THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Panama - page 258

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: ISLA DE CAÑAS
TO THE JETTY
By bus Take the bus from Las Tablas (1.30-2pm) or Pedasí (7am & noon) to Cañas village;
you may be able to persuade the driver to drive the extra kilometres to the island dock (El
Encerrao) for a few extra dollars. Otherwise, take a taxi from Cañas.
By car If you're driving, the turn-off to the jetty is 6km west of Cañas village, opposite fonda
El Refugio; from there it's another 2km down a tarred road.
By taxi A taxi from Pedasí costs around $30.
TO THE ISLAND
By boat The island is only about 50m across the water, so shout across if you haven't ar-
ranged transport in advance, or ring 6716 4095 to call for transport; a boat will be sent over
($1) though ideally not at low tide as it means wading through swamp to meet it.
INFORMATION AND GUIDES
Advance bookings Isla Cañas Tours ( 6718 0032, facebook.com/infoictours ) is the vil-
lage tourism cooperative. You can contact its president, Daniel Pérez, directly on that number
(in Spanish), or via the tourist office in Pedasí. The cooperative does all-inclusive packages
to the island or can give information on getting there yourself. Emails are answered promptly.
Guides Trained community guides are assigned to visitors ($15) to lead the turtle watch.
Fernando Dominguez ( 6716 4095) is a reliable local guide with a couple of boats who can
take you to explore the mangroves and nearby river estuary, on the lookout for crocodiles, or
doing artisanal fishing.
ACCOMMODATION
Village accommodation The village cooperative has very rudimentary cabins with fans or
a/c for an extra $10; alternatively you can pitch a ten t, or stay with a fa mily. There are also a
couple of small inexpensive restaurants. Camping $5 /person; cabins $20
Parque Nacional Cerro Hoya
Park entry is $5, payable to ANAM , either in Santiago or Las Tablas (see map )
Tucked away in the southwest corner of the Azuero Peninsula, one of the country's most in-
accessible parks, PARQUE NACIONAL CERRO HOYA , covers 325 square kilometres of
the isthmus' most ancient volcanic rocks. Reaching the area requires an adventurous spirit
since formal trails and accommodation are both lacking and transport is tricky. But the re-
wards are plenty: giant mahogany, cedar, cuipo and ceiba trees soar above carpets of moist
forest , containing over thirty species of endemic plants, which rise up from the sea to lofty
Cerros Hoya (1559m), Moya (1478m) and Soya (1326m). A few scarlet and great green
macaws maintain a fragile foothold in the forests, as does the endemic Azuero parakeet ;
other critically endangered species include the Azuero spider and howler monkeys while