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Ten minutes north of Chitre, the village of La Arena is famous for its pottery, sold on the roadside by the potters themselves. Further north, just before the village of Parita, a side road leads into Parque Nacional Sarigua , eighty square kilometres of salt flats ringed by dense mangroves, forming one of the strangest landscapes in Panama - a harsh, arid desert entirely devoid of vegetation due to occasional flooding by high tides. The salt flats have existed for thousands of years, but deforestation and sea winds that carry salt further inland are causing them to expand, threatening the livelihoods of local farmers. Not that the flats support no life at all - the area provides an excellent breeding ground for shrimp, which are farmed commercially and attract numerous wading birds. Indeed, archeological remains suggest that these marine resources provided the basis for Panama's oldest known human settlements - pottery, graves and arrowheads from between 5000 and 1500 BC have been found in the area, as well as mounds of discarded shells. There are several other small wildlife reserves on this stretch of the coast, including Playa El Aguilito , about 6km out of town, one of the best places in Panama for observing migrating birds - for information, go to the ANAM office (Mon-Fri 8am-4pm; tel 996 2946) on the road to Los Santos. To reach Sarigua , take any bus heading north from Chitre, get off before Parita and walk 4.5km along the marked dirt road or catch the irregular minibus (1 daily) to the village of Puerto Limon, 1.5km from the park. There's a rangers' station at the entrance to the park and a small visitors' centre (daily 8am-4pm), where you'll be charged the US$3 entrance fee.
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