El Valle de Antón is a town in Cocle province, Central Panama. Because of its small size, and relative isolation from Panama City, El Valle is a stunning example of the cultural, environmental and culinary bounty of Old Panama.
El Valle is a charming seven square mile village surrounded by a volcanic caldera that had existed for millennia as a deep lake. Then several thousands years ago the crater sprung a leak and when the lake emptied some of the richest volcanic soil in the world remained on the valley floor. This soil, called tierra negra or black earth, is so esteemed by local horticulturists that it’s sold in bags throughout the republic and you can see its effect on many of the sprouting fence posts lining local roads. El Valle’s cool 2,000 foot elevation has made it a coveted retreat for established Panamanian families since the early 20th century. The locals have been climbing the same hills and swimming the same streams for over 11,000 years which makes El Valle the oldest continually human occupied volcanic site in the world. The first real road, tracing the meanderings of the builder’s horse as it headed up the mountain, was built with donated funds and labor from the community in 1927 and repaved in 1997.
The flat terrain of the valley’s floor makes the bicycle the favored mode of transportation and during rush hour many, often loaded down with several family members, are seen quietly gliding down the main street. There’s no fast food in the village but a variety of smaller restaurants, four mini supers that stock fresh meat and dry staples, the farmers market for produce, an ice cream parlor, a sports bar and even a weekend pizza purveyor. This interior village exemplifies pre-canal Panama still somewhat insulated from today’s urban cities with their hurried pace, westernized foodways and consumerism.
Both the village environment and the nearby, often cloud shrouded, Cerro Gaital National Monument offer an excellent opportunity to view some of Panama’s 10,000 plant, 1500 tree, 1000 bird, 220 mammal, or 354 amphibian and reptile species. They might not all call El Valle home but a significant number do and the local zoo, although somewhat disheartening in it’s housing practices, also has several of the harder to find species. You can ride a bike, horse or even walk to waterfalls, square trees, mud baths, a zoo, a museum, the forest canopy tour, pre-Columbian petroglyphs, or farmers market. Tours of the local organic farm, guided birding and fauna surveys are also available. A orchid conservatory and the amphibian rescue station are also two world class eco sites in town.
There are frequent buses to and from Albrook, the Panama City hub, allowing you to connect to Costa Rica or the Caribbean side. There are several bus stops on the main road where you can catch a bus to the Pan-American Highway, Coronado, the future location of a Western style shopping corridor, or the town of Penonome up the coast. Bus service begins around 04:00 in the morning and ends around 20:00 in the evening. Panamas amazingly hospitable, although sometimes sardine like, cheap and easy to use bus system works especially well in the interior just flag the driver for pick up.
Several local taxis are available, as are the ubiquitous van and coaster buses. Rarely will you see a red devil in the village and in most cases attractions are easily accessible by foot. You can also rent bicycles or a horse from a number of local purveyors. A few English speaking expat guides are available inquire at the Anton Valley Hotel.
Some of the local attractions are El Nispero, a local private zoo, a large waterfall called "El Macho", and a grove of square trees, a museum, mud baths, an etched hieroglyphic rock, lots of birds, bugs, butterflies, animals and attractive locals. On the weekends the local markets offers lots of unrecognizable fruits and produce along with the usual tchotchkes for the folks back home. Don't miss the little Kuna lady in rear and to the left of the market during the weekends she's got lots of nice molas and crafts.
El Valle is a very quiet village with few of the venues available in a more urbane local. A few neighborhood bars, with 50-cent beers, are located along the downtown main and they can become very noisy during the weekends especially around the many holidays. Not a place for those of you who would party.
A lot of New Age types have settled in the area for its reputed spiritual aura and you get get massaged, pulsed, yogaed or spa treated. Bring a thick book. Most activities are diurnal so when the sun goes down the town goes to sleep but you should include the orchid conservatory, the amphibian rescue center and the local cooking school in your itinerary they're all stellar especially in an Eco context.
Most other restaurants are local Panamanian. Edible pizza and one or two other choices offering local cuisine is cooked and served by untrained locals so be prepared for long waits. Best bet is to stay with braised items or be sure to ask if the beef's imported since that raised here in Panama is of an entirely different breed yielding very healthy but tough meat. The local places are cheap but you might find one that's acceptable and stick with it during you stay. Once or twice a month one of the local artist co-op has a vegetarian offering which for that date is the best food in town. Search the on-line sites for vacation rentals and house swaps and you can find lodgings with a kitchen if you'd like. Otherwise stick with the chicken and fish broiled or fried. A decent sandwich can be obtained from the local bakery but there's no ethnic, Chinese, Mexican, Thai and the like, available for miles.
In general accommodation run the gamut in El Valle. The cheapest options start around $15 available at Swami's Camping to $150 at Los Madarinos. Ask for directions to the hotels or attractions at the tourist info center at the open air market in town. But no matter what the price accommodations are all pretty spartan. Rooms are certainly comfortable at all but the most inexpensive hoteliers so consult the travel sites for credible inputs or explore some of the vacation rental/home exchange sites on the web.
Primary administrative division