Hiking Ancon Hill

Last week's blog was about a pretty heavy topic and something very real in Panama. This week is also about something very real in Panama: its beauty! We had to go into Panama City this week and because we were there we decided to hike Ancon Hill, the tallest point in Panama City.

Ancon Hill was under the jurisdiction of the United States as part of the Panama Canal Zone. It was given back to Panama in 1977. The name Ancon is an acronym for Asociación Nacional para la Conservación de la Natueleza and is now a protected reserve. This makes it a special treat for people who are in the city and want to get a feel for the jungle!

This hill also has some interesting history with Captain Henry Morgan (yes, the same guy that is associated with the rum company). Like many famous pirates, he sacked Panama on a regular basis. Captain Morgan used Ancon Hill to scout the local defenses. When the timing was right, he created the legend as the first pirate to sack Panama from both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

Photo link

This hill is a very symbolic hill for many in Panama. The first ship to officially transit the Panama Canal in 1914 was the SS Ancon. Since Panama regained control over the hill, it can be easily identified by the large Panamanian flag flying on top. 

Robert and I have been wanting to hike Ancon Hill since our first visit over a year ago. You are able to either hike it or drive up the hill. After reading reviews and wanting to explore a bit, we chose to see how "easy" this 30 minute hike would be. We paid $1 to park and off to the "trail head"we went...we really didn't know where we were going or what the trail head would look like but it was pretty easy to rule out where NOT to go.

We approached the first sign of a trail head indicating we were in fact going in the correct direction. 

The stairs lead to a decently paved road in which people can use to drive to the top. It was quick to say that the hardest part of the hike were likely going to be the stairs. Prior to leaving I had read it is not uncommon to see toucans, sloths, and several types of monkeys along the way and at the top of the hill. While we did not see any of these along the hike, we did get glimpses of the beautiful views of which we would soon see. 

A small glimpse of Panama City

Within 35 minutes (I was taking a lot of pictures) we reached another set of stairs. 

We reached the top and were rewarded with spectacular views of The City, including Casco Viejo (you can read my previous blog about it here), Albrook and part of the canal. 

Casco Viejo

Part of the canal and the Centenario Bridge in the background

Robert and I ventured back down the hill and gradually made our way back to the car. While we didn't see sloths, or monkeys, we were not disappointed by some of the other things we saw!

Central American Agouti

The hike was a great way to get out and explore Panama. Even though we did not see any monkeys or sloths, we did get some amazing views of the city and of some pretty unique animals. The hike ended up being easy aside from the fact that we blasted the air conditioner in the car when we left. This is one hike we would both do again!