Page 291 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

The souTheasTern Pacific coasT The Darién anD easTern Panama 289
protected bay – the safest anchorage along this part of the coast – boasting a
substantial beach and riverside location. From here you can organize a day-hike over
the mountains to the cream-coloured sands of Playa Blanca, which offers sheltered
snorkelling, or to the Wounaan village of Biroquera, from where it’s a half-hour boat
trip down to Jaqué.

Jaqué
Though actually around 40km from the Colombian border, JAQUÉ is Panama’s
Pacific border town, and as such heavily garrisoned – you’ll need to check in with
SENAFRONT. The three-thousand-strong mixed population, including many
Colombians, live around a vague grid of cement paths. Though enlivened somewhat
by the generous sprinkling of plantain, mango trees and coconut palms, Jaqué is still
an unappealing place: heavily littered, with loud cantinas blaring out reggaeton and
surprisingly lacking anywhere that serves coffee. Yet the setting is impressive, with the
mountains of the Cordillera de Jungurudo forming a distant backdrop, a 4km stretch
of beach pounded by surf, and a sweeping river-mouth rich in birdlife. Stroll along the
sands, surf the waves, birdwatch or contract a boat to take you upstream to the
Wounaan community of Biroquera, where you can sort out a place to sling up a
hammock, or contract a guide to accompany you on a splendid three-hour hike to
the fishing hamlet of Piña.
arriVaL anD inFOrmaTiOn PUerTO PiÑas anD JaQUé
By plane Air Panama (T316 9000, Wairpanama.com) Piñas) every four or five days, depending on demand and 8
operates mid-morning flights from Albrook Airport to ocean conditions. Snacks are sold on board, but it is best to
Jaqué (Mon & Fri; 1hr 15min; $91 one way). Return flights bring your own food. The boat leaves on the second high
to the capital leave on the same days, almost as soon as the tide of the day, so check the departure time the day before.
plane has landed. There are also flights to Bahía Piñas. Boat services to Colombia are planned.
By boat in Panama It is possible to catch a ride in a boat By boat from Colombia There is currently no
from La Palma to Jaqué or Puerto (around $50/person; immigration office in Jaqué, so immigration formalities
3–5hr, depending on the engine and the ocean conditions). have to be undertaken on arrival in Panama City – at
The sea can be very rough, especially in the rainy season, so Balboa Yacht Club on the Amador Causeway – but your
be sure to make the relevant safety checks beforehand (see details will be taken by SENAFRONT at Jaqué’s beach (the
p.28). Enquire at Terraplén, by the Mercado de Mariscos in de facto port) on arrival.
Panama City, about departures on the Halcón (T6846 Transfers Jaqué–Puerto Piñas Though only a small
4594 or T6523 0316), a new vessel that offers a bunk bed headland separates the two communities, the short hop by
($35; $30 bench seat only) for the 14hr voyage between boat costs $10.
Panama City and Jaqué (via Playa Muerto and Puerto
aCCOmmODaTiOn anD eaTinG
PUERTO PIÑAS else in town, you won’t get coffee and the menu has few
Fonda Laura 200m down the cement path from the options, but this friendly wood-and-thatch hut is still the
airstrip. You’ll get a hearty welcome from the ebullient pick of the fondas, serving reasonable platefuls of fish or
Laura as well as a tasty plateful of mondongo or chicken, chicken with plantain, rice and salad (around $6). Daily
rice and beans ($6). She also has rooms to rent, though 7am–7pm.
usually for long-term lets. Daily 7am–8pm. Hospedaje Hermanas Hurtado 300m northeast of
Hospedaje Nemecia By the church near the airstrip the SENAFRONT checkpoint T6000 9730. The only
T6802 3808. Four neat, clean tiled-floor rooms, the odd place to stay – until a rumoured new surf camp opens
frilly bedspread, plus a/c and satellite TV, and shared cold- – is this extremely basic, wooden two-storey building
water showers. $25 with shared cold-water showers (plus a bucket in case
of water outages), torn lino-covered floorboards, rusty
JAQUÉ fans and shutters. Beds are serviceable, however, with
Fonda Alex On the main cement path, near the clean sheets. Bring your own mosquito net in the rainy
riverside SENAFRONT headquarters. Like everywhere season. $16

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