Page 244 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

242 Bocas del Toro Mainland Bocas
crested eagles and great green macaws. A crucial link in the “biological corridor” of
protected areas running the length of Central America, it is now under threat from
agricultural incursions, illicit timber extraction and poaching, but most of all from the
ill-considered hydroelectric projects under way. As well as imperilling the area’s unique
biodiversity, the projects are threatening numerous indigenous communities.
Given the park’s remoteness and the ruggedness of the terrain, any visit to Amistad
proper is a major undertaking, to be made with a good guide, suitable hiking and
6 camping gear, a readiness for rain (more than 5m tips down annually in places) and mud,
plus a spirit of adventure. Most visitors content themselves with a trip organized through
one of the Naso communities dotted along the banks of the Río Teribe (see box, p.241),
in the buffer zone of the Reserva Forestal de Palo Seco, a haven for colourful butterflies,
dazzling birdlife, and a host of other wildlife.
The Naso villages
The Naso, boasting Central America’s last remaining monarch, are one of the
country’s least numerous indigenous groups, whose recent history has been
particularly troubled (see box, p.241). As well as inhabiting the park, they also
live on the San San and Yorkin rivers and around Changuinola, where, seeking
further schooling and employment, many have abandoned their traditional lifestyles.
Those that have remained generally inhabit wooden houses built on stilts covered in
thatch or occasionally zinc, practising animal husbandry and subsistence agriculture
supplemented by fishing and hunting. Though the spiritual heart of the Naso lies in
their ancestral lands high up the headlands of the Teribe, the present-day capital is
SEIYIK, the largest Naso community. Around ninety minutes upriver from
Changuinola, the five hundred inhabitants are dispersed over a pleasant hillside
overlooking the river. In the grassy clearing at the centre of the village stand a
medical centre, primary school and the unremarkable royal palace.

STAYING IN A NASO VILLAGE
lodgings are basic: rudimentary wooden beds with mosquito nets and sporadic water. You’ll
need a torch, as there’s no electricity. Meals consist of simple traditional dishes made from
local organic produce. The main expense for the trip is the fuel needed to power a dugout
against a strong current. note that a national park fee ($5) is generally collected for Mia even
though most excursions stay within the buffer zone. note also that price details quoted online
are not necessarily up to date, so enquire before you go.
OCEN Bonyik T6986 7588 (Raúl Quintero), Wocen river. Rates include meals, transport from El Silencio, a
.bocasdeltoro.org. Splinter group from ODESEN, across trip to Seiyik and the WEKSO trail ($300 for a three-day
the river from WEKSO, and nearer the new road. Guests all-inclusive tour for two). If you’re very fit and
are lodged in several traditional balconied wooden adventurous, a multiday guided hike into the mountains
houses. Guided hikes are on offer (4–12hr); bring to Palenque, the former royal seat of the Naso, is a
snacks and make sure you have a water bottle possibility. Gliding back downriver on a traditional
(preferably with purification tablets). Costs are à la balsa-wood raft is a highlight.
carte (accommodation/person $20; three meals $15; Soposo Rainforest Adventures Soposo T6631
return boat from El Silencio to Bonyik, or Bonyik to 2222, Wsoposo.com. The best advertised and most
Seiyik $70; hikes $25–30). patronized project was set up by a US-Naso couple. They
ODESEN WEKSO T6569 2844 (Adolfo Villagra), offer pleasant wooden cabins with porches, lit by solar
Wodesen.bocasdeltoro.org. The original Naso lanterns, and have pricier rates: $90/person for a day-
community organization, at WEKSO, the former site of trip; $140 for a two-day tour, $275/person for a three-
General Manuel Noriega’s Pana-Jungla training camp. day tour, including lodging, meals, transport from
Accommodation is in a simple balconied wooden lodge Changuinola and a range of excursions. If travelling
set back from the main camp, surrounded by forest, from Bocas, you can be met at Almirante provided you
with a communal hilltop dining area overlooking the meet the additional transport costs.

216-243_Panama_3_Ch6.indd 242 30/06/17 11:51 am