The first few days of my trip around Central America had begun impressively. Panama City and the legendary Panama Canal will remain in my memories for a long time to come. I had planned less than two weeks in Panama and before I left Panama City I had to decide where to travel next. The country offers countless places worth to visit, which made the decision quite difficult. Due to the heat and high humidity in Panama City, I longed for a bit of cooling off and therefore decided not to stop at the Pacific coast, but to visit a small village in the mountains north of Panama City. Fully packed, I left from Casco Viejo to the terminal Albrook and got on a bus heading towards El Valle de Anton.
El Valle de Anton
After about three hours’ bus drive and one change I reached the small village El Valle de Anton. Cool mountain air welcomed me and the oppressive heat of the last days was quickly forgotten. I checked into a small hostel on the outskirts of the village, made my way to the marketplace to get some food and to check out the town centre and kicked off the evening with a beer or two.
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El Valle de Anton is located in the largest populated volcanic crater in the world and is surrounded by tropical cloud forests. Under Panameños it is a popular destination to escape the heat and stress of the big city, spend time in nature and explore the surrounding mountains, forests and waterfalls.
Boquete
Delighted by the magnificent mountain scenery of Panama, I once more decided against a stopover at the pacific coast and made my way to another mountain village. Boquete is one of the most popular destination among travellers and offers everything from a visit to a local coffee farm to challenging hiking trails. It is also the perfect starting point to climb Volcano Baru, the highest point in Panama.
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After spending a few days in Boquete I finally headed towards the coast! After the stopovers in the highlands of Panama, the Caribbean Islands Bocas del Toro should be my next stop – more in my next post!
If you haven’t read the first about my trip through Central America, I should definitely check out my post about Panama City.
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