Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Távida , set within a private reserve of the same name nearby ($5 entry). Local kids will hap-
pily guide you there for a small tip. More adventurous trips across the mountains to El Valle,
or over to the Caribbean rainforests can be organized though there's no reason - with a little
Spanish, a local guide and the right supplies and equipment - why you can't do this inde-
pendently.
If you're in the area in late January, it is worth dropping by the village of Churruquita
Grande for the citrus-filled Festival de la Naranja to marvel at the elaborate and inventively
crafted wood and thatch displays overflowing with local produce, vying for the prize of best
stall.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: CHIGUIRÍ ARRIBA AND CHURUQUITA
GRANDE
By bus Buses leave Penonomé by the market (6am, 9am then every 60-90min until 6.30pm;
75min) for Chiguirí Arriba, via Churuquita Grande.
By car An ordinary saloon car is fine as far as Chiguirí Arriba, but 4WD is needed to reach
Villa Távida from the main road (15min drive). Otherwise, it's a 1hr walk.
ACCOMMODATION
Villa Távida Chiguirí Arriba 28km northeast of Penonomé on the Chiguirí Arriba road
6485 0505, posadalavieja.com . Set in the Reserva Privada Távida this delightful cabaña
with two rooms is all that remains of the former eco-resort La Posada del Cerro La Vieja ,
which has now closed. Each room, with double bed, double sofa bed and cable TV, can ac-
commodate up to four people. There are cooking facilities, an outd oor dining area and a
thatched hammock-filled bohío from which to admire the views. $198
Parque Nacional Omar Torrijos
The park entrance is 4km beyond Barrigón, which is 3km northwest of Penonomé • Daily 6am-5pm • $5
A difficult place to get to, this little-visited, 250-square-kilometre protected carpet of lush
forest astride the continental divide is well worth the effort. The national park's mouthful of
a full name, Parque Nacional General de División Omar Torrijos Herrera , was given on
its formation in 1986 in remembrance of Panama's flamboyant populist leader, whose plane
mysteriously crashed into one of the area's highest peaks, Cerro Martha, in 1981. These days
it is more usually referred to as “Parque Omar Torrijos” or “El Copé” after the nearby village.
Averaging twenty degrees Celsius in the cloud-forested peaks of the Cordillera Central, the
canopy cascades down to the more moist vegetation of the Caribbean side, where temperat-
ures average 25°C and the area receives an incredible 4m of rainfall.
There's some fine wildlife : tapirs, peccaries and all five of Panama's species of large
cat roam the undergrowth, while red-fronted parrotlets, orange-bellied trogons and the ex-
traordinary bare-necked umbrella bird draw birdlovers. You're more likely to hear than see
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