Things to do in El Valle
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Handicrafts Market
El Valle is home to one of Panama's largest handicrafts market. Mostly Ngöbe Buglé, but also some Emberá and Wounaan, bring a variety of handicrafts to sell to tourists (most of whom are Panamanians from the capital). If you're self-catering, the market also stocks a good selection of fresh produce from around the country. Although the market runs every day, stop by on Sunday for the full-on affair.
One of the most popular items up for sale are bateas, which are large trays carved from a local hardwood and used by the Ngöbe Buglé for tossing rice and corn. You can also find figurines, colorful baskets made from palms, gourds painted in brilliant colors, clay flowerpots…
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Chorro El Macho
The most famous waterfall in the El Valle area is the 85-high Chorro El Macho, which is located a few kilometers north of town near the entrance to the canopy tour. As its somewhat humorous name implies, this towering waterfall is more dramatic than its dainty counterpart, and makes for some excellent photographs. If the summer sun is beating down more than usual, you can take a refreshing bath at the base of the falls.
Here below the falls, you'll find a large swimming pool made of rocks, surrounded by rainforest and fed by river water. There are also a series of short hiking trails here that wind into the surrounding forest.
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Canopy Adventure
The Canopy Adventure is a suspended ride that uses cables, pulleys and a harness to allow you to view a rainforest from dozens of meters above the jungle floor. You'll be in a harness dangling among jungle trees as you ride from one platform to another (there are six in all), at times gliding over Chorro El Macho. Although its ecological merit is somewhat questionable, there's no denying the rush you'll get as you soar through the air with your legs flailing to and fro.
Of course, unless you like to expose your private parts to strangers, don't do this in a dress or short shorts.
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Museo El Valle
On the eastern side of El Valle's conspicuous church is the very modest Museo de El Valle, which contains exhibits of petroglyphs and ceramics left by the indigenous peoples who lived in the area hundreds of years ago. There is also some religious art (the museum is owned by the church next door), mostly statues of Christ and the Virgin, as well as some historical and geological information on El Valle's volcano.
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Aprovaca Orquídeas
For the best selection of orquídeas (orchids) in the area, visit the pleasant Aprovaca Orquídeas. Some 32 volunteers work to maintain the lovely flowers inside the greenhouse and the grounds, and they welcome visitors to show off the 96 varieties of orchids cultivated - it's well worth a visit. Look for the 'Orquídeas' sign on the way into town.
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La Piedra Pintada
The Coloured Stone or La Piedra Pintada is a huge boulder adorned with pre-Columbian carvings. Locals often fill in the grooves of the petroglyphs with chalk to facilitate their viewing, but their meaning isn't clearer. That doesn't prevent children from giving their interpretation of the petroglyphs, (in Spanish only).
One of these interpreters, Seneida Milena Rivera, says she learned the 'story of the rock' at school. Amid a 10-minute explanation of the graffiti-like carvings, she takes her bamboo pointing stick and identifies an x carved into the rock. It represents the burial site of a powerful chief who died many centuries ago, she says. 'The site moos like a cow eve…
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Pozos Termales
Located on the west side of town (follow the signs), Pozos Termales is the perfect place to soak the afternoon away. The forested complex is remote and rustic, and home to a series of pools with varying temperatures and supposed curative properties. After your bath, there is an area (a bucket, to be more precise) for applying healing mud to your skin. The next step is to take the requisite photo or two, and then head to the showers to rinse off.
If you're looking to detox or simply scrub down, this is the perfect place to head.
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Chorro de las Mozas
The most accessible of the handful of waterfalls that cascade down the surrounding hillsides into the valley is the 'Young Women's Falls', located on the original site where the prehistoric lake breached, forming the scenic cascades you see today. This is a popular local spot for taking a dip and lounging about, especially since there's near perfect spring weather in El Valle virtually year round.
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Restaurante Santa Librada
This cheap and cheerful restaurant serves hearty portions of Panamanian staples such as lomo de arroz (roast beef with rice) and bistec picado (spicy shredded beef). If you're in search of lighter fare, most sandwiches and breakfasts are under US$2, and the restaurant's sancocho de gallina (a stew-like chicken soup) is locally famous.
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La Casa de Lourdes
El Valle's most beautiful restaurant has the look and feel of a Tuscan villa. Situated on the back terrace with stunning views, Lourdes offers an eclectic menu of dishes like lobster and sweet corn risotto, pork chop with a port wine and guava sauce, and blackened corvina with tamarind.
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Mario Bernal Greco's Guided Birdwatching Trip
Those planning a bird-watching trip should contact Mario Bernal Greco, who is a member of a prominent local conservation group, and is one of the country's top nature guides. If he can't be reached on his cell phone, you can stop by Cabañas Potosí - his mother runs the joint.
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Pinocchio's
This much-loved pizzeria is your best (and only) spot in El Valle for tasty and cheap pizzas with a range of toppings. Also available here is rotisserie-cooked chicken, meaty burgers and tacos, though locals and tourists alike swear that the pizzas here are to die for.
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Alquiler de Caballos
Near the Hotel Campestre you'll see a sign for Alquiler de Caballos, with a horse mural painted on the side of a building. The stable here has over 30 horses, which make for some fine transportation to explore the nearby mountains. Guides speak Spanish only.
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Panama Explorer Club
Based at the Crater Valley Hotel, the Panama Explorer Club is an adventure tourism outfit that offers a wide range of activities. Available tours include hiking La India Dormida, climbing and rappelling, river kayaking and mountain-biking tours.
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Zoo El Níspero
Most Latin American zoos are sad, cruel places, and unfortunately this is such a place. Here, for example, there are numerous eagles and hawks in a cage smaller than a walk-in closet, and the margays and ocelots on display look listless and depressed.
If you're sensitive to cage animals, you should probably skip this one. With that said, El Níspero is one of the best places for seeing Panama's golden frogs (ranas doradas). These endangered amphibians are unbelievably striking in color, and extremely photogenic. They are also one of Panama's most important cultural symbols, and have long been revered by the indigenous peoples of the country. Unfortunately, they are extrem…
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