Coclé Province - Panama - page 179

25 Mercado de Artensanía C2
Chorro de las Mozas WATERFALL
OFFLINE MAP
(Young Women's Falls) The most accessible of the waterfalls around El Valle is the Chorro
de las Mozas, which is located about 1km outside the southwest corner of town. This is
the original site where the prehistoric lake breached to form these scenic cascades.
Though the access is not well marked, these winding cascades with deep pools are gor-
geous. It's popular with locals enjoying El Valle's year-round, near-perfect spring weath-
er.
Chorro El Macho WATERFALL
(Manly Falls; admission US$3.60; dawn-dusk) The most famous waterfall in the El Valle
area is the 85m-high Chorro El Macho, which is located a few kilometers north of town
near the entrance to the canopy tour. As its somewhat humorous name implies, this
towering waterfall is more dramatic than its dainty counterpart, and makes for some ex-
cellent photographs. Here, below the falls, you'll find a large swimming pool made of
rocks, surrounded by rainforest and fed by river water. There is also a series of short hik-
ing trails that wind into the surrounding forest.
For an unforgettable aerial view of El Macho, El Valle's famed canopy tour is a truly
hair-raising experience.
La Piedra Pintada ROCK PAINTINGS
OFFLINE MAP
(Colored Stone; admission US$1.50) Located in the northwestern corner of the valley, La
Piedra Pintada is a huge boulder adorned with pre-Columbian carvings. Locals often fill
in the grooves of the petroglyphs with chalk to facilitate their viewing, but their meaning
isn't clearer. That doesn't prevent children from giving their interpretation of the petro-
glyphs for US$2 (in Spanish only).
The trail to the rock is well worn and easy to do without a guide. But due to thefts
from vehicles left near the trail entrance, it's best to come by bus even if you've got your
own wheels. The site can be reached by a yellow school bus with 'Pintada' above the
windshield. It passes along Av Central every 30 minutes, from 6am to 7pm (US$0.25 one
way).