Fortuna
Field Station

With a stunning view of cloud-wrapped mountains near the continental divide in western Panama, the Jorge L. Araúz Research Center offers simple living facilities and excellent access to the largely unspoiled wilderness of the 19,500-hectare Fortuna Hydrological Reserve and the adjacent Palo Seco Forest. The reserve encompasses an elevational transect from sea level to 1,400 meters on Panama’s Caribbean slope. Trails beginning at the highway provide access to forest on diverse soil types.  

Fortuna’s extensive hydrological reserve allow scientists to study how changes in land use and climate affect tropical highland forests, which grow in dramatically different environments than their lowland counterparts. At higher elevations, temperatures are cooler and tree communities have different strategies for survival and regeneration. Today’s warming temperatures, however, appear to be causing clouds to form at higher elevations, which may already be contributing to species migrations. Insect taxonomy, amphibian decline, soil nutrient dynamics and microbiology are also part of Fortuna’s scientific program.

Fortuna’s field station is locally known as the Green House, or Vivero, in Spanish. The station keeps it simple but still has cozy facilities that meet basic needs for successful field studies and courses. There are simple accommodations, a 4x4, Internet, greenhouse and some basic equipment for processing samples.

The Fortuna station is located in Western Panama’s province of Chiriquí, near the border with Costa Rica. The quickest way to get there from Panama City is via a flight to Davíd, which is 70 km south of the Fortuna station by road. You can rent a car at the Enrique Malek airport in Davíd, take a taxi to the station for about $60, or hop a bus to Fortuna for about $5. A taxi between the airport and the bus station is about $5.

The drive from Panama City is almost 500 km and takes about seven hours. Before reaching Davíd, turn north from the Inter-American Highway onto Route 21 at its intersection with the Delta gas station. The station is about a 45-minute drive from the gas station.

The bus ride from Panama City to Davíd is six-eight hours and costs $15-$20. From the Davíd station, grab you bags and look for a bus headed to Chiriquí Grande. Tell the driver that you’re going to the Smithsonian at Fortuna. Buses in Panama can be extremely air conditioned — especially if you take an overnight express — so be prepared with a sweater, sleeping bag or blanket. Earplugs may also be helpful if the driver decides to play loud music or an action movie.