Campana

About Campana:

Campana covers 75 km² of hill country west of Capira town, between the Interamericana and the ridge that divides Capira from Chame. Most drivers know the name from Loma Campana, the long grade on the Interamericana past Capira, where the highway climbs and then drops toward Sajalices and the interior. Route 808 leaves the highway for Chicá, winding uphill through the corregimiento, and the national park entrance is about 9 km from the turn-off. Minibuses run the road from Capira town, which is where people here go for the market, the banks and the bus into the city. Loma Campana is also where the Panamericana Oeste rehabilitation contract begins, a rebuild of the highway that runs west as far as Santiago.

Altos de Campana National Park was created in 1966 to protect river headwaters, and it still holds much of the high ground. Its slopes run from around 400 metres to almost 1,200, over volcanic rock and cliffs left by the old El Valle volcano further west. The Chame, Perequeté and Caimito rivers rise here and flow to the Pacific, while the Trinidad heads north into the Canal watershed. Mist sits on the upper forest much of the time. That cool, damp air is exactly what draws city buyers, and it is also something every house up here has to be built for.

Life in Campana is small-scale and rural. At the 2010 census the corregimiento had 2,067 residents, up from 1,363 in 1990. Children attend the Enrique A. Jiménez and Cerro Campana schools. A growing share of local business comes from visitors: hikers and birdwatchers bound for the park, and families who rent cabins along the Chicá road. The Ministry of Public Works has resurfaced stretches of that route because of the tourist traffic it carries.

Buyers are mostly Panama City households who want a mountain plot within an easy drive, along with investors who take a large tract to divide or to build rental cabins. Some fincas of nine hectares and more come with a draft cabin plan, and a 20-hectare titled farm toward Chicá is offered for division into plots of 3,000 m² and up. The park is an Important Bird Area with more than 260 recorded species, the orange-bellied trogon among them, and that keeps a steady stream of naturalists coming back. Having protected forest next door is the area’s main selling point and its main limit, because that slope will not be built on.

Land and Lots in Campana:

Land is the heart of the market. Campestre projects on Cerro Campana sell titled lots from about 500 m² with water and electricity already in, and plots of 1,000 to 2,000 m² come up along the main road. A step up are plots of more than five thousand square metres with sea and mountain views on a paved access road. The large tracts, from 9 to 20 hectares, sit toward Chicá and the park edge, and there is also land with frontage on the Interamericana. Before you shortlist land for sale in Campana, Capira, find out which side of the park boundary each lot is on.

Houses in Campana:

Finished houses are a small part of the market next to the lots. When they do appear, they are mountain homes and cabins on big plots, and the larger properties near the park can carry two houses on one piece of land. Most were built for weekends and holidays, with terraces and gardens turned toward the view. With mist and heavy rain on the upper slopes, look closely at how a house deals with damp, and ask whether it runs on mains water or its own supply.

Rentals in Campana:

Renting in Campana almost always means a short stay. Cabins along route 808, including one inside the park itself about eight minutes from the Interamericana, are let by the night or the weekend to couples and families up from the city. More lodging carries on past the park in Chicá. For anyone weighing a cabin as an investment, that weekend traffic from the capital is the demand to plan around.

New Developments in Campana:

New building in Campana means campestre lot projects. On Cerro Campana, lots of 500 m² and up have been sold in stages, titled and served with water and power, and at least one project has already sold out its first stage. Several big fincas are offered with the division already planned, so more lots will reach the market as they are split.

FAQ:

• How do I get to Campana from Panama City?

  Drive west on the Interamericana past Capira and take route 808 toward Chicá; the park entrance is about 9 km up from the junction. Without a car, take a westbound bus from Albrook to Capira and change to a Chicá minibus in town. Allow about an hour from the city, longer when traffic backs up through Arraiján and La Chorrera.

• Can I build on a lot next to Altos de Campana National Park?

  Outside the park, yes, with the usual municipal permits. Inside the boundary, land use falls under the Ministry of Environment’s rules for the protected area, and some properties for sale on the upper road sit inside it or right against it. Have a surveyor check the plan against the park limit before you pay a deposit.

• What should I check before buying a campestre lot here?

  Many lots in Campana are cut from larger fincas, so confirm in the Public Registry that yours has been segregated and registered as a finca of its own, not just drawn on a project plan. Make sure water and power reach the lot itself rather than stopping at the project entrance. Walk the internal tracks after a heavy rain to see how they hold up on the slope.

• What is there to do around Campana?

  The park trails are the main draw: La Cruz climbs steeply to a summit cross, the short Zamora trail is good for birds, and Podocarpus has the park’s only campsites. On clear days the viewpoints take in the Pacific coast, the Bay of Chame and Isla Taboga. The dry season, from mid-December to April, gives the best views.