Recommend April 2012 - (Page 60)

corridor: agoutis, anteaters, deer, jaguar and tapirs. With more than 400 bird species recorded, it’s no surprise that the Panama Audubon Society runs birdwatching trips here. Chiriqui Province n Volcan Baru National Park: The Baru Volcano is located in the Chiriqui highlands. It is the highest elevation (11,401 ft. above sea level) in the country, and home to the resplendent quetzal bird. n La Amistad International Park: Administered jointly by Panama and Costa Rica, this park keeps intact one of the oldest highland tropical forests in Central America. n Gulf of Chiriqui Marine Park: This park is known for its glorious beaches and pristine coral reefs, and the birding is stupendous. On Isla Bolanos, hawksbill and leatherback turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. Azuero Province n Cerro Hoya National Park: Located in one of the least explored regions of the country, this beautiful park calls the southern end of the Azuero Peninsula home, offering spectacular views of the Paciﬁc Ocean. n Sarigua National Park: Archaeological discoveries are the highlight of this park, whose arid coast is located in the eastern part of the Azuero Peninsula, 45 minutes from Chitre. Half of this 20,000-acre park embraces a marine environment. n Coiba National Park: A UNESCO World Heritage Site and World Biosphere Reserve embracing 38 islands to form Central America’s largest marine park (1,043 sq. miles), its largest is Isla Coiba (194 sq. miles). Boasting the healthiest, most extensive coral reef in the western Paciﬁc, the park protects three different habitats: reef, marine life and on-island. Once a penal colony, today’s focus is nature tourism or ecotourism. And with good reason, for the wildlife is very special. For instance, the resident howler monkey is a sub-species endemic to Coiba, as are 21 of its 147 bird species. And Panama’s largest nesting colony of scarlet macaws congregates here. Offshore, the waters are ﬁlled with very big marine species, as in orcas, dolphins, humpback whales, sharks (whale, white-tip, hammerhead and tiger), plus giant manta rays. Bocas del Toro Province n Bastimentos Island National Marine Park: Coral reefs, mangroves, white sand beaches and crystal clear waters create a beautiful environment for the ﬁrst marine park in Panama. Every year, thousands of marine turtles return instinctively to the beaches to lay their eggs. Darien Province n Darien National Park: Declared by UNESCO as both a World Heritage Site and World Biosphere Reserve, the park embraces more than 1.2 million acres of virgin tropical forest along the border with Colombia. Rich in nature, the park is home to 300 bird species, including the endangered harpy eagle. Rich in culture, the Darien is also P32 APRIL 2012 the land of the Embera, Wounaan and Guna Indians on San Blas Islands. WHERE (SOME OF) THE WILD THINGS ARE Birding Among natural history pursuits, tour operators have learned that Panama is for the birds. Smaller than the state of South Carolina, Panama has more bird species than the U.S. and Canada combined. Birders have counted 976 species so far—those include migrants from both North and South America, as well as the 107 regionally endemic shared with Costa Rica, Colombia and Panama, and 12 species found nowhere else in the world. That means that one can spot not-so-easy-to-spot birds without much effort. While June and July are the hardest months to see birds, Panama nevertheless offers good birding yearround. However, you can’t beat the isthmus September to April when the North American migrants come to town to escape the cold. A special event during this time is the spectacular raptor migration of millions of broad-winged hawks, Swainson hawks and turkey vultures that takes place October to mid-November. The Canal Zone offers the best seat in the house for this spectacle. Long-established lodges and inns are dotted around the top birding areas, with knowledgeable owners who can supply expert naturalist guides and detailed birding information. Panama shares a border with Costa Rica, and both countries make great efforts to protect every visitor’s favorite sighting: the iridescent-green resplendent quetzal, considered to be the most beautiful bird in the Americas. From December to May is the best time to see a quetzal in the Chiriqui highlands cloud forest of Volcan Baru National Park, but they say that spotting a quetzal at Finca Lerida in Boquete comes with a quetzal sighting guarantee, particularly for those early-risers staying at the inn. More than 500 other species ﬁll the woodlands bordering the ﬁnca, which is also well known for its coffee plantation tours. Also in the Chiriqui highlands is the Sendero Los Quetzales (the Path of the Quetzals), a popular trail through the Volcan Baru National Park, linking the towns of Boquete and Cerro Punta. The trail through real wilderness averages out to a 6-hour/12-mile hike. It’s not a technically difﬁcult walk, and it’s one that takes in both cloud forests and palm vegetation, with streams coursing by. While there are signs pointing the way, many hikers enjoy the company of a knowledgeable guide. The Darien National Park is the habitat of the endangered harpy eagle, largest by far of the nation’s 50 or so raptor species. While conservation breeding programs are in place—at the Summit Botanical Gardens & Zoo outside of Panama City, for instance—the harpy eagle is usually, although not easily, spotted in Darien around the Cana Field Station, managed by Ancon Expeditions, a private for-proﬁt organization that spun off as a separate entity from ANCON (Asociacion Nacional para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza). ANCON has played an important role in Panama’s efforts to protect its environment, through recommend.com http://www.recommend.com

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