Top Things to do in El Valle de Anton
What to do and see in El Valle de Anton, Cocle Province: The Best Budget-friendly Things to do
Families with kids of all ages will love this mountain village, located just two hours from Panama City. Whether you’re up for active sports such as hiking, biking, horseback riding and ziplining through the rainforest—or sightseeing adventures such as the El Nispero Zoo and Serpentario (a snake habitat), you’ll find it here. El Valle de Antón is home to the world’s second-largest extinct volcano—but you’ll still find more modern pleasures here, such as its well-known Sunday Market and elegant spas such as Casa de Lourdes.
Restaurants in El Valle de Anton
1. El Valle Mountain Tours
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 118 reviews
We offer high-adventure tours and hikes. By far our most popular tour is the Slot Canyon Waterfall which takes about 3 hours. This is an amazing tour up into the mountains and deep into the jungle {rainforest} through several streams until we reach the waterfall entrance. Once we arrive it's a 5 minute walk down the 200 stairs to reach the waterfall. People with mobility issues are welcome as long as they are able to handle the 200 stairs. We offer walking sticks to help and also provide bottled water. This tour will be the highlight of your trip to Panama!
2. Taharaa ATV Tours
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 159 reviews
Jungle - Waterfall Tour: 4 hours long starting in El Valle, located at an elevation of 2000 ft. in a beautiful rain forest. From El Valle you will travel along a rugged trail deeper into the mountains crossing six streams and arriving at the stunning and picturesque 100-foot waterfall known as “Cascada Tavida” where you can swim or just relax in a hammock enjoying the fabulous views before the return trip to El Valle. There are bathroom facilities, an excellent restaurant, a spa and a small hotel located at Villa Tavida. The tour includes an English speaking guide.
3. Gaital National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 56 reviews
Reviewed By nickiBH
If you have to choose between wild life vs zipline/thermal/waterfall, you would enjoy cerro Gaital a lot more for being quietly amazed by tropical forest wildlife. However, if you expect thermal or zipline, please go elsewhere. Sometimes it’s worth doing a bit of a research to avoid going to a wrong destination and complain afterwards, to be fair. Minutes after we got off our van, we saw a huge hummingbird right away! Not to mention many more other rare birds. It’s definitely worth to hire a local wildlife guide who knows all the details. Ours is super professional. He has all the singing of the various birds on his phone and he also carries a portable amplifier of these recorded singing to attract the rare birds for our easy sighting. He does it in a way that is not annoying to the nature and not other travellers (who are actually curious to see what birds would come!) We were also lucky to spot two sloths separately and one was even slowing moving! We also saw the biggest life blue butterfly we ever saw in the wild, and many more interesting plants. The climb uphill was not difficult but was a bit slippery coming downhill so a pair of hiking shoes or even sticks are advisable. I didn’t bring sticks but had a pair of gloves so it helped a bit. (Sunblock/mosquito repellent/ rain coat just in case) Don’t forget your binoculars of course! But it is so worth to see both oceans once you are at the top and overlook the living village in the crater. Enjoy a good hike!
4. The Lovers Falls
5. The Sleeping Indian Girl
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 299 reviews
Reviewed By kristendef98
Wow!! View at the top was absolutely stunning. The trail is actually a loop, but we hiked out the way we came up. Beware that locals hang out around the entrance to the hike and ask you to pay them a few bucks to "look out after your car."
6. Butterfly Haven
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 509 reviews
Experience the wonder and tranquility of being immersed in hundreds of living, jewel colored butterflies in a tropical rain forest setting. Included at no extra charge if you desire, are guided tours of our 3 areas.
Reviewed By GabriellainBurma - Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar
It's a small place so you can find many butterflies and the guide explain is many interesting things
7. El Valle de Anton
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 108 reviews
Known for its numerous mountain hiking trails and historic attractions, this valley is located within the crater of the second largest inhabited dormant volcano in the world.
Reviewed By guherj - Panama City, Panama
This town based on a extinguish volcano crater is a unique in the world! With a different climate from the hole country (fresh & rainy). Lot of green, mountains, rivers, trails, animals and more! You will enjoy it!
8. El Chorro Macho
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 479 reviews
This spectacular 35-meter waterfall features a natural lagoon at its bottom that, according to legend, is enchanted.
Reviewed By Bobhawk7 - Cornwall, Canada
I did the zip line tour and was so glad I did. They stopped us on the zip line right in front of the falls. It was a much better view than the small hikers had. So glad I did it
9. La Piedra Pintada
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 117 reviews
Reviewed By EasternLinxx - Madison, United States
Take a longer hike around to get to the top rim of the dormant volcano and stop here, this is a fun little place with writings that look like city maps from 500 yrs ago!
10. Aprovaca (The Orchid Nursery & Conservation Center)
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 155 reviews
APROVACA is an orchid nursery & conservation center. We display over 100 beautiful orchids, most of which are native to Panama. We are one of the few places where the National Flower of Panama, the Holy Ghost Orchid, is grown. In the greenhouse dedicated exclusively to this endangered flower, each plant that grows has a sponsor, who donates $20 annually to help us care for and protect this gorgeous species. In our garden, you can see many unique orchid species, such as the vanilla orchid (vanilla is actually an orchid!), lady slipper orchids, oncidiums, other tropical botanicals and many miniature species. As such, there is no better place to learn about the amazingly rich and unique flora of Panama! Our center operates Hostel Orchid, the first genuine backpacker accommodation in El Valle. Also a few rooms can be booked for those preferring a more private experience. All bookings include free visit to the center. Visit our website to learn more. We are look forward to your visit!
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