Ancon Hill where we stayed in Panama City is a very interesting place with a lot of historical significance (read more about it HERE). It is also a nature preserve, and there is a good road that you can use to hike to the very top of the hill which overlooks the city.
This tree is outstanding even among the amazing Panama trees!
An armadillo was exploring in the fallen leaves.
A spider waits for bugs with the city skyline in the background.
The views were beautiful.
This looks like it was taken on Monday when it was clearer.
There are some large communication towers at the top.
Joel enjoys the view.
Joel convinced me to get in front of the camera for a change.
This flag is huge, bigger than a basketball court. The flag is changed twice a year because it takes quite a beating in the wind up there. They cost $800 and are made in New Jersey! (learned that on our canal tour)
A toucan!
I snapped this just as the toucan took off. It’s not exactly clear but I like it with the city in the background.
Boats waiting for their turn to go through the canal.
The upper entrance to a bomb proof tunnel built in 1942 to house key military personnel in case of emergency.
The forest that is located on Anton Hill belongs to the life zone of Humid Tropical Forest and is mainly dominated by the associations known as Mature Secondary Forest and Young Secondary Forest. There are a total of 68 species of wildlife in the area – 15 species of mammals, 39 birds, 9 reptiles and 5 amphibians. Flora is a total of 199 species, distributed in 59 families of dicots and 13 families of monocots
Many people used this area for exercise. This biker went up and down the hill three times! It’s a steady uphill climb all the way and quite a workout, I’m sure.
There were lots of vultures at the top of the hill and perched on the towers.
We had such a good time staying here and experiencing this area! Usually we are in Panama City to catch a flight out, and this was the first time (since our very first time in the country) to go to the city just to enjoy ourselves. The main purpose was the canal boat trip that we had booked (photos coming soon), but since we couldn’t go until Tuesday we decided to enjoy the city a bit. I’m really glad we did.
The Panama Adventure 
More great photos. Great shots of Panama City and we finally get to see the artist behind the camera. The city looks very cosmopolitan and formidable for a country boy like me.
LikeLike
Hello Mrs. Cunningham: I´m Panamanian, and retired in the city of Panamá. We really enjoy your comments about Panamá, and are grateful that you take the time to allow other people, maybe seeking a place to retire, to “see” inside this beautiful country, based on your own experience. This is wonderful because some things are not in books or maps, but are equally important for a visitor. Continue enjoying life. Marie Lourdes.
LikeLike
Thanks so much for your comments 🙂 The blog has grown and I get many visitors interested in how it is for an ordinary person living here. It is a beautiful country, and I really enjoy sharing my experiences here.
LikeLike
Thanks 🙂
The city looks formidable for a city gal like me too. That’s why we went to David. At our age we don’t want to deal with that big a city every day.
LikeLike
Beautiful shots of the city from the top of the hill.
LikeLike
Thanks! It’s a beautiful view up there.
LikeLike
My husband and I took a steep walk up that hill to see the wonderful view of the city and the canel when we were last in Panama in Nov. We loved the view at the top, your pictures were great to see it again. We unfortunately did not see the Toucan, some people we met were lucky enough to see a Sloth. But we did get to see a few monkeys on our way down the hill, and some turtles in the pond at the bottom. We loved the hike, the trees were so big and beautiful. We didn’t get to stay as long in the park as we wanted since we had a taxi scheduled to pick us up and we didn’t want to keep him waiting. We would have loved to see the birds feeding, they are so colorful in Panama. Great picture of you.
LikeLike
My husband’s sharp eyes spotted the toucan. We heard about sloths too but didn’t see any. Maybe if you come back again you can stay at La Estancia which is just a little ways below the entrance to the park, and then you can spend all the time you want on the hill. The photos of the birds and monkeys were all taken from the terrace there.
LikeLike
Absolutely outstanding pictures. You and Joel look great!
Cheers!
LikeLike
Thank you so much 🙂 Best to you too!
LikeLike
Great photos and very interesting! I wondered what was up there when we saw it from Panama City. I think I’ll still have to investigate it myself just to be sure through. Do you know what kind of tree that big one was?
LikeLike
There is a lookout area on top with that statue and some benches. You can’t go up to the actual flag pole but it’s not far beyond that. You can go to the enclosures around the communication towers too. Otherwise it’s all woods and natural area.
I don’t know what kind of tree that was. I didn’t even think to photograph the leaves. I have a lot to learn about the trees of Panama!
LikeLike