Pedasí

Pedasí is a small town near the eastern tip of the Azuero peninsula, low houses with tiled roofs around a square and a church, notably tidy and quiet, and it functions as the base for the beaches and islands at the end of the peninsula: Playa Venao for surfing, Isla Iguana for snorkelling and Isla Cañas for turtle nesting. It has drawn a foreign residential community over the past two decades without losing much of its character.

History

People have lived on the Azuero peninsula for somewhere between 11,000 and 4,500 years, and the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. The district of Pedasí was created in 1840 as part of the County of Los Santos, with 701 inhabitants in 1845, and its land has long been used for cattle, crops and coastal fishing (Wikipedia, Pedasí District).

What's there

• The town square - the church and tiled houses at the centre.
• The beach access - Venao, El Toro and the peninsula beaches nearby.
• Isla Iguana - the island reserve offshore, reached by boat.
• Isla Cañas - the turtle nesting beach south along the coast.

When to go

December to April is the dry season and the busiest. Turtle nesting at Isla Cañas runs from July to November. The wet season is quieter.

Good to know

The town itself is small and quiet with limited eating options. Boat trips depend on sea conditions and are cancelled in swell. Everything worth seeing needs transport from the town.

Nearby

Cambutal is southwest, and Las Tablas is north.

Key facts