Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Around David
Several pleasant
day-trips
are within striking distance of the city, all reachable on public
transport, and popular with Davideños at weekends as they attempt to escape the city heat.
Playa Barqueta and the wildlife reserve
Twenty-five kilometres southwest of David, unremarkable, grainy
Playa Barqueta
is the
nearest spot to dip in the sea, and has a couple of informal places to eat and enjoy a beer.
A large portion of the beach lies within the boundaries of the low-key
Refugio de Vida Sil-
vestre de Playa Barqueta Agricola
(6am-3pm; $5; park warden 6602 5770) whose 14km
stretch of sand, scrub and mangrove protects nesting sites for hawksbill, olive ridley, leather-
back, loggerhead and green sea
turtles
. Arrange visits to check out the night-time nesting
(May-Nov is best) with the park warden or visit the
ANAM office
outside David. The re-
serve entrance lies east of
Las Olas Resort
, where the bus stops; alternatively the warden will
come and pick you up. Visitors in their own vehicle will need a 4WD.
Balneário Barranca
A more appealing place to cool off from the sweltering heat than David's local beach is
Bal-
neário Barranca
(daily 11am-6pm), a natural swimming pool with a
rancho
bar-restaurant
and hammocks on a meander of Río Chiricagua, 20km west of David. While a festive family
atmosphere prevails at weekends you can have the Tarzan swing all to yourself midweek.
Pedregal
Ten kilometres south of David, past the airport, the road fizzles out at
Pedregal
, David's
small port and marina, a convenient place to contract a
boat
to explore the morass of man-
groves and islands in the
Golfo de Chiriquí
, or to indulge in a tasty seafood lunch (see
Stella's
). Ask around for a boatman; they usually charge around $120 per boat for a two-hour
tour.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: AROUND DAVID
BY BUS
To Playa Barqueta
Buses leave David at 8am & 11.20am (40min), returning at 2.30pm &
5pm, or take a bus to Guarumal and then a taxi to the beach ($6).
To Balneário Barranca
Take any bus heading west to the border, Volcán or Concepción, get-
ting off on the Interamericana just before the Boquerón turn-off (about 20min) and walking
100m up a track to the right.
To Pedregal
Buses leave from Av 2 Este between C Central and C “A” Norte (daily every
10-15min, 6am-11pm; 15min).
