Veraguas Province - Panama - page 278

dtion to seriously large fish, you're almost guaranteed to spot schools of snapper and
jacks as well as large grouper and barracuda.
GREAT ESCAPES: ISLA DE COIBA
Virtually absent of human development, Isla de Coiba is an ecological gem. With an
approximate area of 503 sq km, it is the largest of a group of islands lying around
20km off the Pacific coast of Veraguas. After hosting pre-Columbian cultures as
well as a colonial-era pearl industry, Coiba was sectioned off as a penal colony in
1912. Its impenetrable jungles and vast expanses of shark-infested waters in every
direction served the purpose well.
While it was an unsavory period of history, the island's status as a penal colony
was instrumental in preventing the widespread rainforest destruction that has
swept through Panama. With the exception of agricultural and pastoral land sur-
rounding the prison, virtually the entire island features primary rainforest teeming
with wildlife, including several endemic species that have never been studied in
depth. Coiba's underwater world is equally spectacular, boasting one of the largest
coral reefs on the Pacific coast of the Americas.
In 1991 the Panamanian government established Parque Nacional Coiba, allow-
ing for the continued operation of the penal colony, which deterred mainland
squatters from arriving. In 2004 a second law doubled the size of the park to in-
clude several outlying islands and their surrounding waters. In 2005 Unesco de-
clared it a World Heritage Site.
However, despite national and international legislation protecting both terrestrial
and marine ecosystems of Coiba, it remains very vulnerable. According to Funda-
ción Mar Viva, there is not enough funding to patrol and protect the park from illeg-
al fishing and other incursions. Developers see it as prime real estate. On several
occasions the government has tried to lighten existing park legislation to allow for
foreign investment.
Coiba has survived hardcore criminals and the challenges of Pacific-coast drug
trafficking, overfishing and the disappearance of species. Recent changes in regu-
lation earmark all park fees for its upkeep, another reason to visit this incredible
place.
Hiking
Other trails include Sendero de los Pozos , which leads to thermal baths built in an old
tile installation; it's a 30-minute walk from the station. The Sendero de Santa Cruz
takes two hours. Since there are no markers, it's best to do these longer trails with a
guide.