Today’s outdoors adventures included a morning at Metropolitan Natural Park and a nighttime nature walk.
By Ari and Wynne
Ari:
Today we woke up early to be ready and downstairs for our 8:15 a.m. bus departure to Metropolitan Natural Park. Before leaving, we had breakfast at the hotel, where there was a wide assortment of food, including eggs, pancakes, breads, coffee, and orange juice, which gave everyone a good start before a long morning outdoors.
After breakfast we took about a 20 minute drive through the city, and one of the most interesting parts of arriving at the park was seeing how suddenly the urban environment of Panama City gave way to a protected rainforest area filled with native wildlife and dense vegetation; this immediately showed why the park is considered so important — it’s because it preserves a section of Panama’s natural ecosystem directly inside a major city.
During our 3-hour walk/hike through the trailers with our guide and translator, we learned that the park plays a major role in maintaining the ecological balance because the trees help filter air, regulate temperature, protect water systems, and create habitat for the species that would otherwise lose space due to urban development.
Throughout the hike, we were able to observe several animals in their natural habitat, including one two-toed sloth, one neque, which is a small relative of the capybara, one black-tailed trogonbird, and six howler monkeys moving through the trees above us. We learned that Panama has three types of sloths and that the two-toed sloth is smaller, grey in color, and vulnerable because sloths are prey for predators such as ocelots, harpy eagles, and pumas. Our guide also explained that insects such as flies that live in sloth fur can spread infections that affect both sloths and humans, which showed how connected species are within the ecosystem.
As we continued walking, we stopped to observe important plant species such as the big bellied tree and the Indio desunido tree, which has historically been used for medicinal purposes. We also observed the special crane scientist use to observe the canopy of the trees called the canopy crane.
Overall, being in the park made it clear that urban green spaces do much more than simply protect plants and animals because they also help cities manage pollution, reduce climate impact, preserve biodiversity, and teach people why balancing development with conservation is necessary if natural systems are going to continue supporting life. After the hike we drove to lunch at a food court that had a vast variety of options and cuisines and ended up at an ice cream shop, after which we proceeded to continue with our day and activities.
Wynne:
Following lunch we headed to a local market that contained multiple vendors that were selling souvenir items like magnets, key chains, tshirts, etc. After spending some time and money there for 30 minutes, it was time to head back to the hotel.
When we got back to the hotel we had around 2 ½ hours of free time. Some spent the time napping, tanning, playing games, or walking around the main street. At 4:45 sharp we departed back out for our night time hike led by Rodney and his companions. For the hike we were given flashlights so when we were walking we had good visibility. During the hike we came across various species from rain frogs to three-toed sloths, and even witnessed an armadillo run across in front of us.
During the hike, fellow members thought it would be interesting to turn off all the flashlights and see how dark it was and what we heard. During that moment we heard the sounds of the howler monkey, which echoed throughout the forest. After seeing the howler monkey it was fascinating to hear how they sound at night. Towards the end of the hike we used our flashlights to find large spiders that sparkled in the light and then we were able to identify what type of spider it was.
At the end of the hike we were greeted with Dominos pizza, wings, and sodas. Our tour guide Juan Carlos even treated us to some cinnamon bread and pastries.
After everyone ate, we ended the night with a reflection. Everyone shared moments and thoughts of their experiences of the night hike. Rodney even shared his reflection and some nice words. Then it was time to head back to the hotel; on our way back Juan Carlos gave us tomorrow’s itinerary. We arrived at the hotel around 8:30 p.m. Everyone got ready for sleep and tomorrow’s early wake up.