Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
East- and west-bound buses stop at the gas station on the Interamericana. Buses for
Panama City (US$1.25, one hour) leave every 15 minutes - take the express to avoid fre-
quent stops.
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Capira
Quesos Chela
(Interamericana; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat)
is located 57km from Panama City
in the nondescript townstron of Capira. This famous cheese shop is an institution that
few Panamanian drivers can pass without stopping. It's a plain shop that usually has
piping-hot fresh cheese (string, mozzarella, farmers, ricotta) and homemade meat em-
panadas for sale. The cheese shop is right next door to a gas station and a supermarket on
the right-hand side of the road if you're heading west.
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Parque Nacional y Reserva Biológica Altos de Campana
This obscure and relatively unknown national park is a favorite for bird-watchers. Com-
mon sightings include the scale-crested pygmy-tyrant, orange-bellied trogon and
chestnut-capped brush-finch; rare avians including the slaty antwren, the white-tipped
sicklebill and the purplish-backed quail-dove are occasionally spotted here.
This park requires at least several hours to be appreciated because it's best viewed on
foot. Starting at the road's end, beyond the microwave tower, trails will take you into
some lovely forest, which is on the much greener Atlantic slope. The difference between
the deforested Pacific and the lush Atlantic slopes is nowhere more evident.
The easy-to-miss turnoff for this national park is 25km southwest of La Chorrera, on
the western side of the Interamericana. It's at the top of a steep and windy section of the
Interamericana known locally as the Loma Campana. From the turnoff, a rocky road
winds 4.6km to an
ANAM ranger station
(admission US$5; campsite per night US$5)
at the
entrance to the park, which is located on Cerro Campana; pay fees here. Camping is al-
lowed; there is water but no facilities.
No buses go up the road leading to the park. You pretty much need to have your own
vehicle, rely on the services of a guide company or do some rather serious hiking to get
in. However, getting to the turnoff for the park is easy. Virtually any bus using that sec-
tion of the Interamericana will drop you there - there's a bus stop beside the turnoff. Get-
