Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
help to maintain the park and its trails and their knowledge and love of the area is quite
apparent.
Barrigon can be reached by car or public transportation from El Copé. From Barrigon
it's a two- to three-hour hike or a horseback ride to La Rica, where you'll find a cool and
pleasant community with a beautiful river and swimming holes, with access to secluded,
orchid-covered waterfalls, virgin rain- and cloud forest, and excellent bird-watching.
From La Rica, you can take day hikes to the summits of Cerros Marta and Peña
Blanca, visit the impressive waterfalls of Chorros de Tife and even hike to the ruins of
the plane that crashed, killing president Omar Torrijos.
La Rica is remote (no phone, electricity or road), and the hiking is strenuous, but it is a
nature-lover's dream and comes highly recommended. All the arrangements can be made
through Santo and Anna Navas (Spanish only). Call ahead, or ask around for the Navas
family when you reach Barrigon.
Information
There is a
ranger station
(admission US$5; 6am-8pm)
just inside the entrance of the
park where visitors can pay for accommodations, camping permits and admission fees.
Getting There & Away
The turnoff for this national park is on the Interamericana, 18km west of Penonomé.
From the turnoff it's another 32.8km to the park's entrance. The road, paved for the first
26km, winds through rolling countryside dotted with farms and small cattle ranches. The
paved road ends at the small town of El Copé. The remaining 6.8km of the drive to the
park is on a dirt road that's so bad that a 4WD vehicle with a very strong motor and ex-
cellent tires is needed. There is no public transportation to the park. If you don't have a
car, catch a bus from Panama City (US$6.50, three hours) or Penonomé (US$2, one
hour) to El Copé and transfer from there in a minibus to Barrigon (US$0.30, 15 minutes),
the closest village to the park. From there it's a one-hour hike into the park.
If you're driving, take the turnoff as marked from the Interamericana and proceed
26km. You will then see a sign directing you to the park (to the right) and another to the
park's Sede Administrativa (administrative office). There's no reason to go to the admin-
istrative office, so stay to the right and continue until you reach the park's entrance.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Parque Arqueológico del Caño
