THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Panama - page 353

ACCOMMODATION
There are several functional hotels on the main street, Avenida 17 de Abril, mainly serving
business travellers. All suffer periodic lapses in water and electricity supply.
Hotel Alhambra Av 17 de Abril 758 9819. Probably the best value in town but quality
varies, though all are clean with a/c , hot water and cable TV. Those at the back overlook a
graveyard and are much quieter. $25
Hotel Golden Sahara Av 17 de Abril 758 7478. This place has 28 reasona bly modern
rooms (a/c, cable TV, hot water), though some lack windows. Service is friendly. $32
Hotel Semiramis Av 17 de Abril 758 6006. Probably the most upmarket place to stay in
town (though that's not sayi ng much) with tiled a/c rooms, cable TV and bathrooms with de-
cent hot-water showers. $33
EATING
Restaurante Cotty's Av 17 de Abril 6483 5565. Mounds of cheap noodles and rice
dishes with indeterminate accompaniments in this small cafeteria, at rock-bottom rates Daily
7am-11pm.
Restaurante Ebony Av 17 de Abril 6547 6600. Chock-full of Bob Marley memorabilia,
inflatable sharks and balsawood birds, this popular Afro-Antillean restaurant delivers when
it comes to Caribbean cuisine though prices are high for Changuinola. Daily 11am-11pm.
Restaurante La Fortuna Av 17 de Abril 758 9395. Very popular Chinese restaurant
next to the Golden Sahara offering friendly, efficient service and good value in a/c comfort.
The wide-ranging menu has several veggie options and set menus. Choose a sizzling hotplate
dish with first-rate chips. Daily 11.30am-10.30pm.
Humedales de San San Pond Sak
At the bridge over the Río San San • Visit by appointment • $5 admission charge, payable to ANAM
One of the premier natural attractions of mainland Bocas is the Humedales de San San
Pond Sak (with numerous variant spellings), which encompass over 160 square kilometres
of coastal wetlands stretching from the Costa Rican border, past Changuinola, to the Bahía
de Almirante. Only a small section of the reserve is accessible to visitors but its mix of sea-
sonally flooded swampy forests, dense mangroves and peat bogs makes for a magical boat
trip, especially at first light when the prolific birdlife - 160 species at the current tally - is at
its most active.
As you glide along the river, keep an eye out for caimans and river otters lurking in the wa-
ters. A dawn visit will also heighten your chances of spotting the wetlands' most celebrated
inhabitant, the shy, endangered manatee ; though there are now an estimated 150-200 in the
area, they remain fairly elusive except when banana leaves are provided at the viewing plat-
forms when tour boats enter the reserve. The river eventually fills out into a coastal lagoon