GENERAL INFORMATION
This park is located south of the province of Veraguas. With a surface of 270,125 hectares (650,000 acres), this park protects three kinds of ecosystems: the island, the reef and marine life. This park is a group of islands with Coiba being the biggest one and Ranchería (Coibita), Jicarón, Jicarita, Afuerita, Canal de Afuera, Uvas, Contreras and Brincanco islands (153,582 hectares or 370,000 acres) together with some marine areas of 216,543 ha (520,000 acres). Which make this one of the most extensive marine parks in the world.
Coiba itself, with 49,300 ha. (120,000 acres) is the largest island of the American Pacific and because of its geographical isolation, a penal colony was established here in 1910, which still exists today. Because of this situation, the forest on the island has remained untouched.

How to get there
From Panama City you can take a plane to Santiago (30 minutes) in the province of Veraguas or by car in 4 hours (245 kilometers or 140 miles). Once in Santiago you have to make a 25 km. drive to Puerto Mutis where you take a boat to the island (between 2 to 6 hours depending on the weather and on the type of boat).
Because of the penitentiary located here, you must get authorization from the Directorate of Penal Correction in the Ministry of Government and Justice and from the National Environment Authority (ANAM) Without these authorizations you can not get on the island.

Services
Because this park is far from any town, there are only a few services available for the tourist. On the island of Coiba itself, there is a Biological Station managed by ANAM that used to be a fishing club, and which for a small fee has rooms available for small groups (8 visitors).

What to do and Where to go?
The variety of activities available in this park is small, but we are sure that you will have a great time. You can go fishing, diving, snorkeling, bird watching, and hiking and enjoy the beautiful flora and fauna. The beaches have very fine sands and the waters are crystal clear, especially near Playa Damas and Playa Blanca on Coiba, but also on the islands of Granito de Oro, Ranchería, Uvas and Contreras. These islands are so popular and internationally famous because of the big Blue and Black Marlins that have been caught around here. On some of the beaches of the islands, turtles come to nest between April and September, which is only one of the attractions for nature lovers besides flora, fauna and bird watching. This is the only place in Panama where you can find whole troops of red Guacamayas ( Ara Macao ). In Damas Bay, you can find a 135 ha (325 acres) large reef, considered to be the second largest in the Central Eastern Pacific and the largest in the Central American region.

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