Recommend April 2012 - (Page 41)

Canal Zone Trail Talk Attention hikers, birders and history aﬁcionados: n Along the Pipeline Road—considered the Holy Grail for birdwatching and particularly well known for its trogons— birders might spot ﬁve different species on a lucky day. The 10-mile road runs from Gamboa town along the east bank of the Panama Canal, into Soberania National Park, and early birds have a chance of seeing such rare species as yellow-eared toucanets, crimson-bellied woodpeckers, and other gorgeous feathered friends. n Anchiote Road, along the Caribbean west back of the Canal, starts near Colon and is contiguous to San Lorenzo National Park. During one annual Christmas Bird Count, the total for the day was more than 340 species. (Similar numbers have also been recorded along the Pipeline.) Interesting birds range from the along which early morning hikers may encounter such critters as sloths, coatimundis, toucans and kinkajous. In the middle of Lake Gatun, you’ll ﬁnd Barro Colorado Island, a 4,000-acre biological reserve, declared a protected area in 1923, and since 1946, an open-air laboratory for scientists around the world administered by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). Flora here (480 species of trees, for instance) is almost as magical as the fauna (more than 120 mammal species and 385 species of birds) that occupy the island’s hilly forests. Visits here are by appointment, and the program includes a 2- to 3-hour rainforest hike during which howler monkeys and agoutis may count among your only animal sightings; a tour of the visitors center (a steep staircase climb); and lunch at the ﬁeld research station. A must is to experience the magniﬁcent Chagres River, which was used by the conquistadors to move their gold across the Isthmus of Panama en-route from Peru to Spain and by the gold prospectors who attempted a “short cut” from the U.S. East Coast to the gold ﬁelds of California. Flowing through the Chagres National Park, the river is now the lifeline of the Panama Canal, supplying almost 50 percent of the fresh water necessary. Explore 16th century Fort San Lorenzo, built by the Spaniards—it’s located on a cliff at the mouth of the Chagres, in an excellent birding area. Or, travel the river by kayak for a chance to see river otters, crocodiles and caimans. Along the river banks, you’ll also meet indigenous people, the Embera and the Wounaan, who relocated from the Darien jungle. pied puffbird and great antishrike to the Montezuma oropendola. n The famous and gorgeous Camino de Cruces (Las Cruces Trail), started in 1527 to link Panama City to the port of Ventas de Cruses on the Chagres River. Its paving stones were laid in the form of the Christian cross, and today’s trailhead starts near km marker 6.3 on Madden Road. The hike to the Chagres takes about ﬁve to six hours. APRIL 2012 P13

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend April 2012

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk: Provenance Hotels
Tour Talk: Trafalgar
Sailing the Galapagos Islands
Now Sapphire
Paradisus Playa del Carmen
Treat Yourself to Brussels
Panama Specialist Program
New Zealand
Turkish Delights
Women Wellness Retreats
The Still-Single Mingle in Vegas
Club Med Sandpiper, Florida
Hawaii: Escaping to the Islands

Recommend April 2012