Guide to

Cerro Hoya

National Park

Joseph Whelan

Peace Corps Response Panama

c. 2015

linimqanis@yahoo.com

Note: There is limited to no cellphone reception in the communities surrounding CHNP. There are no official, full-time guides employed by the park. This list only highlights a few of the community members with extensive knowledge of the park. It is not comprehensive. Please make plans in advance. Las Flores (West Entrance) Public Phone: +507. 333.0956 Miguel Moreno, Cel. +507. 68973993 Juan “Juancho” Valasquez Cauca Moreno Cel. +507. 66802250 (May-Dec) Manuel Vega Issidrillo Barria Castro El Cortezo/La Tronosa (North Entrance) El Cortezo Public Phone: +507. 995.8298 La Tronosa Public Phone: +507. 333.2702 Alquiviade Moreno

Cel. +507. 66431888 +507. 65336827

Domingo “Mingo” Vegas, La Tranosa** Cel. +507. 66247256 Cobachón/La Ventana (South Entrance) Daniel Saenz Victor Gonzales Cel. +507. 67899528

Boat rides and messages can be arranged from Cambutal along the south coast entrance.

To access the park and its remote beaches from the south coast, one would take a boat or travel the rough coastal road from Cambutal to one of many possible destinations. The park boundary does not reach the coast until La Ventana, but there are many places where the forest line comes close to the coast. Daniel Saénz in Cobachón is an experienced birder. He and Victor Gonzales in La Ventana have significant guiding experience and training.

There is a beautiful, private ecological reserve within the park boundary in La Puerca called Reserva Ecológica Privada Cerro Hoya. It has facilities for visitors and researchers and a facebook page.

From Tonosí, take to bus to Cambutal

Guides

Access From the South Cambutal

Las Flores provides some of the easiest access points into CHNP. A community group led by Miguel Moreno provides guides and is constructing cabanas for visitors and researchers. Many community members have knowledge of the park and experience guiding visitors including Cauca Moreno, an ex-park ranger, Issidrillo Barria and Manuel Vegas. However, “Juancho” Valesquez is perhaps the most well-known guide in Las Flores. He is a knowledgeable birder and his property provides the easiest access into the park from Las Flores. Restingue, south of Arenas, is known for its clear water, coral reefs and where the forest. It was once the site of a park office and trail which are no longer maintained. Guides can easily be found in Flores & Restingue. From Santiago, take a bus to Arenas.

Access From the West

Known for its scenic beaches, the Azuero Peninsula is also home to one of the most remote National Parks within Panamá. With little to no infrastructure and surrounded by a heavily deforested landscape, Cerro Hoya National Park (CHNP, 80,450 acres) is a biological island of mature rainforest tucked in the southwest corner of the Azuero Peninsula. Ranging from coral reefs and marine areas to heights of 1,559m, CHNP harbors a variety of ecosystems. CHNP is a haven for endemic species (most notably the Azuero Parakeet and the Azuero Spider Monkey) and remains a significantly understudied area with great scientific value. The use of local guides are highly recommended due to the remote nature of the park.

Cerro Hoya National Park

Access into the park from the north involves traveling by horseback or on foot and overnighting or base camping at one of the many ranching outposts on the edge of the park. These outposts provide the closest access the high peaks of CHNP and the La Tronosa Forest Reserve. Alquiviade Moreno and Domingo “Mingo” Vegas, well-respected guides from the group “Guardianes de la Selva”, a in the area and have worked with Peace Corps Volunteers and researches from the Smithsonian, Universidad de Panamá and the University of Southern Illinois. From Chitre, Las Tablas and Tonosi take the bus to La Tranosa and El Cortezo.

Las Flores & Arenas

Access From the North La Tronosa & El Cortezo

c. 2015 by Jessica Fort