Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Refugio de Vida Silvestre Cenegón del Mangle
The park entrance is located at the mouth of the Río Santa María off the Carretera Nacional east of París • Daily
8am-4pm • $5
At the mouth of the Río Santa María, with around eight square kilometres of mangrove rich
in wildlife, the
Refugio de Vida Silvestre Cenegón del Mangle
is known for its heronries
packed with grey and tri-coloured herons and great white and cattle egrets, though numbers
have been decreasing in recent years. There is a 500m boardwalk through the mangroves to
better view the birds, especially during the nesting season (June-Sept). In the dry season,
there's little reason to visit.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: REFUGIO DE VIDA SILVESTRE
By car
It's a 45min ride from Chitré: 7km northwest of Parita on the highway, turn right at
a bus shelter and petrol station to París - a far cry from its namesake in Europe, and actually
named after a local indigenous chief. At the fork by the village church, bear right and then
right again at an unmarked crossroads a few hundred metres later. The tarred road soon peters
into dirt, which continues another 4km before signs to the reserve re-emerge, which you fol-
low to the park office. 4WD is necessary in the rainy season.
By taxi
To get here by taxi (4WD in the rainy season) will cost around $25 from Chitré or
$15 from Parita.
La Ciénaga de las Macanas
4km east of El Rincón, which is 32km northwest of Chitré • Daily 8.30am-3.30pm • $3
The region's largest freshwater wetland area
is La Ciénaga de las Macanas
, a shallow lake
with swampy surroundings and patches of dry forest set on Río Santa María's floodplains. It
attracts an abundance of resident and migratory birdlife visible from the
observation tower
near the water's edge. Here in addition to waders and ducks you might be surprised to see
Brahman cattle chomping through the greenery; they help regulate the invasive water hy-
acinth and since the marsh-cum-lake is a multi-use site, limited farming and fishing is al-
lowed, though conservationists are keen to reduce the number of grazing livestock.
Amenities are better here than at nearby Cenegón del Mangle: beside the tower are toilets,
picnic tables, a short interpretive path and a jetty protruding over the water, with a couple of
boats tethered. If you fancy
boating
on the water to get closer to wildlife or throw a fishing
line, contact one of the eco-tourism groups in the nearby village of
El Rincón
(de Santa
María).
ARRIVAL AND TOURS: LA CIÉNAGA DE LAS MACANAS
By bus
Take a bus to El Rincón from Chitré; from here it is around 4km to the marsh (right
at the church, then right at the fork).
