Panama Travel Guide: Exploring El Valle De Anton in 36 hours as backpackers!

With just 24 hours to explore the Anton Valley, otherwise known as El Valle De Anton, we made the most of this unique stop in Panama.
El Valle De Anton is a beautiful mountain town that sits in the world’s second-largest inhabited volcano. Located in Central Panama, this area is renowned for its hiking, mountains and cloud forests! From the town, you can explore so many trails, mountains and local attractions. With just 36 hours here, we fell in love.
This is what we recommend based on our experiences!
1. GO HIKING
El Valle De Anton is surrounded by mountains and trails. You can find routes right from the heart of town or catch the local bus to even more options!
During our visit, we did the Cerro Cara Iguana hike with a group from our hostel. This was an incredible hike which wound up through the trees and mountainside before progressing along the ridge to the peak.
The hike was incredibly windy and I thought my hat was a goner at one point but it was also such a nice relief from the hot temperatures and humidity. Weather changes super quickly here so make sure you are prepared regardless of what trail you are hiking!
2. VISIT THE SERPENTARIO
I wasn’t sure if this was something I would find value in but visiting the Serpentario was a surprising highlight of our trip.
Entrance to the facility cost $6USD each and we were surprised to find it included a guided tour and walk through all the exhibits. Each animals story was shared with us and we learnt so much about the local animals. Through the explanations we also learnt about rehabilitation efforts and the implications of holding illegal pets.
We also learnt about coral snakes here and how to tell if they are venomous or not. A few days later we saw one in the jungle so it ended up being highly valuable information!
3. STAY AT BODHI HOSTEL
If you are looking for somewhere to stay in El Valle de Anton, Bodhi Hostel was the perfect place for us! With AC, free breakfast, outdoor common spaces and free activities this was the perfect base to adventure from.
I’d love to get back to the Anton Valley one day and spend more time hiking and exploring the area!
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00:00 Hiking Cerro Cara Iguana
03:51 Local market & lunch stop
04:30 Serpentario time!