We embarked from a small town on the west coast of our peninsula. The town is actually quite close as the crow flies - you can see it from the top of the tower we climbed on Christmas day. Unfortunately the direct road there requires a 4 x 4, and we had to go the long way in our rental car, driving about 4 hours.
We took off in a small fishing boat, piloted by Joel, who has family in Chepo. His assistant was a ninth grade boy, Jose Miguel, also part of the same family. The two and a half hour ride to Coiba was smooth, mostly in sheltered waters.
Our accommodations were Spartan. The only place to stay on the island are cement-block buildings, each containing two units with six beds each. Parties of fewer than six people share with others. The rooms are administered by ANAM, the national environmental agency. The only source of electricity on the island is a few solar panels. There is no air conditioning, and lights can be used from dark until the juice runs out, usually a few hours. There is no restaurant, so you need to bring your own food and cook it there, or go with an outfitter who will do that for you.
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| The housing units on the island |
There is an observation point above the housing units which gives a nice view of the spot where we stayed. It was a beautiful location.
This is a view in the other direction.
The park contains many species of plants and animals which are endemic to Coiba - they exist only in the park. Here is one such animal, a subspecies of the coati. These critters are not shy, and will let you take their picture up close. To Heather it looks like a large chipmunk with no tail.
Coiba is home to the second largest eastern Pacific coral reef, and the snorkeling and diving is world class. We snorkeled, as only Dave had done scuba before. We saw a wonderful variety of underwater life, including many types and colors of coral. The highlights were a lavender lobster and a couple of three-foot sharks. Those little guys are not dangerous - they definitely head in the other direction when a human gets near. We also saw a few big sea turtles from the boat. Unfortunately none of us had an underwater camera, so no pictures were taken!
For many years Coiba was the home of a penal colony. In 1919 the Panamanian prisons were emptied and the prisoners sent to Coiba. They worked raising crops and animals to support themselves. Twenty six prison camps were set up at various places on the island. During the years that Panama was under the dictatorships of Omar Torrijos and Manuel Noriega, the prison on Coiba was a feared place with a reputation for brutal conditions, extreme tortures, executions and political murder. Nobody knows exactly how many people were killed in the prison during this period, but sources claim that the number could be close to three hundred. As such, the island was avoided by locals, and other than the prison, was completely undeveloped. It was later decided to remove the prisoners and change the island into a national park. In 2004 the last prisoner left the island. They removed much of the livestock, but thousands of cattle remain, roaming wild over the islands. That is a problem, as they churn up the soil and cause muddy water to run into the ocean and past the coral. This can kill the coral. So far you can't hunt the wild cattle, but it may come to that some day.
We landed at the penal colony, which is now inhabited by only thirteen people, a mixture of police and the coast guard. Their job is to make sure the island doesn't get used by drug traffickers, as was the case in past years. We were given a tour of the facility by a policeman who had worked at the prison for many years.
One of the original buildings from 1919. It went out of use quite some time ago.
The prisoners in this room had a great view (and lots of bugs to bite them at night!)
After the prison we headed up a nearby river to a mangrove swamp to look for wildlife. The mangroves have an unusual root structure. They only grow in tidal areas.
We were lucky to find two pairs of macaws, which are evidently quite hard to find. They make quite a racket calling to each other.
Joel rummaged around in the roots of the mangroves and came up with a scary-looking crab. It's harmless if you know how to hold it. We tossed it back in the water after the photo op.
We also sighted a crocodile, but it swam away from us pretty quickly and we could only see the eyes.
We spent two nights on Coiba, and loved the experience (except for the bugs) and we hope that it stays as undeveloped as it is now.
Back on the mainland, we had time to visit a beach or two before the sun went down.
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| We didn't know this person, but it made a good photo! |
On New Year's Eve day we visited the Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal and got to see several big ships pass through the locks.
Here is a view of another lock, the Pedro Miguel Lock with the Centenary Bridge in the background. We didn't take this shot - Steve just snapped a photo of a picture on the wall of the visitor's center.
New Year's Eve was spent in the old part of Panama City (Casco Viejo). We had our last dinner together on the plaza in front of the cathedral. We saw lots of fireworks that night, and we toasted in the new year.
On January first Dave and Melissa headed home. Their visit was wonderful, but too short :(
Steve and Heather
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