Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Panama: Punta Culebra Nature Center

A Journey to Marine Life Discovery in Panama City

The first time I heard the name Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Punta Culebra Nature Center I have to admit I thought it would be kind of boring.  I mean really, thank goodness you can shrink the name down with a couple acronyms; STRI & PCNC.  However, since it was one of the stops on the Panama City tour I was obliged to go along.  WOW!! Happy to report my first impression was way off and I was pleasantly surprised!  

The STRI Punta Culebra Nature Center, which we will now refer to as the PCNC, is amazing!  Who would have thought on your Panama vacation you would get a true opportunity to learn about biological diversity and the marine and coastal environments of not only Panama, but other regions in Central and South America too?  Oh yeah, and that it would be fun too!  Totally geared for educational purposes it is definitely a MUST DO activity in Panama City if you have young children.  As an adult (or slightly larger child) it is also a fantastic opportunity to understand nature and how fragile our ecosystems are, how we can chip in and help with its conservation and the beauty we will be missing if these ecosystems disappear.  We hope you find this info piece as intriguing as it should be, because the Punta Culebra Nature Center is totally worth the journey!

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Panama (STRI)

The STRI in Panama is part of the U.S. Smithsonian Institution, which is dedicated to the study of biological diversity. The Smithsonian Institute in Panama has a presence in Barro Colorado, Galetas, Isla Coiba, Bocas del Toro and Punta Culebra and finally this last one in Panama City where the Punta Culebra Nature Center is located.

The STRI through its different locations offers activities and educational programs to reach out to the public, whether students and/or young audiences, adults, foreigners and locals alike; their goal is to disseminate a better understanding of tropical environments, particularly those present in Panama and in Central/South America, and increase awareness of the importance of preserving these environments.

The Punta Culebra Nature Center in Panama City

The STRI Punta Culebra Nature Center (PCNC) is located about 3.5 km (about 2 miles) from the entrance to Calzada Amador (Amador Causeway), about 15 minutes from the Panama City center if you avoid traffic (the traffic in Panama City is ridiculous and can take over an hour if you get stuck!).  A great option to avoid that is taking a Panama City tour which includes many other city highlights along with a stop to the Punta Culebra Nature Center, giving you the opportunity to check out all of the highlights of Panama City.  Of course  you can get there easily by bus or taxi (again traffic warning), but if you are coming to Panama on a cruise ship, it is close enough that you can just rent a bike right at the Amador Causeway and explore Punta Culebra the more eco-friendly way.

Punta Culebra’s history goes back to the Spanish conquistadors’ time, when the islands of Perico, Naos and Flamenco were not connected with the Amador Causeway.  Today joined by a strip of soil extracted during the time of the Panama Canal construction, the island were used as a harbor for the old Panama City.  For a long time the area was used as a defense base while the Panama Canal was under U.S. jurisdiction.  Actually, the Smithsonian Institute at the PCNC uses some old military bunkers built back in the early 1900’s (times of World War I) and others built more recently by Panamanian defense forces to host both seasonal and permanent exhibits.  A really cool fact to know before you visit, show your guide you do your homework!   A fortunate benefit of this was that the restricted access to the area due to military restriction made the protection of this natural habitat possible. Punta Culebra was used by the STRI to run some of its initial marine investigations in the country, yet it was not until 1996 when the PCNC was officially open to the public and aimed to promote educational programs on marine life and ecosystems.

The Punta Culebra Nature Center is an open-air museum dedicated to marine science and occupying about 1 ½ hectares, a territory of great marine and natural wealth perfect for the purpose of this non-profit initiative.  The museum currently features:

• Turtle exhibit
• Open-air historic and interpretative displays
• Turtle and shark pool
• Aquarium exhibits
• Touching pool
• Exhibition Panama: Abundance of Fish
• Discovery Room: An Underwater Journey with All the Senses
• Walking trails across a tropical dry forest
• And great views of the entrance to the Panama Canal!  IMPRESSIVE!

The PCNC has plans to build a major-scale touching pool and a larger aquarium, so definitely keep an eye on this site for your future Panama vacations!

Visiting hours to the PCNC Center for Marine Exhibits are:

From March to December (during “School Year”) 

Tuesday to Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday-Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Rest of the year (during “Summer Vacation and Mid-year Vacation”) 

Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Enjoy!