Destination guide
El Valle de Antón
A town of 7,000 people living inside the caldera of a volcano that last erupted around 200,000 years ago. Two hours from Panama City, 600 metres up, and about ten degrees cooler than the coast.
El Valle de Antón sits on the flat floor of a collapsed volcanic crater roughly five kilometres across — one of only a handful of inhabited calderas anywhere in the world. The walls you can see from the main street are the rim.
That geography is the whole reason to come. The altitude gives it a permanently mild climate, the crater walls hold cloud forest full of birds and orchids, and the streams coming off them produce waterfalls and thermal springs within walking distance of town. It is the easiest genuine mountain escape from Panama City, and most people do it as a day trip when it deserves two.
- Getting there
- Bus from Albrook terminal, roughly 2½ hrs. Driving is 2 hrs on the Panamericana, exit at Las Uvas.
- When to go
- December to April is dry season. Green season brings fuller waterfalls and afternoon rain.
- How long
- A day trip works. Two nights lets you hike in the morning when the crater rim is clear.
- Getting around
- The town is flat and compact — bikes beat cars here. Trailheads are 10–25 min from the centre.
Start here
If you only read three
The three guides that answer most of what people ask before a first trip.
Things to Do in El Valle de Antón
The full survey — every attraction, what it costs, and which ones are worth your time.
Read the guide
El Valle as a Day Trip from Panama City
Timings, transport and a realistic itinerary for doing it in one day without rushing.
Read the guide
Best Hikes in El Valle
Every trail in the crater, ranked by difficulty, with times and trailhead directions.
Read the guide
Trails and summits
The crater rim is the reason to bring boots. Two of these are half-day efforts; the third is a genuine climb.
Waterfalls and hot water
Runoff from the crater walls produces both the waterfalls and the thermal springs — two of El Valle's three most-visited sites.
Slow days, markets and family
What to do when you are not hiking — and what works with children in tow.
The full library
Every El Valle de Antón guide
- 01Things to Do in El Valle de AntónOverview
- 02El Valle Day Trip from Panama CityPlanning
- 03Best Hikes El Valle de AntónHiking
- 04India Dormida Hike: Trail GuideHiking
- 05Cerro Gaital & Cara IguanaHiking
- 06Chorro El Macho WaterfallWaterfalls
- 07El Valle de Antón WaterfallsWaterfalls
- 08El Valle de Antón With KidsFamily
- 09Tours in El Valle de AntónTours