El Valle de Anton
A breath of fresh air and a slower pace of life. This highland town sits within the crater of an extinct volcano, where the craters edge provides a variety of hiking trails to explore.
On the recommendations of some friends I had made in the hostel, I decided to spend a couple days in El Valle (as the gringos call it). I took a bus from the main bus station in Panama City, and it was a 3h ride to Ell Valle. We made a couple stops along the way to drop off and pick up people, but no formal refreshment stop. (For more information on transport, check out this page). Once we reached El Valle de Anton, I let the conductor know the hostel where I wanted to get dropped off and was let out into this beautiful, quiet mountain town. It was so much less humid and the air was cooler - it was perfect. I felt very peaceful here and was happy I’d made the trip. I stayed at Bodhi Hostel which was a nice chill vibe. It consists of one large room of 3-tiered bunks, but every bed has a curtain around it, so you feel like you have enough privacy. (For alternative hostels, check here). During my stay it seemed that every single other occupant spoke German, including the staff!, so I didn't really bond with anyone here, unfortunately. I did all my hikes here alone, although I did get some advice from others who had done the hikes before me. These solo hikes I did were a little scary, on reflection – because they didn’t really go smoothly and there were a couple of times I’m sure the locals considered me a crazy tourist. On that topic, you should generally regard that the locals know best, so it was unwise of me to not take their advice, that I know. But I live to tell my tales, and there is no greater feeling than that sense of strength and accomplishment when you complete something entirely by yourself.
India Dormida solo sunrise hike
So, as I hinted above, I am not most proud of doing this hike because I directly went against the advice of the locals who made a very valid point that hiking the mountain alone in the dark was not the best idea. I was already up and walking to the trail head when a man on his way to work stopped me. We talked for a while about the dangers, he offered me a ride back to my hostel, but my pride wouldn’t let me admit defeat. We eventually agreed that I would wait where I was for the sun to rise before embarking on the trail. But after about 15 minutes of arguing with myself and searching online for a blog I had read of another woman and her mum who had embarked on the India Dormida sunrise hike alone, I decided I could do it. The trail head for India Dormida is marked on online maps and located at a road corner. For the time of my arrival there was no one there, but during the trail’s official opening hours you may need to pay a small fee ($3). Even though the sky was starting to turn lighter shades of navy, it was very, very dark in the jungle. I was using my bike light (which I often take as a torch) to navigate around. The trail is marked, but trying to find the markings in complete darkness was pretty hard. It also made it rather disorientating, as I wasn’t very aware of my surroundings. I tried not to rely on torchlight too much to help my eyes adjust. In the end, I would typically end up walking to trees and rocks to see if they had markings on before turning back to the main trail and try to find the next marking. Those first 30 minutes, I was acutely aware of the risk of getting lost in the dark. So I really tried to take note of where I was walking, took some pictures to remind me if I needed to and heightened my senses. After about 40 minutes it started to get light enough to see all my surroundings about me and I started hiking in earnest. I was dripping sweat. The whole hike was really a steep incline to the top of the mountain, at which point you get to walk along the ridge up top and see the sunrise. Sweat was literally stinging my eyes. My hands were so sweaty that they were pretty useless at wiping the sweat off me anyway. In the end, I just got used to the clammy suffocation of sweat and focused on getting to the top. I passed 2 Panamanian workers in their welly boots hiking up also. They had their rucksacks and were carrying up a large trunk of wood. I noted that someone had seen me, someone who looks like they know this mountain. I said good morning, they nodded back, and we each carried on. I made it to the top, panting, chasing the sunrise, but the area hadn’t cleared yet. I could see hints of the fiery red sky, but there were still too many trees to see beyond that. It was frustrating because I really didn’t want to miss the sunrise. I was half jogging along this path at the top, trying not to become complacent now, trying not to trip up and fall. But still the path continued to wind round corners and the sky continued to get lighter. Finally, the trees started to clear, but I was on the wrong side of the mountain. Scrambling up the grass bank, skipping the main trail now, I made it over the peak and was able to witness the rise over the extinct volcano crater that was now the town of El Valle de Anton. That endorphin rush to see that I had made it was amazing. My sweat dried cold from the morning breeze up high, and I watched as the quiet town started to come to life. I want to say it was beautiful, because it was, but there was also the near constant scream of cockerels. I stayed up there for about 30 mins, taking it all in. I made my way back down, slowly. And the way down was steep. I didn’t have walking poles, (which would have been useful here) so instead was using my water bottle as something to ground down on. I also just spent a lot of my time with my bum on the ground backwards, crabbing down. Muddy hands were rinsed in the streams and little waterfalls that accompanied the trail. It was nice to observe my surroundings on the way down, since I couldn’t see much on my way up. And at the bottom there is a nice little pool that I dipped my stinky sweaty feet in and cooled off. On my way down I passed the two workers again, they were surprised that I had made it up and was on my way back down. I was giddy with endorphins from completing the hike – but in hindsight, that there should also be a flag that locals don’t expect gringos to hike alone and make it back okay? I got back to the hostel for a nice cold shower, breakfast, and a nap.
Sunrise from India Dormida
The top ridge of India DormidaCerro La Silla hiking trail
To get to the trailhead of this hike, you will need to take a short bus out of the main town to the stop 'el Roble'. I think any bus heading out of town in this direction should be able to drop you off as there is only one main road out of town and the bus stop is not far from the town exit. I have heard of some people walking from town to the trail head, but the roads do not have pavements and have quite sharp bends. Once you get off at 'parada de buses el Roble', there is a road directly opposite which you walk along. Keep to this road, and keep left at the junctions as this road turns to a dirt track and then eventually to a walking path. These directions are clearly marked on Google Maps which you can see below. This was a nice hike, and being along the top ridge of the hill tops it was very open with a cool breeze. Of course, in the middle of the day you are under direct sun, but I think that this hike would make a great sunrise or sunset hike as the open landscape means you’ll be able to see more and navigate easier than trails that go through forests and jungle. So I got a little lost on this hike. There were clear trails, but it wasn’t clear which ones I wanted to take. A lot of other blog posts I read about did out and back hikes for this trail. But I had found one that did loop, and I wanted to try that. I had basically got far enough into the hike that it should have been quicker for me to loop round rather than go back the way I came, but it increasingly seemed that where I was walking and what I was looking at on my map were not aligned. I became acutely aware that one twisted ankle would leave me trapped on a hill top with no shade and limited water. I realised the remoteness of where I was. I clocked a couple of farms nearby that I may be able to shout to and thought that walking towards these would get me to the road I could see on my map, and then lead me back to the bus stop. So that’s what I ended up doing. I tried to follow some sort of trail that led to the farm, but it didn’t really exist, so I trampled my way through the bushes and grasses and made it onto this farm. I could see a road and chickens and little homes built up and water taps. I opened the gate and let myself in. I was fully prepared to come across someone and explain my predicament and that I was just passing through to get to the road, but I passed no one. The longer I walked through the farm, the more anxious I got about bumping into someone. I filled up my water bottle off a water tap, and made it to the gate on the other end of the compound, which to my luck was unlocked. Once I got out, I immediately walked over to the nearest tree and rested in the shade, gulping down water. I had made it. The bus stop was about another 40-60 minute walk along this road, again with very little shaded area. A couple pick-up trucks passed by with locals sat in the back, who offered me a lift, but I kinda wanted to complete it on my own at that point, so I toiled on. Finally, making it back to the bus stop I started at, sat on the curb, reflecting back on my experience.
The trail terrain of Cerro La SillaCerro Cariguana hiking trail
This trailhead is fairly straight forward to get to as it mostly follows the roads in town. I will mark on the map below specific direction points. I attempted this hike twice. The first time, my plan was to get to the top by sunset, however I started out a little too late and was only about halfway up the incline before the sun had started to set. I decided to turn back, and was glad I did, as I am always slower coming down than going up because I’m scared of slipping. By the time I reached the bottom of the trail head, it was dark, and I had another 20 minutes to walk back to the hostel. Luckily, I had packed my torch with me. Recognise what is safe. I next tried this hike again the following day, after India Dormida. I left mid-afternoon and took a leisurely stroll to the trail head. You pass by some really huge and amazing houses that are apparently holiday homes of rich Panamanians. So I spent some time marvelling those. I continued on the familiar incline that I had done before, and in general took a leisurely pace with this hike. I was past the speed and adrenaline from India Dormida that morning, and I just wanted to spend time listening to some podcasts and stories and enjoying the cool breeze. I was quicker up the incline this time, perhaps because I was more confident on where I was going. However, I got little to chill and missed a sign turning to the peak. I ended up walking for nearly an hour in the wrong direction (marked on the map below) before recognising that this gravel path did not match the steep incline through a forest that I was expecting. I turned back and managed to find the turning off to a steep, thin path that wound through trees and that quickly led me to the top of the hill. I walked along this ridge for a bit, enjoying the sun and the breeze. I thought about sticking it out till sunset, but I had started to get cold, so headed back. The evening turned out to be quite cloudy anyway, so I didn’t miss much.
My time in El Valle was done. It’s a beautiful place and it really felt like a breath of fresh air. My next stop was Boquete. Another mountain town, a little bigger and a little higher. The hostel were helpful in providing directions on how to get there, and the route is pretty straight forward. From El Valle de Anton you take a bus to David. If you catch one, you can get a direct bus straight to David. If not you have to get a bus from El Valle to Santiago and then from Santiago to David. From David, you can then catch a bus to Boquete.
Need to knows
Make sure to take a torch with you, no matter what time you head out. With the high mountains and the tall trees it can get a lot darker than you expect.
Special Recommendations
Food: Empanadas make a great packed lunch
Attractions: Cerro La Silla
Accommodation: Bohdi Hostel
R’s take
After coming from the humidity of Panama City, El Valle de Anton was a welcome breath of fresh air. The pace of life is a little slower, and the town is used to having hiking tourists come visit. I felt comfortable here, day and night. Although, evenings are very quiet as most people get an early nights sleep.
El Valle de Anton
Cerro la Silla trail
Cerro la Silla
Views from India Dormida
El Valle de Anton
Top ridge of India Dormida