The island of Coiba
By admin. Filed in Veraguas |
Coiba Island National Park was created in 1991. Reaching Coiba Island takes 50 minutes via airplane or 10 hours by car from Panama City. Located on the island are a biological station, two watchtowers located at Cerro Santa Cruz and Cerro La Torre, and some of the best scuba diving spots in the Western Hemisphere. Through the years Coiba Island has been the home of pirates, prisoners and even pre-Colombian inhabitants from as far as 2500 years ago.
To reach the island one must travel through Santiago, and then follow the road that leads to Puerto Mutis. From Puerto Mutis depending on the type of boat and weather a 2 to 4 hour boat ride is necessary to reach the park. A small airstrip on Coiba Island allows accession by air. Before visiting Coiba Island, permission must first be granted from the Penal Correction Division of the Ministry of Government and Justice and the Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (ANAM).
The park on Coiba encompasses an area of several islands totaling 270,125 hectares, of which 216,543 are located at sea. Coiba at 50,314 hectares is the largest of these islands making it the largest not only in Panama but of Central America. Some of these lesser known islands Canal de Afuera, Pajaros, Uva, Jicaron, Brincanco and Jicaron. These islands combined with Coiba are 53,582 hectares.
As much as 80% of Coiba is covered by original vegetation as a former penal colony dating back to 1919 limited the amount of deforestation.
Written by - A Panama Guide
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