El Valle De Anton (Anton Valley) Panama Mini Guide: Hiking & Epic Views
El Valle De Anton (Anton Valley), Panama
El Valle De Anton, El Valle, or Anton Valley - so many names for one amazing place! We LOVED this little mountain town - we found it to be a smaller version of Boquete (the super popular mountain town in Panama) that is up and coming.
Before You Go
When To Visit
We visited in December - January timeframe and had a great experience - the weather was hit and miss in almost every spot we visited but it didn't have a huge effect on our experience. Of course there is a dry season (Jan - Mar) and a wet season (May - Aug) and shoulder seasons in between, however you can experience bad weather at anytime. However, if you're planning to do a ton of hiking, going for the dry season may be the best experience.
Money (Currency & Costs)
Panama uses US dollars, and for us being outside of America where our exchange rate sucks, this made it a somewhat more expensive trip for us. However, this was still a reasonably priced vacation - it wasn't expensive, but it wasn't cheap either. With tourism on the rise, we don't expect to see prices go down either.
Language
Spanish is the local language here, and in some places, that's the only language they speak. In El Valle you may come across some people that speak English, but it's mostly only Spanish.
Safety
Everyone's experience is different, but we felt 100% safe the entire time in Panama. Driving the country, exploring new areas, hiking, and so forth, we never felt unsafe. Of course, the usual safety precautions should ALWAYS be taken regardless of the area you are in.
Getting Here & Around
For this itinerary, we recommend renting a vehicle. It's the easiest way to get around and allows you so much flexibility. Plus, depending on the availability of shuttles / public transportation, it may actually end up being cheaper than coordinating a bunch of shuttles between locations. However, most of these locations so have shuttles that can be coordinated and you can contact the hotels you are staying at to try and figure it out if needed!
Where To Stay
What To Do
Hiking, Waterfalls, & Adventure
Our two favourite hikes in the area & the links to our blog posts with tons of pictures and our experience are these two below - they are seriously EPIC hikes that I did not expect to find in Panama!
Other notable hikes in the area are:
Consider some more adventurous tours today! Biking around town, rappelling, or a day trip to a waterfall.
E-Bike Tour:
Rapelling Tour:
If you are into ziplining, check out this tour! Spend your day ziplining around the forest, looking out for wildlife, and swimming in the waterfall. This tour even includes round trip transportation, but is for groups of 4:
Wildlife
In addition, there's quite a few other smaller things to do in El Valle! These are great options if you want a slower day, have rainy weather, or have little ones with you.
Where To Eat
There are so many good restaurant options for such a small little town. Consider also stopping at the local grocery store (there is one close to the Cafe Unido) to grab snacks for lunch-on-the-go for your hiking adventures.
If You're Looking For More
If you liked this guide and want to see more of what Panama has to offer check out our other thatch guides, including our Panama three week itinerary including spots like El Valle, Panama City (the famous city!), Santa Catalina & Playa Venao (beach towns with surfing & snorkelling), Boca Chica (island tours and deep sea fishing), and Boquete (more mountain adventures including Volcanos!) and a day-by-day outline of what you should do / travelling information! We seriously loved our vacation in Panama and wish you the BEST time.
Plus, check out our blog for all Panama (& other country) related posts!
El Valle De Anton (Anton Valley) Panama Mini Guide: Hiking & Epic Views
El Valle De Anton (Anton Valley), Panama
El Valle De Anton, El Valle, or Anton Valley - so many names for one amazing place! We LOVED this little mountain town - we found it to be a smaller version of Boquete (the super popular mountain town in Panama) that is up and coming.
Before You Go
When To Visit
We visited in December - January timeframe and had a great experience - the weather was hit and miss in almost every spot we visited but it didn't have a huge effect on our experience. Of course there is a dry season (Jan - Mar) and a wet season (May - Aug) and shoulder seasons in between, however you can experience bad weather at anytime. However, if you're planning to do a ton of hiking, going for the dry season may be the best experience.
Money (Currency & Costs)
Panama uses US dollars, and for us being outside of America where our exchange rate sucks, this made it a somewhat more expensive trip for us. However, this was still a reasonably priced vacation - it wasn't expensive, but it wasn't cheap either. With tourism on the rise, we don't expect to see prices go down either.
Language
Spanish is the local language here, and in some places, that's the only language they speak. In El Valle you may come across some people that speak English, but it's mostly only Spanish.
Safety
Everyone's experience is different, but we felt 100% safe the entire time in Panama. Driving the country, exploring new areas, hiking, and so forth, we never felt unsafe. Of course, the usual safety precautions should ALWAYS be taken regardless of the area you are in.
Getting Here & Around
For this itinerary, we recommend renting a vehicle. It's the easiest way to get around and allows you so much flexibility. Plus, depending on the availability of shuttles / public transportation, it may actually end up being cheaper than coordinating a bunch of shuttles between locations. However, most of these locations so have shuttles that can be coordinated and you can contact the hotels you are staying at to try and figure it out if needed!
Where To Stay
What To Do
Hiking, Waterfalls, & Adventure
Our two favourite hikes in the area & the links to our blog posts with tons of pictures and our experience are these two below - they are seriously EPIC hikes that I did not expect to find in Panama!
Other notable hikes in the area are:
Consider some more adventurous tours today! Biking around town, rappelling, or a day trip to a waterfall.
E-Bike Tour:
Rapelling Tour:
If you are into ziplining, check out this tour! Spend your day ziplining around the forest, looking out for wildlife, and swimming in the waterfall. This tour even includes round trip transportation, but is for groups of 4:
Wildlife
In addition, there's quite a few other smaller things to do in El Valle! These are great options if you want a slower day, have rainy weather, or have little ones with you.
Where To Eat
There are so many good restaurant options for such a small little town. Consider also stopping at the local grocery store (there is one close to the Cafe Unido) to grab snacks for lunch-on-the-go for your hiking adventures.
If You're Looking For More
If you liked this guide and want to see more of what Panama has to offer check out our other thatch guides, including our Panama three week itinerary including spots like El Valle, Panama City (the famous city!), Santa Catalina & Playa Venao (beach towns with surfing & snorkelling), Boca Chica (island tours and deep sea fishing), and Boquete (more mountain adventures including Volcanos!) and a day-by-day outline of what you should do / travelling information! We seriously loved our vacation in Panama and wish you the BEST time.
Plus, check out our blog for all Panama (& other country) related posts!