Begin with pickup at your Panama City hotel, then watch the city streets give way to rural villages and rolling green hills on the 2-hour trip to El Valle. The town is set at the heart of a volcanic caldera—long-since extinct, it’s now surrounded by jagged green peaks and protected forests.
Visit the El Níspero Zoo and Botanical Garden to see the golden frogs that live in the forests of the Anton Valley, along with tropical animals, flowers, and rainforest trees. Continue to 115-foot (35-meter) Chorro El Macho, an easy-to-access waterfall surrounded by lush foliage just a short distance from the town center.
See El Valle’s hot springs, which are headed by the remnants of volcanic activity below the ground, then return to town for lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, visit one of Panama’s largest handicraft market, where you’ll find indigenous crafts made by Ngöbe-Buglé, Emberá, and Wounaan people. This is the ideal place to shop for wooden platters, brightly woven palm baskets, Panama hats, and birdcages.
Once you’ve stocked up on unique Panamanian souvenirs, make the return trip to Panama City, where this tour concludes with drop-off at your hotel.
