Page 70 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

68 Panama City Former Canal Zone
1 biodiversity park, still in its infancy, intends to continue the theme; endemic and native
plants are to be selected either on aesthetic grounds or because of what they tell us
about Panama’s biodiversity.
Inevitably, there is both a gift shop and café on site.

Isla Naos
Isla Naos is the location of a marine research centre for the Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute (STRI), which maintains a small reserve on the adjoining peninsula,
Punta Culebra. The Punta Culebra Nature Centre (March–Dec Tues–Fri 1–5pm, Sat &
Sun 10am–6pm; Jan–Feb Tues–Sun 10am–6pm; $5; Wstri.si.edu) is probably only
worth popping into if you are travelling with young children. Set in a rare patch of
tropical dry forest, the reserve offers a small visitor’s centre, a couple of pools
containing marine life and a short trail through the forest, where you should keep an
eye out for green iguanas and two-toed sloths. Next to the reserve entrance is the
departure point for the ferry to Taboga (see p.89).

Isla Perico and Isla Flamenco
At the end of the causeway, the neglected strip mall of Isla Perico tends to be ignored in
favour of Isla Flamenco, which features a cruise terminal and a flash marina sheltering
sleek yachts and motorboats, surrounded by pricey bars and restaurants – a real tourist
trap for unwary cruise-ship visitors, though its wonderful views make the island a
choice spot for a sundowner.

Cerro Ancón
Visible from most of the surrounding area, the huge Panamanian flag fluttering in the
breeze on the summit of Cerro Ancón (199m) is one of the city’s most distinctive
landmarks. The hill itself affords sweeping vistas of both the city and the Canal; what’s
more, it is topped with a protected area of secondary forest harbouring white-tailed
deer, agoutis, sloths, toucans, Geoffroy’s tamarin and white-faced capuchin monkeys,
and is well worth climbing (see box below).
By the mirador overlooking the city, and below the flagpole, sits the serene bronze
figure of poet Amelia Denis de Icaza, who is remembered for Al Cerro Ancón; written in
1900, it served as a nationalist rallying cry.
Steps down the eastern side of hill, by the main gate, lead to the theme-park-style Mi
Pueblito (Tues–Sun 9am–9pm; free), a set of four rather tacky replica villages recreating
traditional architectural styles and flogging overpriced crafts. The main incentive is the

WALKING UP CERRO ANCÓN
one of the highlights of Panama City is undoubtedly a walk up Cerro Ancón in the early
morning or late afternoon, when you’re likely to encounter keel-billed toucans croaking from
the treetops and a host of other wildlife.
To get there on foot, cross avenida de los mártires, behind the Palacio legislativo on Plaza
Cinco de mayo, and cut through to the road that winds through the old Gorgas Hospital and
Supreme Court. Skirting round the northern side of the hill, the road divides: to the right, it
drops down to the Canal administration Building, while ahead it climbs to Quarry Heights,
the former US military command centre. These days it is an exclusive leafy residential area
(renamed altos de ancón) and is worth a short detour for its unique Zonian wooden
architecture. From the Quarry Heights security gate, it’s a twenty- to thirty-minute hike to the
summit; take the first left, then immediate right. a few hundred metres later you’ll come to a
locked gate, which, at the time of writing had been closed to vehicles for several months for
fear of subsidence in the road. Pedestrians and cyclists can slip through the side gate, whereas
taxis will have to deposit their passengers ($5 one way; $10–12 including wait time).

050-089_Panama_3_Ch1.indd 68 30/06/17 11:49 am