Panama experts - some questions

[Hal Peat]

I'm traveling internally in Panama in the next few weeks, on one leg of my itinerary I go into this town of El Valle de Anton in central Panama for just one evening and the next day before continuing on back to Panama City. So, my questions about El Valle de Anton, which sounds like it has much to recommend it, are: what activities can I fit in the space of one morning and early afternoon before leaving for the capital?  I'm thinking of either the hikes, but these might take up so much time I have no time to explore and research the town part of El Valle and things I want to see there.  Yes, it's a working trip, or I wouldn't be this concerned about planning on squeezing in so much.  Also, restaurants anyone reading this may have dined at or hotels you thought were great in the area?  Thanks to David and others for any suggestions on all this. 

[David Paul Appell]

Hi, Hal! I was in El Valle several years ago, so my information is not extremely up to date, but I actually have good friends who have a house there, and they tell me not much has really changed.  It's actually an ancient volcanic caldera, roughly 3 by 3.5 miles, some two hours southwest of Panama City, convenient to coastal beach areas such as Coronado, and also known as home to a striking species of amphibian known as the golden frog. A goodly d number of well-heeled capital denizens have  country houses here, as do a rising number of expats. There are also a dozen or so small hostelries; the one I stayed in is the Rana Dorada (Golden Frog;  (www.goldenfroginn.com), once the villa of a past vice president of Panama, and that was pretty good. There's also a small handful of restaurants/bars - I ate at one in town but don't recall which (it was good, though nothing all that special). 

Re fitting activities into a morning and early afternoon, I don't think that should be a problem, since there isn't all that much out here to begin with, being more geared toward hanging out/R&R. There's a nice little zoo (45 mins or so); a small crafts market in the village; outdoor thermal baths (a little funky, depending on your standards); El Macho waterfall; a zipline (don't know if that's still in operation); an orchidarium (which I haven't been to); pre-Columbian petroglyphs at El Sapo rock; and several local beauty spots - you can take your pick depending on your interests. (And you can get more specifics on the above from a site started after my own visit, www.ValleDeAnton.net - though it appears to not yet be translated into English.)  

If I think of anything else, I'll add it below!

DPA

[Hal Peat]

David, thanks for your insights and recollections.  Funny you should mention the golden toad (yes, it's genetically a toad and not a frog, by the way - someone else corrected me on that!) since I considered the Golden Frog Inn but have settled instead for the Anton Valley Inn which is more central and has a nice looking interior style to it.  But I'll be seeking out the tiny toad at that small zoo and the toad remains a part of one of my working titles for coverage of El Valle;)  I also discovered there's a small IPAT office in the town which might be able to help me with my busy morning/afternoon planning once I get there.  Sadly, the only local organized tour guide company - Panama Explorers Club - is answering neither their email nor their phone messages (I left one), so I'm kind of ad libbing at this point as far as planning any organized hike activities - which I would have liked to have fit in to El Macho waterfall or that El Sapo rock.  Oh, and by the way, while I was doing my Sherlock thing here with reaching out to all and sundry in my planning, I also made contact with the PR person who's now repping the IPAT for North American media - she's based in Miami:)  Just in case you or anyone else here heads there again.

[Tania Zucker]

Many websites that are helpful in planning a trip to Central American countries like Panama are in the Spanish language. Companies that specialize in Spanish translation and interpretation services can translate websites that provide information that visitors need to know in order to make the best out of their trip. Anyone who is interested in learning about Panama's top tourist attractions, how to get around, culture, history, etc but does not find the information in English can contact a professional translator. Translators who have experience translating travel guides can translate the content of the websites from Spanish into English. This information should help English-speaking travelers learn about all the great things that the country has to offer!