Parque Municipal Summit

About

The Parque Municipal Summit botanical gardens were founded by the Panama Canal Company in the early 1900s as a place to study tropical plants. In 1985, the Panamanian government took over operations, opening the park to the public. Today, wide, paved walkways wind their way between thousands of plants from hundreds of species, which are clearly identified with small signs. Also in the park is a wildlife rescue center, which provides a safe home to tapirs, anteaters, monkeys, caiman, jaguars, exotic birds, and other animals that wouldn’t be able to survive in the wild. The stars of the show are the harpy eagles - Panama’s endangered raptor, and the most powerful bird of prey in the world, which the park hopes will reproduce to help bolster the wild population.