While we had already looked into El Valle, it was our host Jorge who convincingly recommended the stay there, and he was absolutely right about it. El Valle is special! When you first glance at the map of El Valle, it doesn’t immediately strike you as remarkable, but the moment you stand on one of the surrounding mountains you quickly understand why: the entire town sits inside the caldera of an ancient volcano. The volcanic crater spans roughly 12 km and was formed around 1.1 to 1.3 million years ago, after a massive eruption caused the volcano to collapse inward. Long before tourists arrived, the valley was home to indigenous groups, predominantly connected to the Guaymí communities, and later the fertile volcanic soils attracted settlers and gradual development. In the 20th century, wealthy families from Panama City began building weekend homes in El Valle to escape the heat of the capital, further shaping its character. El Valle lies at about 600 meters above sea level and, with average temperatures around 25 to 28 degrees Celsius, it is noticeably cooler and more temperate than the coastal towns and cities.

The fact that the entire town is located inside a caldera isn’t the only thing that makes El Valle special. There are many beautiful hikes available for all difficulty levels. We did two of them, and the views from the mountains onto the valley are absolutely stunning. We hiked up to “La India Dormida,” around eight to nine kilometres in total, with quite a few metres of elevation gain as well. At parts, the trail became so steep that we had to scramble on all fours. It felt like a real achievement once we reached the top and took in the magnificent panoramas. The ascent leads through some of the picturesque cloud forests that look so magical from the valley. Watching the clouds is something that could occupy you for hours in El Valle, as they roll over the various mountaintops and slowly creep into the basin below.

El Valle also has a stunning biodiversity. Not only the Panamanian Golden Frog calls El Valle his home but also numerous birds and plants. Large hawks can be seen constantly, so are tucans and hummingbirds. The area is alos famous for native orchids, various ferns that the forrests are covered with and the entire area feels incredibly lush and green.

On the next day, we set off immediately for another hike and this time we truly pushed ourselves to the limits. We covered roughly 12 kilometres in total, with slopes just as steep as the previous day's and expansive views stretching not only over El Valle but all the way to the Pacific Ocean. It was the relentless 90% humidity, though, that made sweat run down our faces in streams. The hike took a bit longer than we had expected; the midday sun beat down on us while we crested the mountain ridges, and by the time we finally descended back into the valley our water supplies were completely exhausted. We really deserved dinner that night, even though we were to tired to eat.

Our host Jorge from the previous stop came to visit us on one of the following days, which was a very pleasant surprise. He took us to a nearby restaurant, and we also enjoyed a great coffee at a nearby luxury hotel surrounded by a beautiful park. In the end we bid farewell, but Jorge is one of those contacts I’m fairly certain we will meet again. We formed a real bond with him that makes it likely our paths will cross in the future. Sometimes you just know that.

We also rented bikes and took a short tour around the city and along the “Avenida de los Millonarios.” As mentioned, wealthy families from the cities came and built their holiday houses in El Valle, and quite a few of those homes developed into truly stunning properties. The street’s name fit perfectly: it was, quite literally, the Avenue of the Millionaires.

On our remaining days, we took it easy, enjoyed time in the hammock, took a walk through the small local market (where we also bought a hammock ;)) and enjoyed the garden, including a speaking parrot, of our small “hostal”.