THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Panama - page 252

honey and a touch of aniseed) and flan casero , to take out or enjoy there with a cup of chicha
or chicheme . Daily 7am-9pm.
Pasta y Vino Road to Playa El Toro, three blocks from the plaza 6695 2408. Authentic
Italian home-made cooking in the owners' house - so with only a handful of tables (book
ahead) - and a small, though changing, menu of lovingly prepared, inexpensive food.
Tues-Sun 6-10pm.
Restaurante Ejecutivo C Las Tablas, on the plaza 995 2753. Solid Panamanian dining
option with non-stop TV, inexpensive heaped platefuls of rice and noodles in various guises,
plus seafood and meat options (from $6). A good variety of traditional fried breakfasts are on
the menu for around $3. Daily 8am-11pm.
Restaurante Tiesto Main plaza 995 2812. No-nonsense place serving filling sandwiches,
tacos and pizzas (and some less enticing sweet goodies) to eat in or take out. Tues-Sun
2-10pm.
Refugio de Vida Silvestre Isla Iguana
Admission to the park is $10, payable on the island • You will need to present your passport on arrival
Undoubtedly the best day-trip to make from Pedasí is to Isla Iguana , a tiny lump of basalt
4km offshore, which forms the centrepiece of the REFUGIO DE VIDA SILVESTRE ISLA
IGUANA . The reserve was created in 1981 to protect one of the largest and oldest coral reefs
in the Golfo de Panamá, home to over two hundred species of colourful fish though the coral
is not in great condition, thanks in part to the US military; in the 1990s a large chunk of the
reef was blown off when two large bombs - relics of US training during World War II - had
to be detonated. Though covered mainly in dry scrub and grass, a grove of tall coconut palms
and a sprinkling of other fruit trees hark back to the 1960s when Isla Iguana was last inhab-
ited.
Bear in mind that you should avoid travelling to the island during major holiday periods.
Despite repeated attempts by ANAM to control visitor numbers, fishermen desperate for ex-
tra income continue to bring boatloads of tourists, which can total six hundred in a day at peak
times, inevitably putting huge pressures on the island's natural resources. In fact, Isla Iguana
is a far better destination between May and December as the calmer conditions make for a
smoother crossing and more rewarding snorkelling; the sea can be so rough between January
and March that it's sometimes too dangerous to set out. In the migratory season (June-Dec,
but especially Sept & Oct) humpback whales are visible, sometimes in the company of dol-
phins . The area's rich marine life makes it popular with scuba divers (see Tours ) .
Playa El Cirial
The rugged coastline of guano- and cactus-covered basalt is interrupted by two coral-sand
beaches: the larger Playa El Cirial , where all boats pull up, accommodates the park office
and a modest visitor's centre. Playa El Cirial's small crescent of silky sand backs a sheltered