Cerro Ancon Reserve

Its not super easy to find, but google maps was reliable. I navigated to the justice court and from there further up. You have to pass some gates, the signs only start right before it goes up. Great free activity

Nice hike up the road to the top. Half way there was a guy selling water for a dollar, it was nice a cold and it the spot on the way down. We saw a sloth and a toucan that added to the experience. At the top you get a great view of the city and the canal.

Take the metro and get off at 5 de Mayo. I took the route to the hospital, the Ministry of Health and the Supreme Court, making a round trip, so to speak. It's worth it, as there were information boards along the way about the canal agreement with the usa and what a student uprising had to do with it. See in my photos. I could read for another 15 minutes. Then I walked on to the Cerro Ancon nature reserve. It takes about an hour to get to the top of the park near the Panamanian flag. The path (a small concrete road that the security police must have driven through 3 times) winds through the green jungle, you can hear birds and some animals. I only saw one copybara. If you go in the afternoon it's hot and humid. So take plenty of water. There are small kiosks down by the hospital where you can buy water and snacks. After that, you won't be able to get food or water anywhere else. So take precautions. At the top you will be treated to a view of the skyline of Panama. On the other side you have a good view of the Panama Canal and the ships moored in front of it. On the way back you can take the stairs to Mi Pueblito, a theme park. I didn't and took the same way back to the metro. All in all it took me about 2 hrs. A good way to spend time in Panama, I'm glad I did. Last but not least: There was no entrance fee.

Such an accessible place and close to the city! We went early in the morning, arriving shortly after it opened. The whole walk is paved with a gradual incline. There are a couple areas to stop on the way and rest/take pictures. We got to see several animals and it has great views of the bay. The place is well maintained and you have “rangers” doing check regularly so we felt safe. There was no entrance fee. It’s the same route up and back, I would say plan for 2 hrs minimum and take lots of water (and snacks) since there is no place to purchase those items in the park. There are two places to use the restroom but they are portable ones.

Absolutely incredible views of Panamá City, the canal and Amador! Unfortunately you cannot get there by public transport, only by taxi to Mi Pueblito (replica colonial town at the foot of the hill, worth visiting first) and then hike up to the top of Ancón Hill. The walk is only 20-30 minutes. Although it is mostly in the shade don't forget water!! It is free to walk up however, you might be asked to write down your name, where you're from and age at the first guard hut. If you're lucky you may see some animals too!

You can see everything you ever dreamed about seeing from up here!
If all you dreamt about seeing is a tiny bit of the Panama skyline, that is.
You can even save yourself the trip to the Panama Canal because you can view it from one of the viewpoints. Which is a helpful tip to save money!

This was an awesome hike with great scenery. On the way down, we saw a toucan that was very beautiful, along with a lot of other wildlife. This was amazing.

If you ever find yourself in Panama, I highly recommend taking the hike up to the top of Cerro Ancon. It has some of the prettiest views I was able to see on my trip there! You could spend quite a bit of time there if you wanted to. There's a lot to so and see! We walked up during a crazy storm so we sat under cover waiting for it to pass. Eventually it did and we finished our way to the top. It was worth it!

Awesome spot to see the city and to see animals! We saw many ñeques, monkeys, toucans and other birds! We also heard (after going too Cerro Ancón sadly), that there are two sloths that usually hang out in trees next to the stairs at the beginning. Take water and food and enjoy the walk!

This experience was worth the dark, "mountain", not a "hill" walk. I was a little out of breath only because I'm out of shape. Our tour guide was very attentive and informative. This is a must experience!

A very nice and accessible hike. There is a road you walk up to, so no big need to get yourself fully equipped. Sneakers & water bottle will do as much. Rewarding views of the city and the Canal. If you are lucky you will see sloths and toucans.

Stunning views! A must visit 😁

The hike is not hard. You can totally afford to enjoy seeing the natures while walking. On the top there is an observatory on both city side and canal side. It's possible to see the gate at canal and ships going through. It's pretty small though. There is also a huge Panamanian flag proudly in the air. There are lots of planes and sometimes helicopters as well but if there are not, this place is very quiet so you can spend more than just a few minutes relaxing.

I always have to take a walk up this amazing hill! I have seen sloths, toucans, monkeys and more here! Many of the houses were also built by the Americans while they were building the canal and later moved here.

Nice simple and beautiful hike in nature in the city on a paved path. Loved the views, saw a sloth, a toucan, butterflies, and many birds.
To get there, we took an Uber who then told us where to go. We recommend taking time after this hike to walk down the road a bit further to learn about some interesting Panama/United States history.

Fantastic animals flowers views!!!!

Great view of the city! We started the hike at Mi Pueblito. Bring water and go in the morning before it's too hot!

This is a large hill that overlooks Panama City and the Panama Canal. In the past one could drive up to the top, but now one must drive up to a certain place to park before walking to the top. The road to the top is paved with benches along the way so that one can rest. When one reaches the top there are two main lookouts. One faces the city with a beautiful view of the city skyline and the bay of Panama. The other lookout features the Bridge of the Americas, Balboa Port, the first set of locks in the canal and Albrook airport. The top of the hill has some bathrooms that are not very clean. There is also a place with some statues and a large Panamanian flag.

It was awesome. I saw some monkeys, a toucan and a couple other creatures that I could not identify. The views of the canal and the city were nice. I was fortunate to encounter a group of persons who were bird watching and they pointed out that the hawks were migrating and I looked up to the sky and it was a sight to behold. It was amazing! I almost missed that spectacle!

Nice hike. Saw some wild life including a sloth way up in a tree.