanish settlements founded in the area in 1602 to survive
repeated attacks from indigenous groups, DAVID developed slowly as a remote outpost
of the Spanish Empire, only beginning to thrive when Chiriquí’s population swelled in
the nineteenth century. Today, despite being a busy commercial city of more than
140,000 people – the second largest in Panama – and the focus of Chiriquí’s strong
regional identity, it retains a sedate provincial atmosphere.
Oppressively hot and either humid or dusty, its unexceptional modern architecture
spread out on a grid that derives from colonial days, David has few attractions per se,
but its very ordinariness holds a certain appeal for a few days. It’s also a good place to
stock up before a trip to the highlands or break a journey between Panama City and
Costa Rica or Bocas del Toro. Several day-trips – chiefly the mangroves at Pedregal, the
natural pool at Balneário Barranca and the wildlife reserve at Playa Barqueta – are all
possible on public transport, and popular with Davideños at weekends as they attempt
to escape the city heat.
Parque Cervantes
David’s heart is vibrant Parque Cervantes, where snow-cone sellers, shoe-shiners and
hawkers peddling sugar cane and fresh fruit juice all vie for business, overlooked by the
nondescript Iglesia de la Sagrada Familia. The park’s curved stone seating maximizes the
leafy shade, making it a prime spot for watching urban life unfold.

THE INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL FAIR
David’s annual highlight is its international agricultural fair, Feria Internacional de San José
de David (Wferiadedavid.com), whose ten days of festivities coincide with the patron saint
day for san José on March 19. although principally a trade show, there’s plenty to entertain,
with rodeo and lasso competitions, music and dancing, not to mention the annual cabalgata,
a colourful horseback parade through the city streets.

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