Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FROM LEFT
HARPY EAGLE; FESTIVAL DE LA MEJORANA; VIEW FROM CERRO ANCÓN
AUTHOR PICKS
To research this guide, Rough Guides authors spent countless hours squatting in dugout ca-
noes, tramping though rainforest and fending off sandflies as they travelled from the cocktail
bars of Bocas to the Emberá villages deep in the Darién. Aside from the major sights, here
are some personal picks.
Top boat trip
The
Humedales de San San Pond Sak
are at their best at sunrise, as the mist
clears, and you glide through the wetlands on the look out for herons and hawks, sloths and
snakes, and the extraordinary-looking manatee.
Memorable jungle experience
After a dawn hike through the Darién rainforest, and a
lengthy stakeout of a nest, the sight of a majestic adult
harpy eagle
swooping down to feed
its chick is truly special.
Most exhilarating flight
Peering out of your eight-seater twin-prop over
Guna Yala
will
leave you gasping at the countless tiny specks of white sand dotted with coconut palms that
dazzle in translucent turquoise shallows.
Most panoramic view
The vistas from the summit of
Cerro Ancón
take your breath away:
on one side the city with its shimmering skyscrapers dwarfing the colonial architecture of
Casco Viejo, on the other a procession of vast ships passing through the Panama Canal.
Challenging hike
It's hard to beat the four-day trek across the cordillera from Boquete to
Bocas, hiking through cloud forest, traversing rivers and sleeping in Ngäbe villages, with the
reward of a soak in the Caribbean at the end.
Most enjoyable fiesta
While the extreme hedonism of Carnaval grabs the headlines, tiny
Guararé's
Festival de la Mejorana
is a more mellow but joyous affair, including heavy doses
of
pindín
- upbeat folk music featuring accordion-playing - and competitions in traditional
skills.
