El Valle De Anton

El Valle de Anton is situated in the crater of an extinct volcano. It’s surrounded by foggy cloud forests and low mountains and features one of the symbols of Panama: the Panamanian golden frog (viewable at Nispero Zoo in El Valle). The weather is very humid, with highs in the mid 80s F during March, but the lack of rain may make things more pleasant.

What follows are a few ways to find accommodations in El Valle de Anton

Airbnb Wishlist

Booking.com Saved

Other Options:

Example Itinerary - Maximizing Fun!

Copa Airlines has the only direct, round-trip flight, and only on certain days, so this flight features a Copa round-trip flight from Friday, February 27th to Wednesday, 4th. However, you are welcome to make your own plans! Flying other days is possible if you eschew Copa and don’t mind a layover.

Friday, Feb 27th

  • Copa flight @ 3:20pm from RDU, arrival at PTY in Panama before 8 PM

  • Recommended Hotels

    • Le Meridien Panama (Marriott)

    • Hilton Panama

    • Gamboa Resort (if you want to skip the city and Canal and go for animals and the rainforest instead)

    • Uber to your hotel, they are cheaper than taxis

Saturday, Feb 28th

  • Hotel breakfast or local restaurant

  • Panama Viejo via Uber

  • Casco Viejo/San Felipe via Uber

    • Lunch somewhere in Casco Viejo

  • Panama Canal viewpoint (Miraflores Visitor’s Center via Uber)

Sunday, Mar 1st

  • Hotel breakfast

  • Rental Car: Uber to Budget Rent-a-Car “Via España” address or other

  • Drive to El Valle de Anton (roughly 2+ hrs, half of which is through curvy mountain roads)

  • Check-in to your hotel early, if possible

  • Get dressed, head to Caracoral for the wedding!

Monday, Mar 2nd

  • Breakfast at Cafe Unido in El Valle

  • Choose your adventure:

    • Nispero Zoo via rental car/taxi (notable for many local species, golden frog included)

    • Mariposas del Valle (Butterfly Haven) via rental car/taxi

    • El Mercado del Valle de anton

      • Lunch along the main street

    • Petroglyphs and hiking at India Dormida hiking trail

    • El Chorro Macho waterfall

    • El Gaital hiking, viewpoint, and birding

  • Return your rental car in Panama City

  • Uber to your hotel (same recommendations as before, or Airbnb in Casco Viejo)

Tuesday, Mar 3rd

  • Uber to the Amador, catch a ferry to Taboga Island (pre-book your ferry)

  • Choose your Taboga adventure

    • Swim at the beach

    • Hike up to the cross

    • Hike to the Old Bunker of Cerro El Vigia

  • Lunch at La Dolce Vita

  • Return to Panama City via ferry

  • Dinner at La Fisheria Seafood Amador

Wednesday, Mar 4th

  • Catch your early Copa flight home (8 am). Breakfast at the airport

See a more detailed set of itineraries with links and Bocas del Toro and Boquete plugins here!

Other Points of Interest in Panama

  • Bocas Del Toro: If you’re interested in extending you stay, the first place I recommend is Bocas Del Toro. It’s a small archipelago in the Caribbean covered in sloths, starfish, and parrots

  • Boquete/Volcan Baru: Located in the famous coffee region of Panama, featuring a volcano, the rare resplendent quetzal, and some excellent cloud forest experiences.

  • San Perlas/Pearl Island: Easily accessible via ferry from the tip of the Amador in Panama City, much like Taboga.

  • Guna Yala/San Blas: Worthy of a long day trip, the Guna Yala are an indigenous group with their own autonomous region on the Caribbean side. Their islands are slowly disappearing due to rising sea levels but in the meantime it’s another Caribbean experience.

  • Isla Coiba/Santa Catalina: The best snorkeling in Panama I’ve experienced so far. A bit of a drive and fairly rustic, but you’ll swim with sea turtles, colorful fish, and maybe a small shark or two

  • Darien Gap: For the truly adventurous, please do your research. You are best accommodated by the Embera people of the rainforest, who will put you up in a comfortable, but luxury-lacking, bungalow. The possibility to see a jaguar is highest here and it’s the place to go if you want to see the Harpy Eagle, Panama’s national bird and the largest eagle in our hemisphere, among many other rare avian species.

  • Panama City: Along with the things I mentioned in the above itinerary, there are some other sites to see:

    • Panama Canal Tours - Take a boat down the canal

    • The Train to Colon - Follows the old train track that predates the Canal, only runs on certain days. Check online

    • Chagres/Soberania National Parks: There are numerous ways to visit the two large rainforests near the city

      • Hiking - Camino de Plantacion

      • Staying - Gamboa Resort

      • Cultural - Embera Village day-tour

    • Food, Drinks, Sweets - Panama produces, among other things:

      • Coffee (Geisha variety is highly coveted. Find a coffee house with a good rating on Google Maps)

      • Sugar (Raspadura, Rum - Pedro Mandinga, Ron Abuelo, Carta Vieja)

      • Chocolate (mostly grown in Bocas - Nome, Bacao, Ore Moreno)

      • Sancocho de Gallina/Pollo - National dish, chicken soup

      • Panamanian Ceviche - Diced, raw, marinated seafood

      • Fruit Juice (jugos, batidos) - The fruit is cheap and my recommendation is to always order a limonada or jugo of some kind at a restaurant