Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A new addition to the El Valle tourist scene,
The Butterfly Haven
has a butterfly house with
around 250 live butterflies flitting around as well as a nursery you can visit and learn all about
the life cycle of lepidoptera. There's also a garden café and gift shop.
The museum
Av Central, next to the church • Sun 10am-2pm, but 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 interest-
ing carved faces.
The thermal baths
End of C del Macho • Daily 8am-5pm • $3 • 6621 3846
The low-key
thermal baths
(
pozos termales
) by Río Anton allegedly have medicinal powers.
The weekends are hectic, but the warm cement pool can be a pleasant experience midweek
- take your swimming costume. There are also a couple of pots of exfoliating, mineral-rich
mud on hand, which are fun to slather all over your body before rinsing off and taking to the
pool.
Chorro El Macho
Road to Cerro Gaital, 2km from the town centre • Daily 8am-5pm • $4 • Cross the bridge over the Río Guayabo
at the west end of Av Central, then take the right-hand fork. Alternatively, from the market take the bus to La
Mesa, which passes the entrance
One of El Valle's most popular excursions is to
Chorro El Macho
, a picturesque 35m
wa-
terfall
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 delightful natural
swimming pool in the river, or you might prefer a guided nature walk with a bilingual guide.
The Canopy Adventure
Chorro El Macho • Daily 8am-3.30pm • Five platforms $54 • 983 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
.
But here the adventure has the potential
to combine thrills with a guided (uphill) hike through the rainforest (around 30min).
Chorro Las Mozas and La Piedra Pintada
The left fork from the bridge over Río Guayabo leads to the
Chorro Las Mozas
falls; fifteen
minutes' walk from town, it's a popular place for the local youth to splash around, especially
at weekends.
