Things To See

When you buy property in Panama it is important to be aware of interesting activities and things to do in the area. For example, serene Taboga Island real estate is very popular because of its proximity to the very metropolitan Panama City. Attractions in Panama include many museums, national parks and art galleries. Panama activities like bird watching, scuba diving, fishing, and hiking are very popular throughout the county.

San Felipe's Golden Altar
One of the most popular postcard images of Panama is the Golden Altar, the largest and most valuable item saved from the sacking and plundering of the old city of Panama by Sir Henry Morgan in 1671.

Carved in mahogany and covered with gold, this large, baroque-style altar is believed to have been made in Peru in the early 17th century. Its first home was a small parish of Saint Joseph's order, located on the outskirts of town.

According to legend, the priest in charge, Father Juan, promptly painted the altar with whitewash on the arrival of Morgan's invading forces as it could be viewed from outside the church, which was being transformed into a stone structure. It is said that when Morgan arrived, Father Juan complained about his parish's needs so convincingly that the pirate put his hand in his pocket to give him a large donation.

The altar was relocated in pieces in its home: the San José Church in the "new" city, the present-day colonial district of San Felipe (Old Quarter).

The Church of the Golden Altar is on the itinerary of all the organized tours of San Felipe. Many visitors take a taxi to the church or the municipal Cathedral and stroll through the narrow streets.

San José Church, best known as the "Golden Altar Church", is often used for small, chamber music performances and is also a very popular wedding venue.

Bid to save Panama Viejo, Panama's first capital - By Craig J. Weincek

Panama Viejo, the ruins of the original Colonial city is to be "saved" if a bold and comprehensive plan put forward by the Panama Viejo "Patronato" can be implemented. According to Julieta Arango, the Executive Director of the Patronato, the main idea is to eliminate any traffic from passing directly through the park that contains the ruins of the original site of Panama's capital. If everything goes according to the existing proposal, Avenida Cincuentenario will be closed off at Avenida Ernesto T. Lefevre and diverted around the community also known as Panama Viejo. Instead of a highly congested two-lane road winding among the ruins of the historic site, there will be a four-lane thoroughfare sweeping up along the Jardin de Paz and connecting back to the existing right-of-way at Puente del Rey.

This new traffic pattern will allow the World Heritage Site to be turned into a pristine park, spread over 28 hectares, that will allow visitors, both tourists and citizens, interested in history to explore the ruins in a tranquil setting. "We are simply trying to save Panama Viejo," Ms. Arango explained from behind her desk in the park's administrative offices adjacent to the modern museum directly next to the busy avenue. She added: "You cannot understand or appreciate the place with 60,000 vehicles passing through the middle of it every day. There is too much traffic, pollution and noise. It is also dangerous for visitors who have to cross the road to enjoy many of the old stone ruins". As we spoke, lines of school children could be seen marching along both sides of the roadway.

Avenida Cincuentenario, which runs along the shoreline in some places, is also said to be collapsing under the weight of heavy traffic following the only route to the south side of the city. Ms. Arango suggests that the wider road would help alleviate congestion and expedite travel, while bypassing the oldest part of Panama. The main concern is that any change in the traffic pattern, especially a much wider road, would mean that some people will have to be displaced and sections of the neighborhood would be disrupted. Even though the exact path of the broader avenue is still under discussion, it is clear that any new right-of-way will have to go through some, if not many, existing homes and businesses.

The old one-story artisan center, which is located in the shadow of the cathedral tower, will also be torn down and relocated to a new facility near the museum and office complex. According to representatives of the Department of Urban Development, this plan is in the early stages and a feasibility study is underway, with a possible target date of 2009. Author's note: For a unique sweeping perspective of Panama City, climb up to the top of the cathedral tower, that still stands since the pirate Henry Morgan razed the town way back in 1671, and look across to the sparkling skyscrapers of today's modern metropolis and wonder at all the history in between.

Bocas Del Toro Panama's Caribbean Jewel
The capital of this region is also named Bocas del Toro, and the province has a population of approximately 132,291 inhabitants and three districts: Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui Grande, and Changuinola. It is also distinguished as the province with the most rain in the country, which is good for bananas, the "green gold", as well as cocoa, coconuts, plantains, oranges, and grapefruit. Recently Bocas del Toro has become a popular tourist destination.

Colon
Its only city is Colón. It was officially founded on the island of Manzanilla during the railroad construction. The province is situated on the north coast with a population of 204,200 people, in the districts of Donoso, Chagres, Colón, Portobelo and Santa Isabel. Colon City is the Atlantic terminal port of the Canal and the major employers of labor are the Canal, the ports, and the Colón Free Zone, created in 1946 to reactivate the economy. Tourist attractions include the ruins of Portobelo and Fort San Lorenzo, Isla Grande, and Langosta beach.

Panama National Parks
For such a small country, Panama has an abundance of National Parks, 16 in all. Since each park has its own special attributes and incredible diversity, this makes Panama a wonderful destination for ecotourism, which is still in its infancy in Panama. There are cloud forests, rain forest, deserts and oceans to explore.

The parks include; Bastimentos Island, Camino de Cruces, Campana, Cerro Hoya, Chagras, Chiriqui Gula, Coiba, Darien, Friendship, Metropolitan, Omar Torrijos, Portobelo, Santa Fe, Sarigua, Soberania, and Volcan Baru.

Some are virtually inaccessible while the Metropolitan Park is right within the limits of Panama City. ANAM (The National Environmental Authority) is the government body in charge of these parks. Admission to visit the various parks can be obtained from their offices in Panama City (call 315-0869). They have guide services at most parks. There are also tour companies which offer guided tours to a wide variety of the parks.

Baru National Park Panama
Barú Volcano is part of BARU NATIONAL PARK (14,000 hectares). A visit to the volcano involves a long trek of some 22 km. Since a road exists, many prefer the driving alternative of hiring a 4WD vehicle with a driver. The view at the summit is breathtaking. During the dry season, both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans can be seen. If you drive yourself, to reach the summit road from Boquete, turn west on Calle 2a Norte; continue for 7.5 kms and then turn left; after 500m there is a gravel road on your right that leads to the summit amid forests.

You need written authorization to walk in the park. Call ANAM in Panama at 500-0855 or in David at 774-6671. There is no guide but the director kindly accompanies visitors if you ask him. There is a three-room lodging facility with water situated at a four to six hour walk from Boquete to Culebra on the road known as "Pianist's Road", or El Pianista in Spanish. The extinct volcano is located 700m below the summit and surrounded by cloud forest up to 3,200m. Sub-alpine scrub forest adorns the summit. Barú National Park has more quetzals during the nesting season in April and May than Costa Rica and some of the countries to the north. Some 100 bird species can be seen, including the endemic Volcano humming bird.

Bastimentos Island Marine Park Panama
This 13,226-hectare marine park is one of the most beautiful and important marine habitats in Panama. Apart from its reefs, the park includes Zapatilla Cays and both the mangroves and lagoons of its south littoral. The inland area totals 1,630 hectares while the remainder comprises 11,596 hectares of mainly shallow waters. More than a dozen coral reefs protect a marine environment unparalleled in other parts of the Caribbean. Due to its remote location the reef has been left untouched. It is also one of the three protected zones established for the protection of the endangered manatee. The park is located on the south-central corridor of the Caribbean tarpon spawning grounds. Green turtles also use these islands as nesting sites in August and September.

The park includes Playa Larga (Long Beach) and Zapatilla Cay. These areas are of great importance in the Caribbean for the tortoise, which is on the verge of extinction, and Canal and Green Turtles. Mangrove islets are also of high importance since they provide areas of high nutrient value for feeding fish and crustaceans in the larvae stage. In the terrestrial portion of the park, lagoons and mangroves provide swampy areas of scientific interest with a large lagoon where fresh water turtles, lizards, and alligators live and reproduce. Bastimentos Park also has samples of primary and secondary forests characteristic of the archipelago of Bocas del Toro.

A visit to Bastimentos Island Marine Park requires payment of admission to ANAM (The National Environmental Authority). There is an ANAM office in Bocas del Toro (757-9244) which makes all arrangements, even boat renting. The park has a station on Zapatilla Cays with three guides. If you are interested in seeing both the Bocas del Toro International Friendship Park and Bastimentos Marine Park, but are short of lead time, we recommend consulting a specialized agency.

Friendship Park in Panama
This park begins in Cerro Punta in the Chiriqui Highlands. This is the second largest park in the Panamanian system (207,000 hectares) and is home to all five major breeds of cat and more classified flora and fauna than any other park in Panama. Seven of the twelve life zones can be found within the park with the single largest example of continuous paramo vegetation.

To visit the park, a written authorization is required. You can apply in Panama at the offices of ANAM (The National Environmental Authority). ANAM has a regional office in David (tel:774-6671). The National Friendship Park offers lodging with sanitary and cooking facilities in two houses at Las Nubes, the site of park offices and management, but you have to bring your own food and gear. Although no fee is charged, we recommend leaving a contribution (possibly in equipment) for the park. Tipping is advised for guides. Two park rangers patrol several "interpretative" trails but as there is only one guide available, contact ANAM's David offices in advance and let them know when and how many persons will participate in the visit, if you need a guide, for how long, and what your main interests are: mammals, birds, botany, etc.

Metropolitan Park Panama
Visit the Metropolitan Natural Park, the only park in tropical Latin America with a natural forest located within a metropolitan capital. Above all, it is easy to see. No permit from ANAM is required as the park is administered by the Mayor's Office and various environmental organizations. Visiting hours are from Tuesday through Sunday from 9.a.m. to 3.p.m. A visitor's center provides information about the Reserve and guides to take you to the interpretative trails. The Metropolitan Park, which covers 265 hectares, is located between Juan Pablo II Avenue and Friendship Road. Call 232-5552/232-5516.

Go early to see the most the park has to offer, as the majority of its fauna can be observed in the morning hours by climbing up the Natural Interpretative Trail and coming down the Mono Tití Road. The park is an island of trees and shrubs where one can view arboreal fauna. It is the only park where you can find and see Tití monkeys, white-tail deer, agoutis, coatis, anteaters and the two-toed and three-toed sloths within a short range. Over 200 species of birds can be found, including finches, pigeons, grey-headed chachalacas, owls, hawks, eagles, crows, wood-peckers, and hummingbirds. There are also a great variety of turtles such as fresh-water turtle and land turtle or jicotea. The green iguana (Iguana verde) can frequently be seen sunbathing on the branches of the trees in the area. Approximately 192 hectares of the park are composed of tropical semi-deciduous forest of low-lying lands. This type of forest has nearly disappeared in the central and western regions of the Pacific and Darién.

The Smithsonian Institute has installed a high crane to observe birds and animals that take refuge on the top of the trees. It is the only one of its kind available to tourists yet also serves scientific purposes. Any visit to the park should include a climb to the Lookout, which is reached by the Tití Monkey Road. From this point, at an elevation of 150 meters, all the rest of the park can be seen as well as Panama City, the Bay, the Panama Canal including the port of Balboa and Miraflores locks. It is a wonderful view. For a visit to the crane, call the Smithsonian Institute (212-8760).

A Tropical Desert
The SARIGUA NATIONAL PARK is better known as the Sarigua Desert. It is 8,000 hectares of arid coastal region. Many areas are treeless but there are areas of deciduous forest, typical of the dry tropical species found on the Pacific coast. The park contains several of the most important archaeological sites in the country. To visit the park, use the same procedure as with the other parks in the country, call ANAM at 500-0855. A guide is necessary. Sarigua desert shows to what degree the slash- and-burn style of agriculture endangers future generations.

LA ARENA village on the road into Chitré has become a pottery center reproducing many pre-columbian designs influenced by the ancient Monagrillo culture discovered nearby. In CHITRE a visit to the Herrera Museum, on Manuel María Correa Street and Arjona Avenue, is worthwhile. The museum (996-0077) is open from 8:30 to 12 a.m and from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It has a large collection of prehistoric remains found in Sarigua and spectacular ceramics from Monagrillo and Macaracas cultures. It also showcases precious gold ornaments excavated in the region. There is even a replica of the Indian Cacique Antatara's tomb elaborated from Spaniard Gaspar de Espinoza's chronicles written in 1519. There are also exhibits telling the history of the province, folkloric music, dances, and an ecological corner. You can stay in Chitré and drive from there to neighboring towns.

Soberania Park Panama
Most of Soberania National Park was formerly the Canal Zone Forest Preserve, now under jurisdiction of Panama since the implementation, in 1979, of the Panama Canal Treaty. Due to Canal construction, large areas of Panama's irreplaceable jungle have disappeared but thanks to the foresight of the late Dr. Thomas Barbour, a well-known naturalist who proposed the establishment of a forest preserve, this valuable tract of tropical woodland has been saved almost intact.

This became the Parque Soberania when Panama's government created a national park in 1985 on the same location in the Canal watershed. It has an area of 22,000 hectares, which is about 6.7% of the basin, and is a perfect example of a tropical forest. More than 150 species of birds frequent the area and the forest contains over 200 species of trees.

The entrance to the park is near Gamboa. It has a well maintained road through the western portion of the park called "Pipeline Road". It is here that the Panama Audubon Society established the World Record Bird Count on Christmas in 1985, by identifying more species of birds in a 24-hour period than ever before.

If you want to visit the park or walk the Pipeline Road you have to call ANAM (The National Environmental Authority) at 232-4192. Admission fee for the Pipeline Road and other small excursions within the park is $5.25 for children. It is recommended that children be over 12 years old. A guide and a park ranger will accompany the party. Here are some of the species of birds you may see on the Pipeline Road: Rufus-Vented Ground-Cuckoo, Crested Owl, White-Vented Euphonia, White-Ringed Flycatcher, Broad-Billed Sapayoa, Blue Cotinga, White-Tipped Sicklebill, Doubled-Toothed Kite, Spotted Antbird, Olive-Striped Flycatcher, Bay-Headed Tanager.

Trails exist along the rivers and streams that cross the road and one trail leads to a large waterfall on the river Agua Salud, which flows to Gatún Lake. Two other trails called "El Charco" and "La Roca" have interesting features marked and interpreted. Both take approximately one hour and you will need to call ANAM which will provide a guide. Morfo butterflies are abundant in all the area. El Charco is a good hike. The trail crosses Rio Sardinilla several times and the trees and vegetation are splendid. Groups of up to fifteen or twenty persons are allowed, but children under six are not. Admission fee is $1 per person and is used to help maintain the park.

Other worthwhile, full day walks are both Plantation Road and Las Cruces Trail.

The Chagres National Park Panama
CHAGRES NATIONAL PARK, a 129,000-hectare protected area, created in 1984, is situated in the province of Colon. Like other parks, it is best to contact ANAM (The National Environmental Authority) at 442-8348 before a visit. They will provide a guide and show you the attractive locations in the park that protects the Canal watershed, providing 40% of its water from Alajuela Lake and Chagres River.

Two tracts of pre-mountain forest exist within the boundaries and over 20 species of birds, resident and migratory, inhabit or pass through the park. Toucans are plentiful. Within the park is the famous CAMINO REAL used by Spaniards to transport gold and silver from Perú to the Nombre de Dios and Portobelo fairs. Most of its trail has long disappeared but it is possible to reconnoiter the mule trail to both Nombre de Dios and Portobelo though it takes from three to four days for a good walker.

The park is well-known for many historic sites such as RIO BOQUERON and its former manganese mines operated at the beginning of the century. CAPIRILLA, on the highest part of the trail, is the place where, during Drake's last trip to Panama, General Thomas Baskerville was ambushed by Spanish troops in 1595 as he attempted to march to Old Panama and attack the city. You may be disappointed if you look for period relics; it has been quite a long time since a trekker fell over a handful of doubloons. A huge bridge over Río Boqueron is the only reminder of the 16th century and it was reconstructed to accommodate the manganese mine rails. There is an impressive waterfall nearby which is good for a dip.

The park is interesting for animal lovers. It is the haunt of many animals, particularly big cats and endangered jaguars, ocelots, and margays. You may have to spend many hours to catch one coming to drink from the riverbeds.

RIO CHAGRES was first named Río de los Lagartos (Crocodile river) by Lupe de Olano in 1502, as the Spaniard found it infested by crocodiles. In 1527 Captain Fernando de La Serna, Pablo Corozo, and Miguel de La Cuesta explored the river and presented Spain's King Charles V with a report considered as the first document related to a transisthmian system of communication. The village of Venta de Cruces was established in 1536 on the Chagres river, opening navigation to the Atlantic ocean. Centuries later, the Chagres river was to become the bed of the Panama Canal! Each one of the Río Chagres tributaries Río Limpio, Río Esperanza, or Río Piedras are quite different and also a reason to visit the park. Waterfalls and canyons make a landscape of extraordinary beauty. The Chagres National Park is a favorite due to its proximity to the city. Its easy access and its fabulous diversity of scenery in deep jungle make every tour an authentic photography safari.

Darien National Park Panama
This park, created in 1980, is the largest (579,000 hectares) in the Republic. UNESCO declared the park a World Patrimony in 1981 and a World Heritage Biosphere in 1983. The Park is under the management of ANAM (The National Environmental Authority), a government body which operates and administrates the policies and services of the national parks. Many rare and endangered species still live in their natural habitat as it is a protection zone for flora, fauna, and indigenous cultures like the Wounaan and Embera, who have been recruited to patrol the rivers for poachers. There are a total of 14 park rangers.

The highest peak is Cerro Takarkuna (1,875m), the best location together with Cerro Pirre (1,500m) for endemic birds. It is also the largest protected area for big species of mammals such as the jaguar, ocelot, Bairds tapir, and the endangered larger birds of prey of the tropics, the Harpy and Crested eagles.

The exceptionally rich park is 20 km wide, abutting 90 percent of the Colombian frontier. ANAM has built three lodging stations (dormitory with beds and cots) at Río Balsas (also called Río Tucutí); Río Peresenico (also called Cerro Pirre) which is the most accessible, and Cruce de Mono.

A written authorization from ANAM (The National Environmental Authority) is necessary to enter the park. Call 500-0855. Stipulate how many people will visit the park, time to be spent, guides needed, etc. Bring camping gear and food for your party. You will be met on arrival by a park representative and guides. Mules, horses and boat can be easily arranged. There is no charge for lodging at the stations or guides but tipping is recommended and we suggest making a donation (utensils, boots, binoculars whatever you feel or see is necessary) for the station where you stay. It will be sincerely appreciated.

The park is a marvelous destination for a six-day or even four-day trip. If you are a bird watcher there is no better location in Panama for the rarest species. If not, you can enjoy long walks in the wilderness and take a glance at big mammals, see quantities of monkeys, agoutis, margays, etc, and observe magnificent flora. If you want to see mammals, the best station is Cruce de Mono. Sixty two species of mammals have been seen around Cruce de Mono which embraces a large protected area for such fauna. There are jaguars (Felis onca), margays (Felis wiedii) a spotted cat native to Central America and the Amazon, ocelots (Felis pardalis), cougars (Felis concolor) a tropical mountain lion, packs of wild hogs, Bairds tapirs, monkeys, and others.

For bird watchers, the station is Cerro Pirre, located on Rio Peresenico. To get there is tough but it is extremely rewarding. Quetzals abound, including the recently discovered Golden-Headed Quetzal. Ridgely describes many lowland birds in the Rancho Frio foothills and highland species at nearby Cerro Pirre station.

Inside the park is the CANA colonial gold mine whose activities were suspended in the early 1900's. The mine, once the richest of the continent, was the center of the gold mining region so often attacked during the era of privateers.

Campana National Park Panama
Birdwatchers, campers and eco-adventurers are welcome to visit Altos de Campana National Park - 4,925 hectares of green forests and rolling hills located in the western area of the province of Panama.

Altos de Campana is Panama's first national park. It was created in 1966 to protect the Panama Canal basin. The area is part of the eastern slope of the El Valle de Anton volcano, and its past volcanic activity is clearly reflected in its rugged terrain, which features spectacular cliffs, lava fields and tors. From some of its hills, visitors can enjoy commanding vistas of the Canal basin as well as Chame Point and bay.

The park harbors four types of forest communities: humid tropical forest, very humid premontane forest, very humid tropical forest, and premondane rainforest. The peak of Cerro Campana is considered a biogeographical island for endemic species. Mosses, orchids, bromeliads and epiphytes grow there.

There are 39 mammal species, one of the most numerous being the black-eared opossum (Didelphis marsupialis). Also present are the endemic mouse species Liomys adspersus coati (Nasua narica), crab-eating raccoon (Procion cancrivorus), two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmani) and three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegates), Geoffroy's tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi). Two-hundred and sixty-seven bird species have been spotted at the park, of which 48 are migratory.

Barro Colorado Nature Monument Panama

For a naturalist working on a research project, a visit to Barro Colorado Island in the middle of Gatun Lake, might feel almost like a vacation in a beautiful and tranquil natural jungle retreat. On the other hand, a casual vacationer could very well find a tour of the facilities and jungle trails, administered by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, to be a bit too serious and strenuous.

The group probably best suited for an all-day excursion to this 1,500 hectare ecologically pristine site is the ever-growing ex-pat population, hungry for knowledge about the vast biological diversity of their adopted Panama. The staff of Barro Colorado, like the very friendly and supportive Oris Acevedo, the scientific coordinator, welcomes nearly 4,000 visitors annually. The institute shares this large open-air laboratory with between 200 and 400 research scientists per year who study the numerous species of animals, birds, reptiles, insects, and plants that live there.

There is a limit of 90 visitors a week with the trip only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The boat leaves the STRI dock at Gamboa (not to be confused with the resort), promptly at 7:15 a.m. and returns at 4:10 p.m. on weekdays. The trip Saturday and Sunday is a bit shorter, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

After about a 30-minute cruise aboard the commuter boat, the Jacana, visitors arrive at the dock that leads up the hill to the historic field research station established in 1923. Part of the larger Barro Colorado Nature Monument, the island is buffered by three peninsulas that border the waterway. The up-to-date facility has all the necessary infrastructure, offices, labs, green houses, and living quarters for the researchers as well as a visitor's center and dining hall.

The main attraction for visitors is the intricate system of trails that crisscross the otherwise unspoiled lowland humid forest that covers the island. Guides like Vilma Fernandez, an energetic young scientist specializing in primate studies who happens to speak excellent English, lead small groups of amateur naturalists through a maze of jungle trails in search of both flora and fauna.

The whole scenic area is routinely patrolled by game wardens, which means that with protection, Barro Colorado Island remains a gorgeous, natural resource for scientists and citizens from Panama and around the world.

For more information, visit the website www.stri.org; and to make reservations and to get directions and guidelines for a visit call (507) 272-2120 or 212-8951 or e-mail ObaldiaA@si.edu.

Museums

Reina Torres de Arrauz, open in new location at Curundu. (Tel. 232-7485) Museum of Contemporary Art, Calle San Blas, Ancón y Avenida de los Martíres,Tel: 262-3380, Fax: 262-3376. Open: Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 a.m to 5:00 pm.

Museum of Colonial and Religious Art, Casco Viejo (Colonial Panama) in an 18th century chapel next to the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo. Monday to Fridays 8:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Phone 228-2897.

Afro-Antillean Museum, Calle 24 (24th Street and Avenida Justo Arosemena). Tel.: 501-4130. It is open Tuesday to Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m Highlights West Indian contribution to the Panama Canal. Do not walk to this museum.

Panama Canal Museum, Plaza de la Independencia (Plaza Catedral), San Felipe. Open Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tel: 211-1649.

Smithsonian Marine Exhibition, at Punta Culebra on the Amador Causeway the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute maintains a small biodiversity museum. 212-8792.

Bolivar Museum, in a World Heritage building on Plaza Bolivar in the Casco Viejo. Tel 511-4100. Panama Viejo Visitors Center, tells the story of this famous site and includes a visit to the lookout atop the Cathedral Tower. 226-8915.

Art Galleries

Panama has a number of interesting art galleries for the art connoisseur to browse through. Exhibitions cover the whole gamut of the arts (paintings, photography, sculpture and more) of both local and international artists. The following is a list of galleries in Panama City.

Museum of Contemporary Art - Ave San Blas, Ancon. Tel: 262-8012.

Weil Art Gallery - 48th Street Bella Vista (beneath restaurant Eurasia) Permanent exhibition of the artist Jean Francois Provost. Pieces change each month.

ArteConsult Gallery - 50th Street (beside Arrocha Pharmacy) Tel: 302-2646.

Artamericas - CalleAliquilino de la Guardia (opposite Arrocha Pharmacy) Tel: 214-9612. This gallery has a vast selection of modern paintings for sale.

Arlene Lachman Gallery - El Carmen, Tel: 264-5257.

INAC Gallery - Plaza de la Francia - Tel: 501-4000.

Gallery Artegma - Tel: 263-3816.

The Panama Canal

The Canal is about 50 miles long and ships are lifted 85 feet in three locks as they cross the Isthmus. The journey through the Canal takes about 8 hours and a ship is normally in Canal waters between 14 and 16 hours.

Tour companies will take you to Miraflores Locks to watch huge ships being raised or lowered 54 feet to the next stage of their journey, Pacific or Atlantic bound. A magnificent new Visitor's Center has been constructed here. Bilingual commentators will give you a running commentary. You will drive through the residential area, see the Administration Building, and see the Bridge of the Americas which spans the Canal and joins South America to Central and North America.. For information as to when there will be ships in the locks each day call the Orientation Service at Miraflores, 276-8617.

For visitors who prefer a more relaxed approach to sightseeing there is the Miraflores restaurant in the Visitor's Center which offers a spectacular view of the transiting ships as you dine. A film of the Canal's operations is shown in the theater of the Visitor's Center.

The Gatun Locks on the Atlantic side of the Canal also offer comfortable viewing and bilingual commentators.

Whales and Turtles off Isla Iguana - Article by Patricia Puentes C.

Panama has numerous islands in both oceans. Some are being sold to build tourism or residential projects. Others, which possess a great diversity in their flora and fauna, have become nature parks, protected by the National Environment Agency (ANAM). Isla Iguana is one of those places.

This small island located in Los Santos province, off the Azuero Peninsula, two miles away from Playa del Arenal, in Pedasi, was declared a Wild Life Refuge in 1981. Iguana is ideal for observing Frigate Birds or "Tijeretas" nesting. You can also see the migratory birds which visit the island to feed and rest in "Bosque Seco", famous for its flora and fauna.

Whales can be spotted between August and September, while turtles come between September and December to its beaches to deposit their eggs. Its crystalline waters are inhabited by more than 726 different species of fish and around the island are 40 hectares of coral reef. Making it one of the best places for scuba diving in Panama.

The best time to visit Isla Iguana is between May and December, because from January until April, the north tradewinds make sailing difficult.

To get to Isla Iguana hire a car and drive for at least five hours from Panama City along the Panamerican highway to Pedasí, province of Herrera, then you should catch a boat from "Playa El Arenal". The maximum capacity for these vessels is 8 people. Remember to bring your own life jacket, as they are scarce in these boats. The round trip costs between $40 and $45 per person. Take everything you need with you, there are no restaurants or facilities on the island. However, you are allowed to camp in "Playa El Cirial".

An officer of the ANAM will serve as a guide, explain regulations, answer your questions and charge you for the entrance to the island: $2.00 for residents and $10.00 for foreigners. You are not allowed to bring any pets and if you wish to film, you need to obtain a special permit. It is also prohibited to remove any object from land or sea.

For more details visit the web page: www.islaiguana.com, www.pedasifishing.com, www.panamafishing.net.