Page 265 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

Central Guna Yala Guna Yala 263
of the primary school, is a good source of information. airstrip was closed, but there are rumours of it reopening in
By plane At the time of writing, the Corazón de Jesús the future – though no one knows when.
aCCOMMODaTIOn anD EaTInG
Hostal Parks By the primary school, Narganá T6137 Restaurante Narganá At the western tip of Narganá.
8678, Epiolalejandroparks@hotmail.com. Four bland, At the time of writing this was the only restaurant on either
tiled-floor a/c rooms, with cable TV – overpriced for what island, offering a pleasant view of bobbing yachts and large
they are but it’s really the only option, and rates are plates of tasty seafood – mains (from $8) include octopus,
negotiable. Boat tours can also be arranged; a trip up conch, fish and lobster with rice, salad or patacones. Service
nearby Río Azúcar (Uwargandub) is recommended. $50 is indifferent. Daily 6.30am–10pm.

Isla Tigre
Populous yet spacious, elongated Isla Tigre (Digir Dubu) has the rare luxury of a couple
of slender beaches. This island is managing better than most to sustain Guna mores
while opening up to tourism, partly due to partitioning off the village from the grassy 7
community-run tourist areas. In the latter you can loll in a hammock, enjoy a beer at
the community restaurant, or sit on the sliver of beach in your swimwear – provided
you cover up to go into the village. Possible inexpensive excursions ($20–30) include a
visit to the mainland cemetery, a three-hour hike to waterfalls or a snorkelling trip
around one of the nearby islands, where coconuts are harvested.
Some aspects of traditional living are still practised: families rotate to harvest
coconuts, and workers take it in turn to staff the community restaurant. The island also
has its own NGO and is actively involved in lobster protection and recycling practices.
The Guna dance – involving men playing panpipes and women shaking maracas –
originated here, and during the mid-October Feria de Isla Tigre dance troupes from
across the comarca compete for prizes. You can catch them rehearsing on some evenings
and at weekends.
aRRIVal anD DEPaRTuRE ISla TIGRE
By boat Isla Tigre is a 1hr 30min boat ride from Cartí ($20 de Jesús may reopen in the future.
one way). It is rumoured that the airstrip on nearby Corazón
aCCOMMODaTIOn anD EaTInG
Cabañas Digir On the beach T6105 9581 (tourist ★ Restaurante Digir Dubu Across from the cabañas
coordinator). A dilapidated dorm-style beachside T6099 2738. This open-sided bar-restaurant offers some
cabaña, with cement floor, squidgy mattresses and of the best cuisine in the comarca; $6–7 will get you
electricity, shares a toilet and bucket-shower facilities succulent lobster and crab in a delicious sauce with decent
with three newer and nicer private cabañas on stilts – the sides. Attracting Guna from other islands for the quality of
private cabañas have their own small balconies looking the food and the relaxed atmosphere, it’s a good place for
out to sea. Rates don’t include meals or excursions. Dorm cross-cultural conversation. Daily 7am–3pm & 6–10pm
$10, doubles $35 (but will open on request).

Playón Chico
Two cemeteries atop hills on the mainland announce your arrival at the sprawling
administrative hub of Playón Chico (Uggubseni), home to around three thousand people.
A large, flat, coral-filled pancake packed with cane-and-thatch dwellings, interspersed
with functional concrete buildings, the island is wrestling to balance traditional customs
with modern developments, but is a vibrant and welcoming place for all that.
The wharf opens out onto the main-square-cum-basketball-court, and a painted
stage. A concrete pedestrian bridge leads to the mainland, where a football pitch,
airstrip and several government buildings, including a secondary school, are located.
In the early morning, men armed with machetes stride up the path leading to the

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