Page 284 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

282 The Darién anD easTern Panama Around Golfo de SAn MiGuel
aCCOmmODaTiOn anD eaTinG
Hotel El Nazareño On the main path. Housed in a very Restaurante Doña Lola Near the church. This friendly
dilapidated wooden two-storey building, with inter- place serves very tasty food – plantain, lentils and fried
mittently functioning plumbing and a DIY shower. $15 chicken – for a few dollars. Daily 7am–8pm.
Rancho Frío
The only national park refuge still in operation within the park, Rancho Frío,
sometimes called Pirre Station, is scenically situated on the shady banks of the Río
Perescenico, with several trails leading off from the camp. These include the serious
day- or overnight trek to the cloud forest of Cerro Pirre (1200m) – which requires
lugging tent, sleeping bag and provisions up the mountain; it can be chilly at night,
so pack something warm. The Sendero de las Antennas provides a stiff all-day
alternative that culminates in a hilltop police post, affording sweeping views of
La Palma and the Golfo de San Miguel, with the Pacific as backdrop. Less strenuous
walks can be had closer to camp, but still require a guide – the most popular is
the two-hour circular Sendero Rancho Frío, which takes in a waterfall and natural
piscina. During the wet months, the rivers and waterfalls are truly spectacular,
though the refuge and mountain trails are often swathed in mist and the quantity
of mud to wade through can scarcely be imagined, making even the shortest hike a
major physical achievement. In the dry season, paths are easier to hike, views more
frequently glimpsed and your chances of spotting mammal life – driven to the river
8 to drink – is greatly enhanced.
arriVaL anD DeParTUre ranChO FrÍO
By 4WD In the dry season, the easiest access from El Real is By boat In the rainy season, you can sometimes get
to arrange transport by 4WD as far as the village of Pirre further upriver from El Real to Pijebaisal (around $30 for
Uno, 12km upriver ($25/vehicle), from where it is a gentle the piragua from El Real, plus the cost of three gallons of
1hr 30min walk to the refuge. Or you can arrange to be diesel each way), an hour’s hike away.
taken by horse from Pirre Uno ($20).
aCCOmmODaTiOn
★ Rancho Frío On the banks of the Río Perescenico. bottled water or, better still, a water filter or purifying
The renovated but basic refuge has limited electricity. Bring tablets, since tap water is not drinkable. A mosquito net is
all provisions with you, including bedding and food – and advisable. Camping $6, dorm $15
enough for the park warden and/or guide. Be sure to pack

Around Golfo de San Miguel
Stacked up on a hilly peninsula, the ramshackle collection of wooden buildings that
constitute the lively provincial capital of La Palma jut out into the widening expanse
of the Río Tuira as it empties into the Golfo de San Miguel, a large bite-shaped body
of water penetrating into Panama’s southeastern Pacific coastline. Just across the
water from La Palma, Isla El Encanto (or Boca Chica) hosts the scarcely visible,
crumbling remains of the overgrown Fuerte de San Carlos de Boca Chica; though
little more than a watchtower, it was a crucial link in a chain of defences that
safeguarded the gold mines at Cana. Sprinkled along the coastline amid the
mangroves are several predominantly Afro-Darienite communities such as
Garachiné – comprising a collection of fairly dilapidated buildings and negligible
services. The rivers that flow into the Golfo de San Miguel are the means of access
to the Comarca Emberá-Wounaan and to the villages of La Marea, Mogué, La Chunga
and, of course, Sambú itself.

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