Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
COOL ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS
Hot and flat, Aguadulce is surrounded by fields and fields of sugarcane. Yet several
cool attractions make it a worthy stop on the Interamericana.
From mid-January to mid-March,
Ingenio de Azúcar Santa Rosa
(Santa Rosa Sugar
Refinery; 987-8101/2;
www.azunal.com
; 7am-4pm Mon-Fri, 7-11:30am Sat)
, located 15km
west of Aguadulce, processes over 6500 tons of raw sugarcane daily, all by hand.
The process involves 4000 workers in round-the-clock production. It's a fascinat-
ing time to visit the refinery (with 24-hour's notice). Ask for Gonzalo Peréz for tours
in English. From Aguadulce, the turnoff for the mill is on the right-hand side of the
Interamericana and marked by a sign (there's a gas station opposite).
Located 9km from Aguadulce,
Tidal Flats
serve as a crucial habitat for marsh and
shore birds. The area draws local and international bird-watchers to view roseate
spoonbills and wood storks. Access by taxi.
On Aguadulce's central plaza,
Museo de la Sal y Azúcar
(Museum of Salt & Sugar;
997-4280; Plaza 19 de Octubre; adult/child US$1/0.25; 9am-5pm Tue-Sat, 2-5pm Sun)
docu-
ments the history of these industries and their role in Panamanian life.
Aguadulce can be visited by bus from Penonomé (US$2, 30 minutes, every 20
minutes) and Panama City (US$6, three hours, every 20 minutes). Taxis can take
you around town.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Parque Nacional Omar Torrijos (El Copé) & La Rica
This park is truly one of Panama's hidden gems, though difficult access and relative ob-
scurity have kept the tourist crowds away. It encompasses some of the most beautiful
forests in Panama, with montane forest on the Pacific side of the continental divide and
humid tropical forest on the Caribbean side.
El Copé is also home to the full complement of Panama's wildlife, including such rare
bird species as the golden-olive woodpecker, red-fronted parrotlet, immaculate antbird
and white-throated shrike-tanager, as well as all four species of felines, Baird's tapirs and
peccaries.
One of the wonderful surprises to greet visitors to El Copé is the excellent condition of
the park's trail system, renovated by US Peace Corps volunteers, Autoridad Nacional del
Ambiente (ANAM) rangers and members of Panama Verde (a Panamanian student eco-
logical group). Another surprise: this park offers the easiest and surest point from which
to see both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans (from the lookout above the cabin).
