Page 44 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

42 BASICS Travel essenTials
PAYING NATIONAL PARK FEES
in theory, park fees (including the daily entry and accommodation costs) have to be paid in
advance, in a branch of the Banco nacional, into Miambiente’s current account. The deposit slip
needs to be made out to Miambiente/Fondo de vida silvestre; account no: 1-00000-46528. This
effectively means that you have to decide before you visit a park how many days you intend to
stay there. Be sure to hold on to the receipt to show the Mia office as proof of payment.
However, the reality on the ground is more varied. For Darién and Coiba, pre-payment is
essential (see p.280 & p.212) but for most other parks you can usually pay cash at the regional
Mia office or in the park itself. We’ve covered the details where necessary in this Guide, but if
in doubt, ask the relevant park desk officer in the Áreas Protegidas section of Mia’s head office
in Panama City (T500 0855, Wmiambiente.gob.pa).

fluorescent poison dart frogs to primordial iguanas. since 2016, park fees have been standardized at
ruined colonial fortresses, a crumbling Devil’s island $5 per day for foreigners, except in Coiba (see
penitentiary and a rare tract of dry tropical forest p.215). Officially you’ll pay $6 per person to camp –
also lie within national park boundaries. though again, there are anomalies; soberanía
charges $6 per tent, for example (see p.100) – or
Visiting the parks $15 for a bed for the night. Be aware that many park
bunkhouses (refugios) are in a poor state of repair,
Panama’s national parks are managed by the and may lack basic utensils. The method for paying
Ministry of the Environment (Ministerio de park fees is somewhat convoluted (see box above).
ambiente) – upgraded in 2015 from being a mere
department (autoridad del ambiente de Panamá,
or anaM). although the anaM acronym is still Travel essentials
widely used, the ministry has been formally
branded as MiAmbiente, or MIA (Wmiambiente Costs
.gob.pa). Dealing with tourists is in theory the job of
Panama’s national tourist agency, the aTP (see p.48), Costs are higher than in countries such as
but Mia staff in the regional and local offices, as Guatemala and nicaragua, and have risen to Costa
well as the guardaparques (park wardens) are often rican levels in some areas. staying in dorms, eating
very helpful and likely to be of more direct use, in inexpensive local restaurants and using public
though they will only speak spanish. transport you can easily survive on $40–50 a day,
MIA offices are generally open from Monday to less if camping, with anything from $50–90 on top
Friday from 8am to 4pm. if you need a permit, to for a day’s guided excursion – snorkelling, surfing,
book accommodation or to hire a guide, it’s best to fishing, horseriding or kayaking, for instance.
drop by the regional or larger town offices to sort staying in more comfortable accommodation
matters out in advance. if this is not possible, you and eating in more touristy restaurants can mean a
can usually organize something on the spot – daily food and lodgings budget of $100 with excur-
though not for the Darién or Coiba – see box sions and maybe car rental (minimum $25/day) on
above. indeed, in theory, there should be a full-time top, though a lot depends on whether you stay in
resident warden at each park entrance although in Panama City and the Canal area, where prices are
practice, it is not always the case, in which case any significantly higher, or make for the interior.
facilities will be locked. if you decide to organize High-end accommodation – only really available in
your visit by telephoning one of the Mia offices, ask Panama City and at a handful of resorts across the rest
to talk to someone in Áreas Protegidas, and note of the country – will set you back more than $250 a
that most Mia employees only speak spanish. night, with a three-course meal (without drinks) in one
With tourism very much a fledgling business in of the city’s top restaurants averaging $50. Tipping
Panama, it may be some time before there is an should not add too much to any costs (see p.46).
integrated approach and anything like standardized
facilities across the national parks. in most places, Crime and personal safety
you will need to ask the park warden, and possibly
hire them as a guide (for around $20–25/day) since The presence of FarC guerrillas and cocaine
maps and trail signs are conspicuously absent. smugglers in the Darién jungle has helped promote

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