Presentation
This road wad one of the old routes built and used by the Spaniards to cross the Isthmus of Panama. It was used until the 1850's, when it was replaced by the Tran isthmian railroad.
Description of the tour
Departure by car or bus from the hotel in the morning after breakfast. We will travel along the road that leads to the Miraflores locks and by the French Cemetery; resting place of those who perished during the French's attempt at the construction of the Panama Canal. About ½ an hour later, we will travel through the Soberania National Park and arrive at the entrance to the Camino de Cruces.
This route goes through a perfectly preserved primary forest, with huge "espave", a derivative from the Spanish "es para ver", which means "it to see", "cuipos", and "corotus" which are the vegetable pillars of the jungle.
During the course of this trek which will approximately about 6 hours, you may observe some of the best representation of the local flora and fauna, such as: primates (howler monkeys, capucins and tamarins), coatis, agoutis and with some luck, you might even be able to see some dredrobates frogs. We will stop for a picnic along the route. Also along the road, you will be able to observe that much of this route is still covered with a special pave that the Spaniards used to build this road. This road used to see tens-of-thousands mules every day that transported the riches from Peru onward to Spain.
Towards the end of the day, we will be arriving along the shores of the Charges River, which will end the walking portion of the trek. From here, the Spaniards use to take small boats to the Caribbean Sea. After a short trip down the Chargres, we will rejoin our vehicles back to Panama City.
Degree of Difficulty
A certain physical condition is required to endure a 6-hour walk.
Coup de Coeur:
You will experience a beautiful tropical rainforest at just ½ an hour from a major metropolitan.
Equipment Needed:
- Small Back Pack (for the lunch and bottled water)
- Good walking shoes
- Hat
- Poncho
- Waterproof bag for camcorder and camera
- Generally, there are some mosquitoes in the rainforest, for which we recommend some mosquito repellent.
