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Rainy season in Cerro Campana National Park
Guatmala's Mayan communities protect their forest
 

As the rain clouds move in, the sun still shines on Chame Bay

Rainy season at Cerro Campana National Park

photos by Gaenor Speed

Less than an hour west of Panama City on the Pan-American Highway one encounters one of the gems of this country's national park system, Cerro Campana National Park. You go past Capira, climb up to the top of the hill and turn left off the road when you get to the top. There, one ridge before Cerro Picacho (Sora, Altos del Maria) and two ridges before the edge of the volcanic crater that's El Valle, you will will suddenly be in one of the most accessible and beautiful parks, with a spectacular view of Chame Bay and the hills that rise above it. Partly forested and partly scrub and grassland, the park is home to a beautiful and interesting mix of flora and fauna, with something different in bloom each time you visit there.

Because most of this area is a public park and there is only a limited amount of private space to be had, this is not the retirement mecca that the communities over the next two ridges are. However, before the park was created a number of people built their homes and weekend cottages up on Cerro Campana, and thus a number of private properties are nestled against the public property. There are some very nice homes up there, several of which are occupied by Panama Canal retirees. There are several little farms along the way. At the end of the road through the park is the little community of Chica, which is a good place to buy flowers and plants for your garden.

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