Datestamp: 08/05/2005
Tours, Tarzan Style
As tourists discover Panama, nation learns about tourism
By GIGI OWEN and JULIE KENTNOR
For the Tucson Citizen
The cable spans a 200-foot-deep canyon. That's OK: You're strapped into a harness as the guide shoves you
off a platform for a three-kilometer glide over the rain forest's canopy.
"Remember to look to your left to see the waterfall," he advises.
Boquete Tree Trek in Panama sent its first guests zipping above the canopy
November and hosts dozens of customers each week.
tourism, Tarzan style
in
Until the overthrow of dictator Manuel Noriega in 1989, Panama was mainly a pathway for cruise liners and
cargo ships. Now, inspired by the success of Costa Rica, Panama has begun to promote itself as "the path less
traveled."
Birding, biking, diving, snorkeling and fishing are among the options. The Panama Canal and attendant
railroad are always popular. Also, you can just hang out on the beach.
Panama hosted 140,000 Americans last year, up 30,000 from two years before.
Tourism dollars are becoming increasingly important to this country, population 3 million, as it seeks to
diversify its economy. But facilities are sometimes lacking, and some rural residents are unaccustomed to
playing host. As it markets itself as a destination, Panama is also launching an effort to educate locals some
of them barely used to a cash economy on the art of extracting money from travelers.
Still, there is no shortage of opportunities to exploit.
Boquete
Enter the caffeine zone, with organic coffee estates offering tours through lush volcanic foothills.
"Our ancestors have grown coffee here for 130 years," says Mario Serracín, agronomist and operations
manager of Hacienda Barbara, owned by the Rogers Family Coffee Cos. of California.
In mile-high Boquete, "land of eternal spring," tourists can watch birds year-round on the nearby Quetzal
Trail, hike Volcán Barú to watch the sun rise in the Atlantic and set in the Pacific, see cloud
forests crammed with palms and orchids, go whitewater rafting and soak in hot springs.
While some locals have turned from agriculture to hospitality, most lack financial resources to invest in large
tourism projects. Foreign investors, on the other hand, have pounced.
Tours, Tarzan Style
1
"I think that we, the Boqueteños, aren't prepared for what is happening right now," says Rubén
Serracín, who owns Hostal Las Mercedes, which caters to backpackers.
This concerns renowned Panamanian salsa singer, actor, and Harvard Law graduate Ruben Blades, Panama's
minister of tourism.
"In Boquete, land that once cost a dollar is now worth $100. A campesino with 10 hectares sells all 10 and
then spends the money. Now he has no money and no land, either." Blades hopes to educate farmers to sell
only part of their land and use the rest for their home, crops or a family-owned hostel. "It's all part of a
cultural process," he says, "and it is not easy."
Bocas del Toro
An hour away by 30-passenger twin-propeller airplane lies Panama's Caribbean archipelago of Bocas del
Toro, its forested islands dotting turquoise waters. Noise from hotel construction rings on Bocas' four major
islands, especially Isla Colón, where planes or boats from the mainland first arrive.
Until recently, Bocas del Toro, formerly a banana-growing province, had only two hotels. Since 1997, more
than 50 hostels, hotels and resorts have been built, mostly owned by Europeans or North Americans.
A Bocas del Toro native who calls himself "Capitán Valencia" offers all-day boat tours that emphasize
that culture. Speeding among the islands, he points outs Red Frog Beach, a mile of golden sand named for an
endemic scarlet frog.
It is also the future site of a gated community built by Pillar Development of Salt Lake City: 1,000
condominiums and villas, spa, golf course and shopping center.
He zigzags toward protected islands where sea turtles nest.
He docks at the village of Bastimentos, a cluster of small hostels, houses and restaurants built on stilts above
the water. Most residents are former banana workers of West Indian descent, displaced by fruit plagues and
changes in commodity markets.
Now, as in Boquete, many locals are starting small family businesses, offering rooms for rent and guided
tours, or restaurants serving typical Bocatoreño coconut rice, black beans and curried seafood. But
most still lack initial capital investment.
Blades said the country is working to create loan programs for small businesses, "but we can't allow too many
visitors because the infrastructure is very weak." Tourist-generated garbage has become a serious problem in
island communities.
Kuna Yala (San Blas)
Foreign investment in tourism is not welcome on the white sand beaches of the San Blas archipelago, 300
miles to the east along the Caribbean coast.
Rated one of National Geographic's top destinations in 2000 and recommended by Outside magazine, the
comarca (reservation) of Kuna Yala offers a glimpse into Kuna life. Most striking are women with gold nose
rings and beaded bracelets covering their arms and legs.
As tourists discover Panama, nation learns about tourism
2
The Kuna inhabit only 38 of over 400 islands in the archipelago. But uninhabited doesn't mean up for grabs.
"Every island has an owner, every tree belongs to someone," says Yovani Durán, a Kuna boat
mechanic from Isla Tigre.
Once the mainstay of the Kuna economy, the coconuts that grow on the uninhabited islands contribute $2
million annually to Kuna communities but were surpassed by mola sales and tourism in the late 1990s.
Although the Kuna welcome tourist dollars, they fear that foreign even Panamanian investment could
undermine their autonomy. In the late 1990s, the Kuna chased out the last foreign hoteliers from the islands.
But now they worry about a new, non-Kuna tourism operation.
Private sailing is welcomed for a small fee, but large-capacity sailboats carrying dozens of tourists have
recently appeared. These "floating hotels" are in violation of the Kunas' foreign investment laws, raising
conflicts with locals who secretly sell them fresh seafood or allow them use of their islands.
Panama City and the canal
Most trips to Panama begin and end in Panama City, not far from the Miraflores Locks' visitor center.
Engineering fans will thrill to see gigantic container ships squeezing through the concrete basins that lift
ships to lake level.
Canal history is on display in Panama City's Casco Viejo at the Museo del Canal Interoceánico, which
also explores the isthmus' history as a route for Spanish conquistadors and U.S. Gold Rush prospectors.
The imposing Canal Authority building near the base of Ancón Hill Panama City's most visible
landmark features a spectacular rotunda with murals depicting the grand scope of canal construction.
Before there was a canal, there was a railroad. The Panama Railway Co. offers a $35 round-trip ride to Colon
on the Atlantic side.
Bird-watching is the No. 1 attraction for tourists flocking to Panama
By GIGI OWEN
For the Tucson Citizen
I like birds, but not enough to wake up at dawn to hunt them with binoculars. I don't feel a thrill down my
spine when someone points out some rare species, and I don't carry a checklist to compare with other bird
fans.
But I was intent on understanding why bird-watchers flock to Panama, with its famous harpy eagles and its
tiny brilliant blue cotingas. Birding is the biggest single tourism draw to the isthmus, a key migratory route
for some species and permanent home to many others.
The quest starts at 6 a.m. at the Boquete end of the Quetzal Trail in Parque Nacional Volcán Barú. The trail
twists through mountains alongside the volcano's 11,467-foot peak. The cloud forest here provides habitat for
the resplendent quetzal, one of the world's most stunning birds.
As tourists discover Panama, nation learns about tourism
3
I begin the hike and become immersed in the noises of an awakening forest. Bell crickets, sounding like
water drops in an empty tin can, provided a background rhythm for wind whistling through trees. A bird
symphony of chirps and short melodies includes one I actually recognize: the three-wattled bell bird's
distinctive bonk.
My untrained eye spots probable finches and tanagers and a variety of hummingbirds. Tipped to a quetzal's
presence by a group of Brits, I tiptoe forward, eyes peeled for a nearly 3-foot green tail or cherry-red chest.
After 20 minutes I give up and trudge on.
The Quetzal Trail is about 6 miles long and a lot steeper than anyone told me. Five hours and no quetzals
later, a group of Americans asks, "Have you seen a quetzal yet? This morning we saw four in a hollowed-out
tree trunk down the road. I'm sure you'll see them."
I pick up the pace and reach the trunk. No resplendent quetzals, only some cattle egrets watching their bovine
companions graze.
Days later, I find myself at Canopy Tower, once a U.S. military radar station, now a birders' hotel in the
jungle. The owner, Raul Arías de Para, meets me at the gate as he sends 15 guests off on an afternoon in the
hotel's Birdmobile. He takes me up the five-story tower to the circular patio surrounding a 30-foot tall golden
dome, formerly used to detect drug smuggling airplanes from South America.
"Hear that? It's the rare pheasant cuckoo. We saw him this morning!" he crows.
Most Canopy Tower guests are from the United States. De Para will be speaking at the upcoming American
Birding Association meeting which turns out to be in Tucson July 18 to 24.
The next time I hit the trail, I'm prepared. My guide, José Carlos García, takes me to Pipeline Road in Parque
Nacional Soberanía.
The 17-kilometer Pipeline Road, another former U.S. military installation, was built during World War II to
access a petroleum pipeline leading to the Caribbean. It holds the world record for the most species seen in a
24-hour period 357.
We soon spot the crimson-backed tanager. The black-throated mango. The wattled jacana, and red-legged
honeycreeper. We see a troupe of howler monkeys, an anteater and several flashy blue morpho butterflies.
Jose hears a trogon and our eyes fly upward. After 10 minutes or so, with my neck sore from staring, I see a
tiny spot of yellow. I try my borrowed binoculars.
Hmmm. A tail with black-and-white barring. A golden chest. A sapphire head.
"There it is!" I exclaim. The others stare, mesmerized by the violaceous trogon.
I gloat.
Up the path, another group's eyes are glued to the forest canopy. One whispers, "There's a great jacamar up
ahead!"
We creep through the thickening heat and cacophony of forest sounds. An emerald streak flashes overhead. It
is the great jacamar, a surprisingly small bird with an inordinately long beak.
As tourists discover Panama, nation learns about tourism
4
He flaunts his burnt-orange chest and blue-green feathers, posing on a tree branch long enough for us to
marvel at his beauty.
Oddly enough, as I focus my binoculars, I feel a strange tingle of excitement running down my back.
WHAT TRAVELERS NEED TO KNOW
Accommodations in Panama range from quite luxurious to rustic. Best bet for affordability: Share a
bathroom. Vaccinations may be recommended; contact your doctor. Currency: U.S. dollar
º Getting there
Continental Airlines (the fastest connection): Travel time totals nine hours with a layover in Houston. Flights
range from $480-$700.
º Getting around
Those willing to rough it can find cheap bus fares to virtually anywhere in the country.
Flights within Panama range from 20 minutes to one hour. Round trips up to $120. Aeroperlas:
www.aeroperlas.com. Aero: www.aero.com.pa
º Hotels
· Panama City. High end: Miramar Intercontinental, doubles from $165. www.miramarpanama.com.
Midrange: Hotel Costa Inn: singles/doubles $40-$45, www.hotelcostainn.com. Hostel: Casa de Carmen
dormitory rooms from $10, double $20-$30, www.lacasadecarmen.com
· Canal area. Gamboa Rainforest Resort, doubles from $120; spa packages, 2 nights $460;
www.gamboaresort.com. Canopy Tower: $100-$200 per person, meals included, www.canopytower.com
· Boquete. High end: La Montaña y el Valle: double $90 www.coffeeestateinn.com. Mid-range: Isla Verde:
small cabin (four people), $50; six-person cabin, $65; [email protected]. Hostel: Hostal las Mercedes,
double $10-$15, [email protected]
· Guadalupe (across the Quetzal Trail from Boquete). Hotel los Quetzales, dorm $12, double $55, cabins
$75-$135, www.losquetzales.com
· Bocas del Toro. High end: Solarte del Caribe (Isla Solarte), double/suite $65/$110, www.solareteinn.com.
Midrange: Hotel Bahia (Isla Colon): double $44, www.panamainfo.com/hotelbahia, Tierra Verde (Isla
Carenero): $45-$55, www.hoteltierraverde.com. Hostel: Beverly's Hill (Isla Bastimentos): $12-$17.
Telephone: 011-507-757-9923
· San Blas (Kuna Yala). High range: Coco Blanco Cabañas (Ogobsibu): $110-$320, telephone
011-507-265-6335. Mid-range: Hotel San Blas (Nalunega): $35, telephone: 011-507-262-9812. Hostel:
Cabañas Tigre (Isla Tigre), $10
As tourists discover Panama, nation learns about tourism
5
º Tour companies
Ancon Expeditions: www.anconexpeditions.com; Eco Circuitos : www.ecocircuitos.com; Boquete Tree Trek,
www.aventurist.com
º Cruise lines
Holland America: 1-877-SAIL-HAL, doubles from $2,400 for 15 days. Princess Cruises: 1-800-PRINCESS,
10-day cruise from $1,249. Royal Caribbean: 1-800-435-7967, 10 nights from $1,074
Caption:
Publication:
Section:
Source:
Edition:
Page:
Book:
Byline:
From:
PHOTO CAPTIONS
Tucson Citizen
Business
1D
D
Gigi Owen, Julie Kentnor
As tourists discover Panama, nation learns about tourism
6