Destination: Panama
LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION
Itinerary: Wildlife Watching
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A few minutes from downtown Panama, the Parque Natural Metropolitano is a good place to get a taste of the country’s wildlife.
For bird watching head east to the elfin forest on Cerro Azul, followed by a trip to the lush Parque Nacional Soberanía. Nearby is the Smithsonian’s Tropical Research Station on fauna-rich Isla Barro Colorado. The little-visited Parque Nacional Omar Torrijos has spectacular wildlife and excellent trails.
Turtle lovers shouldn’t miss nesting season on Isla de Cañas or nearby Isla Iguana. West of there, Parque Nacional Coiba has scarlet macaws on its jungle-shrouded island, and whales and dolphins swimming along its shores. The coral reefs and forested islands in the Golfo de Chiriquí are also teeming with wildlife. North lie the mountains, where Parque Internacional La Amistad and Volcán Barú both have fine trails for seeking quetzals and conejo pintado (a type of agouti). On the Caribbean coast, four species of turtle come to the San-San Pond Sak Wetlands. The national marine park of Isla Bastimentos is another great spot to see turtles – as well as a wide variety of other marine life.
Trips to Punta Patiño and Parque Nacional Darién are sure to leave you awestruck.
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