Cocle

Cocle is located right in the Panamanian isthmus and comprises a surface of 5,035 square kilometers. Its capital is Penonome. It was founded as a department in 1855, only to be officially recognized as the province of Cocle a year later. Its six districts are Aguadulce, Anton, La Pintada, Nata, Ola and Penonome, plus 39 precincts with their respective civil offices. This is a land of contrasts and huge natural attractions coupled with an extraordinary cultural, folkloric and archeological legacy of its own. Archeology buffs could take a tour around the El Caño de Penonome Archeological Park featuring dregs of a former aboriginal city with its own cemetery. If getting to know an exotic and breathtaking place is what you’re really looking for, then there’s no better choice than the Anton Valley community, one of the country’s most extraordinary places. Believe it or not, here you’ll see golden frogs and square trees, the only ones of their kind in the world. The city holds great economic potentials with a stock of industries, sugar mills, ports, excellent hotels, restaurants and a huge handicraft marketplace. Slide your eyes over the horizon and you’ll make out a beautiful mountain that resembles an asleep Indian woman. The Chorro de Mozas and El Macho waterfalls make up an ecological safe haven. Another gift of nature is Las Mendozas Spa by the Zarati River where travelers can enjoy the aquatic carnivals. In Cocle you can also take a glimpse at larger-than-life buildings, heritage jewels and an endless natural beauty that spread all across the region to welcome travelers with open arms.

Tips

The Turks & Caicos National Museum in Cockburn Town features what is thought to be the oldest shipwreck in the Americas, a caravel that sank on Molasses Reef in 1513.