The fisherman Abraham Barahona said that many people, from all over the world visit it to see the whales.
This is because in these months, until October, the whales reach the coast near Iguana Island to mate.
According to the regional director of the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP) of Los Santos, Victor Soriano, these mammals arrive for two
things at once: to give birth to their offsprings and mate again because the pregnancy period is 12 months .
The official said that these animals use these shores, as they travel long distances and seek Iguana Island area for the warmth of its waters.
"In the way towards Iguana island, they can be seen, but they travel from Punta Mala to the shores of El Espinal, Guararé,they move a lot," he said.
Nationals and foreigners frequented the area by different aspects: the water is clear,it has a very nice light blue-green, while in the darkest part,there are coral reefs.
At this beautiful place, the traveler has to pay an admission fee that varies according to each case: $ 10, foreign, $ 4, foreign residents, $ 4 domestic. Students have other fees: two dollars, national school (after certification to the National Environmental Authority), and five dollars, international students.
Furthermore, it is charged five dollars per night, to camp in the area. According to personnel records that caters to tourists, between August and December the number of visitors increases.
The island has a coral reef of 16 hectares of 4,800 years, the highest in the Panama Gulf,with 11 species of coral and over 500 species of fish.
It has a very rich flora and fauna. Besides watching frigates, commonly called earwigs, and especially iguanas, hence the name of the island.
In this paradise, birds like the cazabobos (sula SP) are also appreciated .And pelicans (Pelecannus occidentalis).
Here are black and green iguanas, which are seen from people, since the moment they arrive on the island.
Currently, it has a lot of vegetation, but in the 1950s and 1960s, it was cultivated,it was even used for breeding pigs.
To preserve this area as a protected one, the Iguana island was declared, through Executive Decree 20 of June 15, 1980, as a wildlife refuge, with an area of 58 hectares.
This place has a tropical climate, with a temperature of 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees F) and it is located five kilometers from the beaches of El Arenal and Mariabe.
It should be noted that there is a center island guarded by the National Environmental Authority. Rangers indicate the measures to be taken at this place, in addition to providing extensive information.
It is strictly forbidden to take corals, even dead ones.
Similarly, it is forbidden to let trash on the place, because you have to take care of the environmental part, that is extremely important for coral species.
There are two trails leading to one of the points of the island called La Playita, an area where there are rocks and many people like it, because it is virtually removed from the world.
The Tourism Authority has a project to improve infrastructure, such as placing special toilets for visitors.
This project aims to use sea water, in a process called reverse osmosis,with a desalination capacity of one thousand gallons of water per day.
