Panama has some of the most easily accessed forests anywhere in the tropics. The M11402 is located on top of Semaphore Hill, in a well preserved semideciduous tall forest in the heart of Soberanía National Park. It is at an altitude of 900 feet above sea level, and from its roof you can see the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal and the skyline of Panama City, just 30 minutes away. Its privileged position makes ideal as a base from which to start exploring the forests of central Panama, as well as the Canal and other historical attractions. At the base of the road up Semaphore Hill is Plantation Road, a good, easy graded dirt road where you can walk through more than three miles of mature forest. A ten minute drive takes you to the gate of the famous Pipeline Road which runs for 11 miles through wetter forests in the heart of Soberanía National Park.
The M11402 has five levels that offer different views of the forest around it. The flat roof is a great place to watch the canopy, as well as the Panama Canal and, in the distance, the skyline of the city. The top floor, covered by a 30 feet high geotangent dome (a variation of Bucky Fuller's famous geodesic dome), is used as the main dining area, and is completely surrounded by panoramic windows. The floors below house 12 two-person bedrooms with large windows and a full bathroom with hot-water showers each. Below the rooms, a mezzanine with more windows adds viewing opportunities of the lower levels of the forest canopy. Finally, the ground floor will house exhibits about the environment and the surrounding forest and the animals that live in it.
M11402 Facts
- The radar originally installed in the tower consumed as much electricity as 60 families.
- From The Canopy Tower you can see the widening of the Culebra Cut. When completed in the year 2003, the amount of soil that will have been removed in this important improvement to the Panama Canal will be four times the amount of soil dug to build the tunnel connecting England with France.
- The temperature in the Tower is usually 2-3 F lower than in Panama City and in the early morning hours it gets as low as 65 F.
- The name Semaphore Hill comes from the early days of the Panama Canal when gigantic traffic signs, or semaphores, placed exactly where the Tower is now erected, were used to aid navigation across the Culebra Cut.
- M11402 was featured in the TV documentary, "Panama: Paradise Found?" produced by the National Audubon Society and TBS and hosted by Mariel Hemingway.
Property amenities:
The M11402 has five levels that offer different views of the forest around it. The flat roof is a great place to watch the canopy, as well as the Panama Canal and, in the distance, the skyline of the city. The top floor, covered by a 30 feet high geotangent dome (a variation of Bucky Fuller's famous geodesic dome), is used as the main dining area, and is completely surrounded by panoramic windows. The floors below house 12 two-person bedrooms with large windows and a full bathroom with hot-water showers each. Below the rooms, a mezzanine with more windows adds viewing opportunities of the lower levels of the forest canopy. Finally, the ground floor will house exhibits about the environment and the surrounding forest and the animals that live in it.
Nearby attractions and activities:
Metropolitan Natural Park:
Located right next to Panama City, only 25 minutes from the M11402, the forests of the Metropolitan Natural Park are much drier than those around Pipeline or Plantation Roads. Therefore, you should expect to see some species of birds that are rare if not absent in those areas.
Pipeline road:
Pipeline Road is the best place in Central Panama to find forest birds, and plenty of them. Eight species of wrens, five trogons, four puffbirds, three motmots, many antbirds and even more flycatchers have been reported from the road.
Summit Gardens:
Summit Gardens is a park managed by the Office of the Mayor of Panama City. There is a small zoo where you can get a better look at King Vulture, Harpy Eagle, Great Curassow and four species of macaws, as well as Jaguar, Spider Monkeys, and a host of other mammals.
Location:
Just 30 minutes away from Panama City.
Policy:
Rates are all inclusive on a per day basis.
Check-in time is 11 AM, in time for lunch, which is served at 12 PM.
Packages:
The M11402 is a great place for those with a general interest in exploring the tropical forest. Giant, iridescent Morpho Butterflies flash their blue wings at you as you ride up the twisting road up to the Tower. Howler Monkeys startle you with a sudden roar overhead. Each shrub, tree and flower seems to be different from the last, reflecting Soberanía's extraordinary diversity.
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