Pedasí is a town situated on the south-eastern tip of the Azuero Peninsula on Panama’s Pacific coast. It is located in the Pedasí District, in the Los Santos province. It is principally a fishing village with a population of about 2000 people.[1]
Pedasí’s town boasts a public health clinic, two banks, a library, and a handful of restaurants, mini - supermarkets and small shops. The town is equipped with telephone, cable and high-speed Internet service throughout. Pedasí is known for lively annual carnivals, pristine beaches, and activities such as sport fishing, diving and surfing, as well as its proximity to several of Panama’s national parks and preserves.
Pedasí town consists mainly of a central road (Avenida Central), a plaza (city center) about two blocks away, and several nicely maintained civic buildings, surrounded by quiet, residential blocks.[2]
With its quaint architecture and neatly laid-out streets, Pedasí is one of the main attractions of the Los Santos region.[3]
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Pedasi is located at the tip of the Azuero Peninsula on Panama’s Pacific coast.[4]
By car from Panama City, Pedasí is a smooth, roughly four-hour drive on well-maintained roads.[1]
Pedasí has a small airstrip that receives regional flights from the Aeroperlas Terminal at the Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport in Panama City during the high season,[5] as well as are private and charter flights year-round.
Former Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso Rodríguez de Arias, Panama’s first female president, is a Pedasí native. She made it an objective during her term to better the town in which she was born, giving Pedasí improved infrastructure. There is a bust and plaque in the main plaza in her honor.
Pedasí town is a little more than a kilometer from the coast, where there are several sandy beaches.
There are several breaks on Pedasí’s beaches, which range from small for beginners, to overhead when there is a swell. Playa El Toro has a left and right rock bottom point break for surfing, and Playa El Lagarto has left and right beach breaks. Playa Los Destiladeros also has several breaks for surfing. Kitesurfing is popular during the dry season, January to April, particularly at Playa Arenal.
Pelagic game fish are abundant because the continental shelf drops sharply relatively close to shore, with year-round catch including amberjack, Pacific sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus), cubera snapper (Lutjanus cyanopterus), roosterfish (Nematistius pectoralis) and grouper, while dorado (Coryphaena hippurus, commonly called mahi-mahi, or dolphinfish), both bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), and wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) are found seasonally, November through April.[6]
Isla Iguana is an island wildlife refuge that can be reached with a 20-minute boat ride from Playa El Arenal. The 52-hectare island is surrounded by an extensive coral reef, which gives it two powdery-soft white sand beaches: Playa El Cirial (252 meters long) and Playita del Faro (37 meters long).
The refuge is home to more than 62 bird species, and a major nesting site for the magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens), with a population of more than 5000. The island also houses several reptile species, including the black iguana (Ctenosaura similis) for which the island is named.
The refuge also comprises a 40-hectare marine area—including a channel for migrating humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) between June and October—and one of the largest well-preserved coral reefs in Panama. The reef is home to a variety of fish, rays, eels, and sea turtles.
The area’s local architecture is a combination of the fastidious Spanish colonial style awash with more subdued pastels of Caribbean influence. Most homes feature wide, colonnaded verandas, and several historic homes have hand-painted details. Gardens are well-tended with colorful tropical flowers.
Pedasí’s townspeople are laid-back, friendly, and regularly greet visitors with a smile. Men can often be seen wearing cuttarras (traditional sandals) and the region’s folkloric black and white hats; women, during festivals and carnivals, don polleras, traditional hand-stitched multi-layered dresses, some of which can take nearly a year to complete. During local fiestas the women will further adorn their polleras with ornate jewelry and gold chains.[7]
February’s carnival is the annual high point of local life in Pedasí, which is renowned for the most exuberant celebration after Las Tablas. The town divides itself into two factions, Calle Abajo (lower street) and Calle Arriba (upper street), with their respective queens, each trying to outdo the other with floats, music and fireworks. At the end of the celebration, the winning queen is chosen by popular vote.[8]
Pedasí also celebrates the fiesta of Santa Catalina (St Catherine’s Day) on November 25 (see also: Calendar of saints).