Fort San Lorenzo

Fort San Lorenzo is located on the edge of a rocky cliff 80 feet above sea level, near the mouth of where the Chagres River runs into the Caribbean. The ruins of the fort were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980 and are in the San Lorenzo Protected Area.

The original use of Fort San Lorenzo was to protect the Chagres River entrance from invaders and pirates. Before the river was dammed in the construction of the Panama Canal, it was used as part of the route across the isthmus of Panama to transfer gold from the Pacific to ships docked on the Caribbean side.

The original wooden fort was built in the 16th century and destroyed in 1671 during an attack ordered by the buccaneer Henry Morgan. He then crossed the isthmus and captured and sacked Panama City. It was rebuilt in stone in 1680 and protected by a dry moat with a drawbridge. However, it was destroyed again in 1740. The ruins that are visible today are those of the 1768 rebuilt fort with further additions built in 1779.  Fort San Lorenzo was abandoned by Spain in 1821 when Panama became independent. It later became a prison. Today it is one of the oldest and best preserved forts in Latin America.

San Lorenzo Protected Area
The San Lorenzo Protected Area covers 12,000 hectares and 12 miles of Caribbean coastline in Panama. It includes a former U.S. military base as well as the ruins of the fort. U.S. troops headed for jungle conflict trained in the San Lorenzo National Park, and Agent Orange, landmines, and other ordnance were used in the training. The section of the forest used for training is still contaminated with chemicals and unexploded landmines, so it is off limits to visitors.

Fortunately the National Park is not located near any of the contaminated areas.

At least 12 different types of forest are in the San Lorenzo Protected Area, most of them high-humidity ecosystems. Although San Lorenzo is a relatively small forest area, it has a very high level of biodiversity. This includes over 270 species of birds; mammals such as jaguars, boars, ocelots and tapirs; reptiles like crocodiles, boas and iguanas; and many insects and foliage.

Our Grand Circle tour group took a bus from where our small ship the M/S Discovery was anchored in Lake Gatun to Fort San Lorenzo. When we got about a mile from the ship, most of us got off the bus and walked the rest of the way to the fort. This short hike allowed us to more closely examine the trees, flowers, and plants and to see some monkeys.

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Mouth of the Chagres River

The Chagres River has always been important to Panama. First, it was used by the Spanish as part of the route to cross from the Caribbean to the Pacific. In the early 20th century, it was dammed up to form Lake Gatun and is now the major water source for the Panama Canal. The Spanish built Fort San Lorenzo on a promontory next to the mouth of the Chagres, and visitors have this excellent view of the river from the fort.

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View of the Caribbean from Fort San Lorenzo

Having transited the Panama Canal from the Pacific towards the Caribbean on the M/S Discovery catamaran, it was wonderful to finally get this great view from Fort San Lorenzo.

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Fort San Lorenzo in Panama

Old forts are often filled with beautiful archways like this one.

Page 5 > > Fort San Lorenzo Armory > >

Fort San Lorenzo Armory

This underground area at Fort San Lorenzo was used to store ammunition and ordnance.

Page 6 > > Fort San Lorenzo Dry Moat > >

This dry moat was added to Fort San Lorenzo when it was moved to its current location on a promontory about 80 feet above the sea. It was designed to help fend off land attacks from pirates and buccaneers.

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Fort San Lorenzo is large and has quite a bit of space to explore.