Page 40 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

38 BASICS SportS and outdoor activitieS
indistinguishable brown bird from another, to think panama city, and also in chitré and Santiago.
again. it’s hard not to be impressed by the dazzling Matawi is a new, expensive specialist shop for
flashes of parrots and macaws in flight or the climbing and hiking gear in the Sky Business
ludicrous painted bills of toucans swooping across centre, av Balboa (Wmatawigear.com), in the
the treetops. capital. do it center in albrook Mall sometimes
Since many of these glamorous birds spend stocks water filters and water purification tablets,
much of their time tantalizingly high up in the but you are better off bringing them with you.
canopy, it is worth splashing out on at least a small
pair of binoculars, which will significantly enhance Rafting and kayaking
your birdwatching experience. So too will engaging
a guide. alongside the big-name tour operators in the fast-flowing rivers that tumble down from the
the capital (see p.76) there are small-scale special- highlands of western and central panama, carving
ists, such as Birding panama (Wbirdingpanama their way through dramatic scenery, have put
.com) and Birding in panama (Wbirdinginpanama panama on the map for whitewater rafting and
.com), as well as numerous local residents scattered kayaking. the top destination is the río chiriquí
across the country, whose contact details are given viejo, which runs parallel with the costa rican border.
in the relevant chapters of the Guide. daily rates for though the descent is shorter and slightly less wild
a professional bilingual naturalist guide contracted since its damming for a hydroelectric project, it’s still
in the capital can range from $150–170 per person, an impressive run, with category ii to iv rapids. the
partly depending on how far you travel, but if you rivers are at their wildest during the heavy rains
want something less expensive or just want (roughly May to mid-dec), but you’ll manage to find
someone to be able to point out some of the enough water flowing somewhere to raft and kayak
more obvious species, engaging a local from one year-round. Boquete operators (see p.187) are best
of the villages for a few hours can cost as little as placed to organize chiriquí destinations, while
$15. a good way to start off is to attend one companies in the capital head for rivers in the
of the regular birdwatching-for-beginners walks chagres basin or in neighbouring coclé province.
(donations welcome) in the parque natural Metro- Sea-kayaking is growing in popularity, offering a
politano in panama city; organized by the panama great way to explore rocky coastlines and mangroves,
audubon Society (T232 5977, Wfacebook.com and to access remote beaches among the islands of
/audubonpanama), they are open to all. Guna Yala, or round coiba and Boca chica in chiriquí.

Hiking Diving and snorkelling
panama also affords a myriad hiking opportunities. Diving in the Pacific can be truly spectacular,
vast wilderness areas such as La amistad and the particularly in the Golfo de chiriquí and the archip-
darién are ideal for adventurous multiday hikes iélago de las perlas. pick the right time of year (see
across the isthmus, often involving bivouacking, p.308) and you’re likely to spot manta rays, moray
staying in indigenous villages, fording rivers and eels, sharks, schools of dolphins and migrating
wading through metres of mud. aside from the humpback and sperm whales – some scuba
panama city operators, guides can be engaged operators offer whale-watching tours. Large pelagic
locally in places such as Santa Fé, Boquete and fish such as marlin, sailfish, amberjack, dorado and
cerro punta, at far less cost, though you’ll need tuna also abound, which reel in sport fishing enthu-
some Spanish. if you fancy a more modest outing, siasts too. the jewel in this marine crown is isla
parks in the canal basin offer a range of trails from a coiba; located on the edge of the second-largest
gentle circular route to a reasonably strenuous reef on the pacific side of the americas, it offers
rainforest tramp following in the footsteps of the world-class diving.
conquistadors. note you’ll need warm clothes for among the coral reefs of Bocas and portobelo on
the chilly nights in the peaks of western panama. the Caribbean side, diving can also be enjoyable, if
Basic hiking and camping gear can often be not as spectacular as at some other caribbean
bought at any of the novey or do it center shops in destinations. visibility can vary enormously,
the main cities, but the best selection (albeit still especially after heavy rain. However, the rainbow-
fairly limited) is found at the outlets of Outdoor coloured soft corals of cayo crawl off isla Basti-
Adventure in albrook Mall (T303 6120), Multiplaza mentos make for breathtaking snorkelling and
(T302 4828) and Multicentro (T302 0157) in there are plenty of other fun spots to explore.

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