Page 69 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

Former Canal Zone Panama City 67
Former Canal Zone 1
Established in 1903 to protect the Canal, the former Canal Zone ran the length of the
waterway, extending approximately 8km either side of it but excluding Panama City
and Colón. Under US military control until 1977, it was jointly administered by the
US and Panamanian authorities until the eventual handover in 1999 (see p.299).
Though gradually being swallowed up by Panama City’s urban sprawl, Balboa – which
was effectively the administrative capital of the “Zone” – still retains some of its
pleasant leafy landscaping and original architecture, most notably the palatial Canal
Administration Building and exclusive residential enclave of Quarry Heights. Above,
Cerro Ancón affords splendid views of the city and Canal, including south to the
Amador Causeway, which marks the Pacific entrance to the Canal, and north to the
forested Parque Natural Metropolitano.

Amador Causeway
Away from the deafening traffic, pollution and stultifying heat of downtown Panama
City, the refreshing breezes of the Amador Causeway (Calzada de Amador) – the
Canal’s Pacific breakwater – make it an attractive weekend recreational area for
middle-class Panamanians as well as a draw for tourists. Over the last decade the
causeway’s popularity has waxed and waned; currently, it is on the up again, following a
multimillion-dollar facelift that has seen a new dual carriageway, a regular bus service –
including the hop-on-hop-off tourist bus (see p.75) – a cycleway, park benches and
four viewpoints. As a result, the bars and restaurants are beginning to fill once more;
you can wine and dine while enjoying close-ups of transiting ships or more distant
views of the Paitilla skyline. Nearer the mouth of the causeway stands the Centro de
Convenciones Figali – currently closed for renovations – with the city’s best craft market
squeezed in alongside (see p.86). More practically, the causeway is the departure point
for ferries to Taboga and the Archipiélago de las Perlas as well as for Canal tours
(see p.89, p.123 & box, p.95). Consisting of three interconnecting islands –
islas Naos, Perico and Flamenco – the 3km causeway first came into existence in 1913,
to help prevent crosscurrents silting up the entry to the Canal. Its strategic location,
protruding out into the bay, resulted in Isla Flamenco becoming the site for a US
military base. Flamenco also hosts the command centre for the Autoridad del Canal
de Panamá (ACP), which controls all traffic transiting the Canal.
The best way to explore the area is on foot or by bike; you can rent cycles at several
places (see p.75).

Biomuseo
Amador Causeway • Tues–Fri 10am–4pm, Sat & Sun 1am–5pm • $18 • T830 6700, Wbiomuseopanama.com • Metrobuses run down the
causeway from outside Albrook bus terminal
The unmissable, crumpled technicolour rooftop at the entrance to the causeway proper
heralds the Biomuseo – designed by famed architect Frank Gehry – which, after almost
fifteen years of political wrangling, finally opened in 2014. By far the city’s best
museum, it has a hefty price tag to match the hype.
Aimed at highlighting Panama’s rich biodiversity due to its unique position as a land
bridge between the two Americas, the Biomuseo also devotes space to Panama’s human
history. Although the permanent exhibition comprises just eight rooms, plus a couple
of outdoor exhibits, its state-of-the-art interactive screens and large-scale audiovisual
presentations are undeniably impressive. The Panamarama room is particularly striking,
its ten-screen, surround-sound romp through Panama’s ecosystems, accompanied by
drumming and jungle noises, an assault on the senses. Other rooms focus on the
geological formation of the isthmus, the ways in which the marine life in the two
oceans evolved, and the interconnectedness of various ecosystems. Outside, the

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