SANTA CATALINA AND

COIBA ISLAND
 COIBA NATIONAL PARK

 Climate
The climate in Santa Catalina is tempered by it location on


the Pacific Ocean.  Tropical year round, it is divided into the

dry season during Panama’s “summer” from December
through May and the wet season or “winter” June to
November.  The entire year, temperatures hover between
90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit (30-34 Celsius) during the
 Things to see and do in and around Santa Catalina,
Panama
 The attraction to Santa Catalina, Panama is its natural beauty and vast natural
resources.  With the Pacific Ocean roaring up on its beautiful black sand beaches,
Santa Catalina is the launching point for fantastic nautical adventures and a serene
fishing village. 
 Surfing has for decades been the main draw for visitors to Santa Catalina.  But the
reason Santa Catalina exists is its access to abundant fish populations.  Fishing and
scuba diving are rapidly growing in popularity.
 The same type volcanic outcroppings that create the incredible surf break at Playa
Santa Catalina,
 create excellent dive and fishing spots just offshore.  A short boat ride from shore
delivers the diving
 and angling enthusiast enormous populations of fish and underwater structure.
 Dozens of islands are scattered throughout the ocean, just a short boat ride from Santa
Catalina.  Many of these islands offer relatively unexplored white sand beaches with
surf breaks that equal and sometimes better the world renowned break at La Punta
in Santa Catalina.
 On land, Santa Catalina offers beautiful beaches, good food and affordable
accommodations.   Visitors to Santa Catalina come for outdoor recreation and
relaxation. While there are a number of gathering spots for evening dinners and
socializing, Santa Catalina is not the all night party spot found in a lot of Central
American surf destinations.  The person wandering the beach at 5 am is more
likely an early bird surfer grabbing some solo time with the waves than a straggler
partier left over from the night before.
 With its flocks of parrots, warm waters and uncrowned beaches, Santa Catalina,
Panama offers travelers the option for a quiet getaway or an activity filled vacation. 
Whether your ideal day is lounging undisturbed on an isolated beach or a day of
  Coiba National Park
 Coiba National Park (Nacional Parque Coiba) is
group of 38 islands including Coiba Island (Isla
Coiba) and the waters surrounding them. 
Coiba National Park is located in the Gulf of
Chiriquí off of Panama’s Pacific coast covers
430,825 acres. 
 Because of its rich and well preserved natural
resources Coiba National Park and its Special
Zone of Marine Protection was declared a World
Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005.  Cited for its
high levels of endemic mammal, plants and
birds and ongoing evolution of new species,
Coiba National Park is consider by UNESCO to
be an “outstanding natural laboratory for
scientific research” and a key to the survival of


 Beaches
 The two primary beaches in Santa Catalina are
Playa Santa Catalina and Playa Estero.  Both are
black sand beaches produced from an adjacent
river and offer gentle waves with large tide
changes through out the day.  While Playa Santa
Catalina is the busier of the two, either can offer
a pick up soccer game or other activities with
the locals.
 The beach waters around Santa Catalina are
routinely tested are have been awarded the
Bandera Azul Ecologica or Ecologic Blue Banner
award for their purity.
 Playa Santa Catalina

 Playa Santa Catalina is the main village beach

ISLAS DE COIBA
Islands around Santa Catalina

 Cebaco
 Cativo
 Octavia
 Pelonas
 Isla Coiba and Coiba National Park
 Surf Spots
 Santa Catalina
 Punta Brava
 Punta Roca
 La Puntica
 El Estero

 The Islands of Coiba National
Park
 Coiba National Park encompasses the majority of the Gulf of Chiriqí’s
continental shelf and island structures.  Coiba National Park’s 38
islands offer a great ecological and marine diversity.  White sand
beaches, hardwood tropical forests and wildlife found nowhere else
in the world make these islands breath taking.
 Included in the park are the following islands
 Coiba
 Jicaron
 Brincaco
 Uva
 Rancheria
 Canal de Afuera
 Jicanita
 Pajeros
 Afuera
 Montuosa
 And 28 smaller islets

 Isla Coiba

 Isla Coiba or Coiba Island is the anchor to the Coiba National Park infrastructure.  It is the largest island
consisting of 50,314 hectares or 124,320 acres of mostly virgin tropical rainforest.  Located
approximately 30 miles off the Panamanian cost, Coiba Island is remote and relatively undeveloped
with over 80% of its natural habitat intact.

 Coiba Island is hilly at its center with a number of rivers draining to the ocean.  The largest of the rivers
is Rio Negro or Black River.  The jungles of Coiba are home to howler monkeys, scarlet macaws, and
crested eagles.  Because of its isolation and location, it has been noted for its growing number of
endemic species.

 For bird watchers, Coiba offers 97 of the 147 species of birds found in Coiba National Park.  Coiba is a
refuge for Crested Eagles and Scarlet Macaws, birds who have virtually disappeared from the rest of
the Republic of Panama.  Coiba also offers 20 endemic birds species including the Coiba spinetail.   
The beaches and waters surrounding Coiba Island offer shelter to four turtle species: leatherback ,
hawksbill , olive , loggerhead .

 Other local species include the Coiba Island Agouti (Dasyproctae coibae) the Mantled Howler Monkey, a
opossum and a white-tailed deer.  Over 30 varieties of bats call Coiba home.

 The North end of the island is the most accessible from the mainland and is the home of the ANAM
ranger station. This is the most visited end of the island and home to beautiful white sand beaches
with clear water. The close proximity of other islands such as Rancheria and Las Canales makes this a
popular playground for divers and day visitors.

 The South end of the Isla Coiba is relatively untouched by humans. It offers large waves and pristine
beaches. It is a favorite for surfers staying in Santa Catalina who are looking for a memorable ride in
 Jicaron (2,002 ha)


 The second largest of the islands that dot the geography of Coiba
National Park, Jicaron is located of the Southeast tip of Coiba. It
contains lush vegetation, large swells, and rocky beaches through
out much of the shoreline. With the assistance of local guides, Jicaron
also offers pristine pocket beaches, deserted serenity and Pacific
island beauty at its finest. Jicaron is a short distance for steep ocean
canyons used by migratory pelagic animals to hunt and travel along
the transcontinental routes.

 Scuba diving and snorkeling offer views of huge schools of large fish.
Sightings of large varieties of rays, sharks, sailfish, and marlin are
possible. On the surface, spinner and spotted dolphins, orca,
humpback and pilot whales and feeding yellow fin tuna may delight
the visiting boat.
 Jicanita


 The english translation of Jicanita is "Little Jicaron". Located off the

southern tip of Jicaron, Jicanita is the result of thousands of years of
storms and wave action on the southern tip of Jicaron. With the sea
eventually carving the tip off , Jicanita became its own islet. Jicanita
offers similar features as its parent Jicaron.
REEF DE BAHIA DAMAS
 The Reef of Bahia Damas
 Bahia Damas is the somewhat protected bay on the east side of Isla Coiba,
Panama.  Its waters boast the second largest coral reef in the Eastern Pacific
Ocean.  At 135 hectares or 335 acres, it is one of the largest reefs in Central
America.


 In addition to being home to a large coral community, the reef gives refuge to
enormous schools of fish of all sizes.  Sightings of large groups of manta rays,
sharks, tuna, snapper and other fish are common as are a multitude of
dolphin and whales species.


 The reef is subject to a variety of natural influences including El Nino’s warming

effects and changing tides and ocean currents.  This convergence of natural
phenomenon make the Bahia Damas’ reef a treasure not only for divers but
also for researchers evaluating the effects of nature’s intermingling forces.


 The  reef environment of the Bahia Damas is fragile.  To protect this valuable
resource, scuba diving should be arranged through the professional dive
operations that service the park area.  These operators can arrange the
proper permits and have a vested interest in protecting the reefs that provide
them and their clients such incredible adventures.

Granito De Oro, Coiba National
Park, Panama
 A small islet off the northeastern coast of Isla Coiba named
Granito de Oro has emerged as one of the most popular
stops for visitors interested in snorkeling the abundant
waters of Coiba National Park and picnicking on one of the
most pristine beaches in the world. 


 Its steep volcanic outcropping forms a structure which holds the

beautiful white sand in place and creates a reef structure
which shelters a large variety of beautiful marine life.  It
is the aquarium of Coiba, offering easy access to eels, turtles
and large schools of fish. 


 Granito de Oro offers the casual snorkeler a diversity and

volume of marine life that many avid scuba divers spend
their lives trying to see.  The waters surrounding it have been
called one of the top 10 diving destinations in the world.

CARCEL DE COIBA ISLAND
 Penal Colony of Isla Coiba
 Mention Isla Coiba to the average Panamanian and treasured marine park and abundant ecosystem
are probably not the image that pops into their mind.  For modern day citizens of Panama, stories of
imprisonment, torture and death are more like to come to mind.

 Coiba Island was Panama’s version of Devil’s Island.  From 1919 to 2004, the penal colony on Isla
Coiba was home to the country’s most dangerous criminals as well as home to many who found
themselves on the wrong side of the political struggle.  At its peak, The Coiba Island Prison housed
3000 inmates in about 30 camps spread around the islands.

 “Los Desaparecidos” was the name given to the hundreds or even thousands who disappeared in
Panama under dictators Omar Torrijos and Manuel Noriega, never to be seen again.  It is believed
that many of these unfortunate individuals either ended up in unmarked graves near the Coiba’s
penal colony or to have been dismembered and fed to the abundant shark population in its
surrounding waters. 

 After the fall of the dictatorship, Coiba resumed its role as a criminal prison camp rather than
political prison.  In its final days, prisoners were the run of the mill thieves, murders and rapists
serving their debt to society by farming and ranching the island to provide for their own existence.

 The prison is now closed.  The prisoners have been relocated to other facilities and anything of value
has been removed from the site.  The remaining structure is slowly being reclaimed by jungle and the
marine air.  Its crumbling buildings and simply marked graves serve as the only memorial to Coiba’s
dark history.

 The fear of the prison and its inhabitants inadvertently resulted in preservation of the largest untouched
rain forests in the Americas.  Because of the deterrent of the penal colony, about 80% of the islands
By Villa Michelle a Travel Tour
Guide and cheaper
accommodation in Panama.
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