Cerro Ancon Reserve — Attraction in Ancón

Take the metro and get off at 5 de Mayo. I took the route to the hospital, the Ministry of Health and the Supreme Court, making a round trip, so to speak. It's worth it, as there were information boards along the way about the canal agreement with the usa and what a student uprising had to do with it. See in my photos. I could read for another 15 minutes. Then I walked on to the Cerro Ancon nature reserve. It takes about an hour to get to the top of the park near the Panamanian flag. The path (a small concrete road that the security police must have driven through 3 times) winds through the green jungle, you can hear birds and some animals. I only saw one copybara. If you go in the afternoon it's hot and humid. So take plenty of water. There are small kiosks down by the hospital where you can buy water and snacks. After that, you won't be able to get food or water anywhere else. So take precautions. At the top you will be treated to a view of the skyline of Panama. On the other side you have a good view of the Panama Canal and the ships moored in front of it. On the way back you can take the stairs to Mi Pueblito, a theme park. I didn't and took the same way back to the metro. All in all it took me about 2 hrs. A good way to spend time in Panama, I'm glad I did. Last but not least: There was no...

A must-do when visiting Panama City. The path is paved the entire way. You will walk 30-45 mins at a slow incline to reach the top. I think it's best to enter from the Quarry Heights entrance because the Mi Pueblito side has a few flights of stairs which will wear you out faster than the steady incline. It is humid as you are in a forest area so bring some water. We also found a small hand-towel to be helpful (we both sweat quite a bit). There were plenty of benches along the way to catch your breath.

We saw some interesting bugs, big spiders, a millipede, capybaras, toucans, and a sloth. I think we got lucky with the sloth since they are normally high in the canopy.

There is a port-a-potty half way up and at the top. They seem maintained but you may want to bring some toilet paper just in case.

There are multiple view points but the two main ones are of the city skyline and of the panama canal. We visited the canal first so seeing it from this perspective really added to it. You get a nice view of the Panama flag as well.

It was definitely...

This is by far one of the best places to see the modern skyline of the city, Casco Viejo and the canal. The hike up is at a gradual incline on a paved road (you can see my picture). The climb will take 20-30 minutes.

There are two entryways to get to the road to hike up. We arrived through a residential area. Our Uber driver went through a security gate into a subdivision of homes and apartments. Walk through the apartment complex and when you come to a dead end, where you can turn right or left. Make a right, you'll pass by a few homes, making your way to the path.

As you make your way up, it felt as though I escaped the chaos of the city. The foliage is beautiful. Once you reach the top, the views are breathtaking. Be sure to hydrate. Restrooms are...