Coiba National Park

Introduction

Coiba National Park is a national park which covers the whole Island of Coiba. It is the largest island in Central America, with an area of 503 km2, off the Pacific coast of the Panamanian province of Veraguas. It is part of the Montijo District of that province. The island was declared a national park in 1992 and in July 2005, Unesco declared the entire Coiba National Park a World Heritage Site.

History

Coiba separated from continental Panama about 12,000 to 18,000 years ago when sea levels rose. Plants and animals on the new island became isolated from mainland populations and over the millennia most animals have diverged in appearance and behavior from their mainland counterparts. The island is home to many endemic subspecies, including the Coiba Island howler monkey, the Coiba agouti and the Coiba spinetail.

Coiba was home to the Coiba Cacique Indians until about 1560, when they were conquered by the Spanish and forced into slavery. In 1919 a penal colony was built on the island and 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.

After the prison was closed down in 2004, its pristine condition made it ideal as a reserve. It is now said that the prison is haunted by the ghosts of prisoners. One story is that a guard was chasing a prisoner, but the prisoner was a ghost. The guard was so scared that he shot himself. It is also one of the last places in Central America where the scarlet macaw can be found in large numbers in the wild.

Geography

The island is about 75% forested with a large fraction standing as ancient forest. Coiba Island is home to rare plant species found only on the island. The island also harbors tree species that have long disappeared from the mainland due to deforestation and overharvesting.

Coiba's underwater topography is linked by the underwater Coco Ridge mountain chain to the Galapagos Islands. Scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute have proclaimed it an unparalleled destination for discovering new species. Rachel Collin, a Smithsonian project coordinator said: "It's hard to imagine, while snorkeling around a tropical island that's so close to the United States, that half the animals you see are unknown to science.”

Its unique location protects it from the damaging winds and other effects of El Niño, allowing it to sustain the uninterrupted evolution of new marine species including whale and tiger sharks, sperm whales, sea turtles, angel rays and giant schools of fish. It is also the last refuge for a number of threatened terrestrial animals such as the crested eagle and several sub-species of agouti, possum and howler monkey (including a Coiba Island howler monkey).

The waters adjacent to the island are teeming with marine life. It is surrounded by one of the largest coral reefs on the Pacific coast of the Americas. The Indo-Pacific current through the Gulf of Chiriqui provides a unique dive environment. The warm current brings with it coral and many of the pacific tropical underwater life that you would not expect on the Pacific Coast of the Americas. Also with it come the larger fish/mammals such as humpback whales, sharks, whale sharks, orcas and more. Some 760 species of fish have been recorded here, including snappers, barracuda, amberjack, and three types of marlin. Due to all this marine life, the Coiba National Park is an excellent place to snorkel and scuba dive.

Sights and Activities

Scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute have proclaimed Coiba an unparalleled destination for discovering new species. Rachel Collin, a Smithsonian project coordinator said, "It's hard to imagine, while snorkeling around a tropical island that's so close to the United States, that half the animals you see are unknown to science.” Its unique location protects it from the damaging winds and other effects of El Niño, allowing it to sustain the uninterrupted evolution of new marine species including whale and tiger sharks, sperm whales, sea turtles, angel rays and giant schools of fish. It is also the last refuge for a number of threatened terrestrial animals such as the crested eagle and several sub-species of agouti, possum and howler monkey (including a Coiba Island Howler Monkey). The park is gaining a reputation for being what the Moon travel book calls a “Garden of Eden”; touting the second largest coral reef (Bahia Damas Reef) in the Pacific.

To get a good impression of Coiba, you should plan to stay there for at least two days. Snorkel at Granito de oro with white-tipped reef sharks and turtles, walk de Sendero de Monos to get an impression of the forest on the island, visit the rehabilitated prison and the mangrove forest nearby and you will have an idea of what Coiba is about. On your way back, stop at Wahoo rock to see of the whale sharks are around.

Getting There and Around

Though its remote nature has helped to preserve the flora and fauna, it also served to deter visitors. It is about an hour long boat ride from the coastal town of Santa Catalina or two hours from the fishing village of Boca Chica, but most travelers rely on tour operators to reach the island. This journey’s inconvenience is negligible, however, compared to the opportunities for scuba, snorkeling and sport fishing Coiba offers.

Alternatively, you can travel to Mariato or Malena on the west coast of the Azuero peninsula and hire a boat there. The trip on sea will be longer, but you spend less time on the bus from Santiago to Mariato.

There are no roads and few trails on the island. To get from the only camp site to trailheads, dive sites and snorkeling sites, you need a boat. So you will need to hire a boat for your entire trip.

Eat/Drink

Sleep

The only overnight facility available in the Coiba National Marine Park is at the ANAM ranger station on Isla Coiba. The station has several modest 2 room cabins with air conditioning.

External Links

• Official Website
• UNESCO Website