The Lost Paradise of Panamá

Beyond Arraiján and La Chorrera, the Interamericana begins to steadily angle its way toward the Pacific coast. Soon, you’ll come to San Carlos, and just after that, Las Uvas. Turn right, and you’ll begin a trek to a most wonderful place—El Valle de Antón. Or simply, El Valle–The Valley.

Along the Interamericana you’ll see vendors selling their wares. Pottery, figurines and clothing—many well-made and unique items. Pulling over to one of these miniature stands is often worth it. The turnoff at Las Uvas to El Valle is about a two-hour drive from Panama City. Also, buses from the national terminal at Albrook leave for the interior all the time.

El Valle is not really a valley. It’s a crater. Eons ago an active volcano in this region exploded. Over time, the remaining crater filled with rain water and became a lake. Cracks opened and the water drained, creating a lush, fertile, natural bowl. Indigenous tribes moved in and are here to this day.  

The road to the village of El Valle is paved now, and pretty well maintained. It snakes its way toward high ground, and suddenly, the valley opens up below you. I enjoy not only the varied landscape, but also the nice homes along the way. 

 As you get closer, you’ll notice a blanket of clouds wrapped around the surrounding ridgelines. They’ll suddenly begin to unfold like expanding cotton balls, floating silently into the valley. You should be able to make out the most famous ridgeline in the area, The Sleeping Indian Princess.  With a little imagination, you can see the profile of what looks like a woman laying on her back. Hike up to the top and discover what’s on the other side.

There are numerous trails through the jungle, and horseback tours. I checked out the mud-spa one time, and a young man gave a very detailed explanation of the different types and colors of mud. But what I found even more interesting not far from the small spa was a section of land. If you walked on it, or jumped, it quivered like a bowl of Jell-O. It was fun, but it also left me a little uneasy, knowing that the ground beneath my sandals was not very stable.

 If you haven’t heard of square trees before, you will in El Valle. There are square trees—kind of. The lower part of the trunk is somewhat square,  but then they begin to get more round as they grow higher. All the same, it’s kind of neat.

Nispero’s is a private zoo and garden. They have a strange ostrich.  I’ve never done anything to this giant bird, but when I stroll by, it pushes itself to its t-rex style feet, sprints up to the gate, and attacks it with its beak. Even when I go down to the nearby monkey cage and peek around the side, this bird makes eye contact and goes crazy. I hope it never breaks out.

 Ask to see Painted Rock. Typically, for a USD or two, a young guide will lead you to one of the larger slabs of rock that is engraved with ancient carvings. From what I gathered, no one really knows what the drawings mean. Our guia thought that it might be where a former chief–a cacique, was buried.

After the cool climate of El Valle, we’ll head back to the Interamericana and visit some world-class beaches.