Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
round, though opportunistic reptiles tend to congregate during the June- to-September
mating season. Watch your step - you really don't want to fall in!
The primary attraction of the refuge is the birds, though locals claim that
Los Pozos
(the pools) have health-giving properties.
The refuge is not reachable by bus; instead, it's a 45-minute drive north of Chitré via
the Carretera Nacional, easily accessible as a day trip. Take the signposted turnoff to Los
Pozos. After 1km the road forks at a church in the village of Paris; take the right branch
and it becomes a dirt road. Proceed 4km on this road, after which you'll come to a sign
with an arrow indicating you're 2km from the wells and the entrance to the refuge.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Interior Azuero
Interior towns near Chitré offer a glimpse of rural life, with worthwhile traditional fest-
ivals, artisan workshops and liquor production from the endless sea of sugarcane planta-
tion.
Home to the country's largest
seco
factory,
Pesé
, 19km southwest of Chitré, has sea-
sonal tours of
Seco Herrerano
( 974-9621; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, mid-Jan-mid-Mar)
, started in 1936. During harvest guests can visit the distillery and taste free
samples of this liquor produced from sugarcane. The town is also famous for its annual
Good Friday re-enactment of the crucifixion.
About 20km west of Pesé, sleepy
Ocú
produces Panama's finest panama-style hats.
The genuine article is so tightly braided it is waterproof. Visitors are welcome at the
workshops of
Ezequela Maure
or
Elena Montilla
( 974-1365)
. To find their houses,
drive or walk about 1km on Av Central from the town plaza until you reach a fork in the
road. A dirt road splits to the left, while the main paved road sweeps right; if you pass the
Jorón El Tijera restaurant, in the fork of the road, you've gone too far. Ezequela's house
is on the left side of the street, about four houses south of the fork. Elena's house is two
doors down.
Ocu's festivals also have wide notoriety, including Festival del Manito Ocueño, held
during the third week in August, and the late-January Festival de San Sebastián, Ocu's
patron saint. Both feature folklore programs and an agricultural fair.
Just outside Ocú, the small village of
San José
is home to the internationally renown
s/n)
. The group sells intricate
montunos
(traditional folklore outfits),
polleras
(traditional
dresses from the Península de Azuero) and handmade items such as tablecloths and place
