The Summit Botanical Gardens and Zoo are a great place to enjoy a day outside of the city. The 250 hectare zoo and park is inside the Soberania National Park only 25 minutes away from Panama City. Traveling by car take Madden Road, also known as the road to Gamboa, straight to the park. You can also travel by bus from the SACA terminal close to the Legislative Palace and on the weekends a train runs from the Balboa to the Summit.
Within the zoo and gardens you will find more that 15,000
exotic plants and animals, including some endangered species. There are tapirs, scarlet macaws, monkeys, and jaguars, to name a few. The Harpy Eagle, Panama’s national bird, is the focus of a major breeding project here. This amazing creature is the world’s largest bird of prey; it can weigh up to 20 pounds with a wingspan of 7 feet.
The park has a small restaurant, a playground, an auditorium, a breeding center with bathrooms. It is open from 8:30am to 4:00pm daily; admission is $1.00 for adults, $0.50 for kids 6–12 and 6 and under are admitted for free.
