Click on the follow-up posting below for a full description
(2-3 page)of this hike. Ideal for the budget conscious
(i.e. have more time than money; cost per day $6-$20
depending on options), culturally sensitive backpacker with
a working knowledge of Spanish. Remote yet accessible
area, safe, untouched by tourism, hospitable and peacefull
locals. Rainforest and cloudforests in El Cope National
Park, Cocle Province (near Penonome). On the continental
divide, view both oceans in good weather, excellent
birdwatching, rainforest waterfalls and swimming holes,
climb mountains (1,500 meters above sea level).
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This is a write up I did to help out in this National
Park's initiative. This trip requires a working knowledge
of Spanish, willingness to carry your backpack through
trails for hours, and flexibility with food menus and
accomodations. My perspective is that of someone who has
back packed through parts of Central and South America,
South East Asia, and Europe. I have no economic connections
to the Park or the Navas family and I recently moved to the
States; so I've tried to be impartial!
HIKING EXCURSIONS TO EL COPE NATIONAL PARK, COCLE PROVINCE,
PANAMA WITH STAYS AT "LA RICA" HAMLET
DESCRIPTION: El Cope National Park is located in Cocle
Province, smack on the mountains of Panama's Cordillera
Central and about an hour's drive from the town of
Penonome. The 140 sq. km. park includes both cloud forests
in the higher altitudes and humid rainforests at lower
heights on the Caribbean slope of the mountains. The main
entry point is about 7 km up the mountains from the Pacific
Slope town of El Cope. La Rica is a hamlet located inside
the Park. The hamlet is the first settlement of any size
after traversing a trail from the main entry point up the
Pacific slope through the Continental Divide and down the
Caribbean (Atlantic) Slope. The journey to the village on
foot on a ridgetop trail takes you through outstanding
cloudforest known for its rare birds and frogs, and most of
the trail boasts magnificent views. With good weather you
should be able to see ample portions of both the Pacific
and the Caribbean coasts simultaneously from a lookout on
the Continental Divide known as El Calvario (at 950 m, the
highest point of the trail). Good primary rainforest is
immediately accesible from La Rica, as well as spectacular
swimming and sunning on the crystal clear pools and
waterfalls of the Juan Julio and other rivers. The return
journey is through a riverside trail next to Rio Guabal,
which takes you through a few cow pastures and then
pristine rainforest and cloudforest, before emerging at the
Continental Divide and the road back to El Cope.
HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR TREK: Since the hamlet currently
receives only sporadic visitors, it is best to call the
Navas family ahead at 983-9130; this phone is in a
relatives' house in Barrigon (spanish only). The earlier
you call, the better, but 2 days ahead should suffice.
The National Park's office at El Cope has a phone: 983-
9089. Try to speak to Jose Antonio Perez. You should pay
the $3 per person to them (get receipts). There is a refuge
at the entrance of the park where visitors are usually
allowed to stay if they make arrangements with the park in
advance.
THE JOURNEY: While this could be done as an overnight (2-
day) trip from El Cope or even Penonome, I would recommend
a 3-day, 2-night journey from Penonome . Once at el Cope,
ask for the INRENARE office which is in town up a tiny pine-
clad hill, register, and pay the US$3 entrance fee for the
park . Also, ask about conditions along the trail and
current weather. It is recomended to arrive at El Cope as
early as possible; there's some run down accomodation
available in the town for those who would prefer to stay
here overnight and start the trek at dawn, or you could
stay at INRENARE's refuge about 1 hr's walk from the School
at Barrigon (see above).
From El Cope, you could either start walking towards
Barrigon, or catch one of the hourly pick-up trucks that
are the local public transport Cope-Barrigon (5 am to 7pm).
You can also hitch rides along the way, especially in the
morning. From El Cope, it's about a 5km walk, somewhat
uphill, to the Escuela (school) de Barrigon, where the good
road ends. On the side of the road away from the river,
there's a used clothes store "Manolos"; the house next to
it is owned by the extended Navas family, the same that
will be your hosts in La Rica this is were they have the
phone. Usually Noris Navas can be found here and it's a
good place to see whether anyone is heading to La Rica.
Beyond the school at Barrigon, you will likely have to
continue uphill on foot (try to be here by 11 AM for a
leisurely trek). From here it's about 4 steep km , past the
park entrance, to the Continental Divide. The occasional
commercial delivery truck might give you a ride to Senor
Beito's store, the last one on this road, 2 km closer to
the Divide. Incidenltally, this is the last place to leave
your car safely overnight if you are driving (he might
charge $1/day to park inside).
At the Continental Divide the road turns from bad to
impossible even for four-wheel drive. About 30 meters past
a green-roofed house belonging to the park service (this is
the 'refuge'), there's an old road which branches steeply
downhill to the right; this is the "riverside" trail to La
Rica. If you stay on the "main" road, you'll continue
uphill for 1 km or so, right on the Divide through elfin
cloudforest good for birds and golden frogs, to reach El
Calvario, the highest point of the "ridgetop" trail, marked
by a cross and sightseeing terrace, where with luck and
good weather you can see both oceans at once. From here,
the ridgetop trail continues downhill for about 8 km before
reaching the Escuela de Rio Blanco. This trail goes first
through cloudforests and then rainforests with ocassional
cow pastures ("potreros") becoming more frequent as you
reach Rio Blanco. Its a can't-miss-it, wide trail that
affords fantastic views in good weather. Eventually you
arrive at the Escuela de Rio Blanco; around here, start
asking for the house of Ariel Navas in La Rica, a 1 km,
poorly marked walk from the school. The whole La Rica area
is at about 250 meters elevation..
The house is located about 300 m. away from gorgeous
swimming holes and waterfalls at the Juan Julio river and
is even closer to Rainforest which adjoins the park. Great
for birds and plants. Despite the clearings and the
ocassional trail/road, there is contiguous uninterrputed
forest all the way to the Costa Rican border and beyond! A
variety of tantalizing day trips is possible from La Rica
(see below). I recommend staying one full day in La Rica to
see more of the forest and bathing pools and have a chance
to unwind with these unbelievably friendly people.
The return journey on the "riverside" trail follows mostly
the "Guabal" river. Closer to La Rica this trail traverses
a mix of forests and clearings, and in some of the
clearings it is easy to loose the trail, so it is wise to
recruit someone from La Rica to guide you through this
first part. Once you've crossed the Guaval river, about
half way to the Continental divide, the trail resembles a
cannopied, washed out road - impossible to miss and going
through spectacular forests with many large trees. You
arrive back at the Continental Divide right by the green-
roofed Inrenare house and from here it's down hill all the
way to Barrigon (where the last pick-up leaves at 6 or 7PM)
and El Cope. You can leave for the return journey by noon
and be at El Cope by nightfall or earlier, but a 10 AM
departure would allow ample time to stop and relax along
the river or to observe the wildlife - it's a beautifull
journey.
Especially in stormy or gusty weather, it is wise to do the
trip in reverse, i.e. start going downhill on the riverside
trail as it is less exposed to wind and cold; then return
via the ridge-top trail. If you get lost in the riverside
trail going down hill, it will be in a clearing - there's
likely to be a hut somewhere to confirm the way, or wait
for the next person coming by. Locals are extremely
friendly but a bit shy - if you just ask, they'll happily
point the way and are likely to walk you part or all of the
way.
(continued next posting...)
ACCOMODATIONS, FOOD AND COSTS: The Navas' house in La Rica
is actually a cluster of three houses. There's an open,
roofed area ideal for hanging hammocks, a primitive outdoor
shower, a latrine in a separate hut, a roofed open air
dining area, and 3 enclosed areas with beds. They are
thinking of charging US$6 per person per night for full
room and board (while you're at the house - no brown bag
lunches) which means plenty of local food, coffee, fruit,
and sleeping in a hammock or a bed - great value!.
These folks are unbelievably hospitable and at this price
you might very well decide to extend your stay a few days.
Catholic priests going through this thinly populated region
have repeatedly stayed with this family for years - they
are excellent hosts.
Bear in mind that the area has not been touched by tourism
at all. You must be flexible about food as you can ask for
more quantity, but any specialty items (say, mashed
potatoes or carrots or fish) might not be available. Also,
bring your own toilet paper.
EXCURSIONS: The family will show you the nearby waterfalls
and a few forest trails, which would easily fill a day of
memorable activity. Hiring a guide for the day is
recomended - up to 4 people can share a guide, or more for
easier day trips, and it costs only $9 per day (although
you might have to provide/buy lunch for him and
yourselves). Ariel and his brother-in-law Santiaguito are
excellent, amenable guides unbelievably good at spotting
and identifying birds and other wildlife. Possible day
trips include a long hike to Los Chorros del Tife (Tife's
waterfalls are famous throughout the region) and climbing
up through intense forest to the top of Cerro Marta (1,150
meters), either would require a full day. The Navas have 4
camping tents (2 people ea.) so they are able to lead
overnight camping trips or longer, but this is recommended
only if you have previous experience camping in the
tropics, can cook and deal with water and otherwise cater
to yourself. The very adventuresome might want to continue
from La Rica to Coclesito, possibly a 1-2 day trip. There's
a road and public transport connecting Coclesito to
Penonome on the Panamerican Highway.
THE LOCALS: The Coclesan ethnic group that prevails in this
area has lived in close association with the forest for
generations, and their practices are generally less
destructive than the intinerant slash-and-burn agriculture
of other groups. You will see plots of formerly
agricultural land that have been conciously allowed to
regenerate into natural forest now 18 years old and more.
Sapplings of timber trees are not cut but instead are
allowed to grow to commercial size, resulting in many large
trees near human habitation. This better husbandry with
natural resources has allowed most people in this area to
remain in their original locations for 20 - 30 years.
Elsewhere in Panama
people settling in rainforests often move on after 5 years
or so due to depleted resources and soil - resulting in
most of the massive deforestation seen in parts of the
country.
GETTING THERE AND AWAY: Buses go from Panama City to El
Cope from the Cocle bus terminal , every hour from 5 AM to
5 PM; the journey takes 4 hours and costs $6. Buses also go
from Penonome to El Cope, also about every hour, $1.50,
takes 75 minutes. If you're coming from the West on the
Panamerican Highway, ask to be dropped off at the El Cope
turnoff which is midway between Nata and Penonome, and
catch a bus from there. Once in El Cope a few pick-up
trucks cover public transport to Barrigon on an irregular
basis - the park office should have information on this.
FINAL NOTES: To enjoy this trip, you need working knowledge
of Spanish. The weather is unpredictable; reputedly the
worst months are January and February and the best ones
June and July (at La Rica - this is different at El Cope,
on the other side of the mountains). There's a very basic
"shop" in La Rica where locals buy the most essential of
groceries - don't expect bottled water here. With a couple
of days' notice, the Navas should be able to arrange an
escort to take you to La Rica, they might ask for $8.50 to
$10 per group, but it might be free, play it by ear. With 3
or more day' notice, the Navas family might be able to
arrange a horse to carry your luggage to La Rica (up to 3-4
backpacks, about $8); this service is easier to arrange
when you come back from La Rica, as there are horses at the
hamlet; and the thougher journey is the uphill return leg
anyway. The prices quoted here might vary some because this
is a really new thing and they are sorting out those
details as their project goes forward.
Lider Sucre
lsucre@mba1997.hbs.edu
Loooong, boy, way loong, but I'm happier with mo' detail
than less ... this sounds like you can't go wrong if you
print this postings ... all questions answered! Good job.
Hi... does anyone get the feeling that this place is far
too raw for any foreigners to visit? I mean, the people
might be very nice but it seems like a real hassle to
navigate the local scene for rainforest and scenery that
you could get in a better-developed national park where
more people go. Are the savings worth it? Is the
difference with locals on more 'touristy' places that big?
I'm curious but I need more convincing.