Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chepo and around
It's hard to imagine the agro-commercial town of Chepo , which looks set to be swallowed up
in Panama City's greedy expansion eastwards, as the gateway to the Darién Gap only forty-
odd years ago, where the Pan-American Highway ended and rainforest began, so devastating
has been the pace of deforestation.
Though the town itself holds little to detain you, nearby Puerto Coquira on the Río
Chepo (also known as Río Bayano) is the jumping-off point for boats (from $40 return) to
the delightful island of Isla Chepillo , 4km from the mangrove-filled river mouth. A pop-
ular weekend day-trip from Panama City, the tiny island supports a pretty fishing village,
plus a beach pounded by good surfing waves, and served by a surf camp (
chepillos-
urfcamp.0catch.com/1.html ) .
ACCOMMODATION: CHEPO AND AROUND
Burbayar Lodge Llano-Cartí Road, Km14 236 6061 or 6949 5700, burbayar.net . The
slightly cooler climate is just one of the many plus points of this delightful rustic eco-lodge
that attracts serious birders - with a list of around three hundred species - as well as casual
nature-lovers. All-inclusive rates include lodging and meals, as well as pick-up in Panama
City (book in advance). After the first night the rate is reduced. Popular day-trips from the
lodg e include Lago Bayano, and an exhausting trek down to the coast in Guna Yala (6-8hr).
$200 /person
Lago Bayano
Though now earmarked for “development”, LAGO BAYANO remains a picturesque loca-
tion, perfect for boat rides and picnics, and with a fascinating cave network at its southeastern
tip. Its apparent charm and tranquillity, however, belie the anger of indigenous communities
- displaced when the reservoir was formed in 1976 and still awaiting full compensation from
the government - and the acres of forest that were submerged when the Río Chepo (or Río
Bayano) was dammed to supply Panama City with more hydro-power; dead tree trunks pro-
truding eerily from the water act as poignant reminders. The economic mainstay of the six-
teen lakeside communities - including those of the Guna Comarca de Madugandi , as well
as Emberá, Wounaan and Ladino settlements - is the commercial fishing of tilapia.
Named after Bayano, a charismatic leader of a major settlement of cimarrones , the
350-square-kilometre reservoir is a popular day-trip destination from Panama City; at week-
ends, families spill out of vehicles at the impressive Puente Bayano , which fords the lake's
narrowest point, and pile into motor launches for island picnics, fishing trips or tours of the
lake, on the lookout for caimans, crocodiles and otters slithering around the muddy banks.
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