Page 139 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

El VallE Central Panama 137
The museum
Av Central, behind Iglesia San José • Sun 10am–2pm; ask around for access on other days • 50¢
On the south side of the main street, west of the market, protrude the whitewashed
twin towers of the small Iglesia de San José, behind which is a modest one-room
museum. Many of the displays – lumps of volcanic rock, household objects and
contemporary crafts – are forgettable, but there are some striking polychromatic
pre-Columbian ceramics and interesting carved faces.

Thermal baths
End of C del Macho • Daily 8am–5pm • $4; $3 for pot of exfoliating mud • T6621 3846
In the south of town, the low-key thermal baths (pozos termales) by Río Antón allegedly
have medicinal powers. The weekends are hectic, but the warm cement pool can be a
pleasant experience midweek – take your swimming costume. A mud facepack is included
in the entry price; an extra $3 gets you a pot of exfoliating, mineral-rich mud (barro),
which is fun to slather all over your body before rinsing off and taking to the pool. 3

La Piedra Pintada and Chorro Las Mozas
After crossing the bridge over the Río Guayabo at the west end of Avenida Central, the
road forks: a fifteen-minute walk along the central prong leads to a massive petroglyph
known as La Piedra Pintada ($1.50), where there’s no shortage of kids offering to guide
you to the giant rock face and attempt to explain the mysterious pre-Columbian carved
spirals and anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures. You can continue up the path
that follows the stream, which becomes more of a scramble as it forges through the
forest, passing three pretty waterfalls. Ten minutes beyond the third one, to the right,
stands the smaller petroglyph of Piedra El Sapo, named after the toad-like shape of one
of its hieroglyphs, before the path continues up to the mythical ridge of La India
Dormida (see box, p.138).
The left fork from the bridge leads to the Chorro Las Mozas falls; fifteen minutes’ stroll
from town, it’s a popular place for the local youth to splash around, especially at
weekends.

Chorro El Macho
Road to Cerro Gaital, 2km northwest of the town centre • Daily 8am–5pm • $5 • Cross the bridge over the Río Guayabo at the west
end of Av Central, then take the right-hand fork; alternatively, take the bus to La Mesa from the market (hourly 5am–7pm), which
passes the entrance
One of El Valle’s most popular excursions is to Chorro El Macho, a picturesque 35m
waterfall set in a private ecological reserve. A short circular path leads to a viewing
platform at the base of the falls, where lizards bask on the rocks and hummingbirds
dart through the foliage. Though you can’t take the plunge here, near the entrance
there is a delightful natural swimming pool in the river, or you might prefer a guided
nature walk with a bilingual guide.
Canopy Adventure
Chorro El Macho • Daily 8am–4pm • Five platforms $65 • T983 6547
The Canopy Adventure, accessed via the park entrance, adds adrenaline to the
delightful flora and fauna and its five cables – one taking you across the face of the
falls – forms one of El Valle’s major attractions. If you’re heading for Chiriquí you
might want to save your cash to do the more impressive Boquete Tree Trek (see p.187).
But here the adventure has the potential to combine thrills with a guided (uphill) hike
through the rainforest (around 30min).

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