The most beautiful parks and gardens Panama

The decision, in 1984, to convert this area into a national park, not only allowed a brake on the deforestation process that ravaged it, but also finally culminated in the concession of property titles for the 85 producers who worked on the flanks of Cerro Hoya. It is by walking in this park that we really assess the extent of ecological disaster with a landscape that has become almost apocalyptic in some places; a striking contrast with the lush tropical vegetation now preserved.

Cerro Hoya Park is located on horseback on the provinces of Veraguas and Los Santos. Its area is 32 557 ha (3 814 at sea). It is from Playa Cambutal and Cobachón that its access is the least complicated. Unfortunately, as always when it comes to finding an isolated and difficult site for access, the maritime crossing that leads to it is likely to cost you a lot of money and not to be completely compliant with safety standards. There is also no infrastructure in the park that can receive tourists.

The only way to explore this park safely is to contact ANAM staff at Las Tablas or Tonosí.

Panama is one of the few capitals of the continent to have a real tropical forest in its heart. One goes there as much for the fauna as for the impressive sight on the city. This protected park of 232 ha is the green lung of Panama. It is the first part of a biological corridor between the south and the north of the isthmus, which guarantees the animals the possibility to pass from the forests of the Pacific to those of the Atlantic. The forest of the Metropolitan Natural Park continues through the national parks Camino de Cruces, Soberanía and the protected area of Fort San Lorenzo.

The park has two entrances 700 m apart. At the visitor center, the main entrance, you will find a description of the walks to be done, a small bookstore specialized on the fauna and flora of the country and some amenities. From here the trails Los Momótides (900 m, 45 minutes), Los Caobos (900 m, 1 hour) and El Roble (700 m, 30 minutes) start. The other entrance is at the guard's hut, from where La Cienaguita (1.1 km, 1 hour) and Mono Tití (1.1 km, 1 hour) start. All the trails are marked and connected to each other. The main loop takes less than 2 hours to complete. There are 227 species of birds, 46 of which are migratory and are present here during the North American winter. From the viewpoint at 135 meters above sea level, the view extends over the canal, the forests as far as the eye can see, the Cerro Ancón and the plantations of skyscrapers. Sloths and mono-titles are watching you from the canopy! To see them too, visit the park early in the morning!

Parrots, monkeys, tapirs, pumas... you can observe 94 species of animals, in beautiful surroundings, but... in cages, and that's a bit sad, I must admit. As for the endemic frog rana dorada(Atelopus zeteki), a national symbol, you can see it in a small conservation center dedicated to it. This critically endangered species is almost impossible to see in its natural habitat. In pre-Columbian times, the Indians believed that once dead, it turned to gold, hence the name "golden frog".

To cope with the saturation of Balboa Avenue, which ran along the Bay of Panama, it was decided to build a new road complex by gaining land on the sea. The Cinta Costera was inaugurated in 2009 and has transformed the coastal landscape, with an advance on the sea of more than 26 hectares. If you want to see the sea, look for the twin towers of the Miramar Hotel: they used to be right on the beach. The Cinta Costera is a set of traffic lanes (4 lanes in one direction and 6 in the other, including the old Balboa Avenue), fortunately bordered by a wide coastal promenade. The Cinta Cotera has made traffic flow more smoothly, but above all, pedestrians and sportsmen have finally been taken into account in a city that had totally ignored them until then! Large green spaces, sports fields and pedestrian and bicycle paths have allowed the inhabitants to make the seafront their own. You will see the monument dedicated to Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, the discoverer of the "Southern Sea" (the Pacific Ocean) in 1513. The Cinta Costera is invaded early in the morning by joggers and cyclists, and in the late afternoon and evening by families and groups of friends who come to play soccer or basketball, and to rollerblade. During the day, there is little life and it is easy to understand why: it is really too hot! The view on the Casco Viejo on one side and on the skyscrapers of Paitilla on the other is superb. There are no bars, but there are a few vendors selling sodas and raspa'o.

In 2014, the Cinta Costera was expanded with the much maligned construction of a viaduct around Casco Viejo, the Cinta Costera III.Most Casco Viejo residents, as well as UNESCO, were against the project, but President Martinelli ignored the protests. He did the irreparable with this road bypassing the old city, to connect the modern center and the Chorrillo. The colonial district has lost its beautiful skyline. On the other hand, coming from the fish market, you can walk there, for a nice view on the Casco Viejo. On the other side of the Casco, the promenade goes along the not very frequented neighborhood of Chorrillo until the entrance of the Causeway (the promenade is well secured). You can eat right on the beach, at the small restaurant complex "Sabores del Chorrillo", located next to the Maracaná stadium; very pleasant for a ceviche or grilled fish break! From there, it is possible to go to the Biodiversity Museum and to continue the walk until the end of Calzada de Amador.