Day trips from Buenaventura
The best day trip from Buenaventura is El Valle de Antón, a town inside a volcanic crater about an hour's drive away. Go on a Sunday morning for the market. For the children, book a surfing lesson at El Palmar. For culture, go to La Pintada for hand-woven hats, and to Natá for one of the oldest churches in the Americas.
Drive times are from the apartment, by car, without stops. Allow more time at weekends and in the rain.
El Valle de Antón
About 1 hour. A cool mountain town inside the crater of an old volcano. It is a good escape on a hot day.
Go on a Sunday, for the market. On Sunday morning the stalls fill the main street, Avenida Principal: fruit and vegetables, flowers and plants, traditional crafts, souvenirs and homemade sweets. Arrive in the morning. The market runs from about 8 am to early afternoon. There are some stalls on other days, but Sunday is the day to go.
After the market:
- Chorro El Macho: a waterfall about 35 metres high in the forest, with a rope bridge to cross.
- The hot springs (pozos termales): warm mineral pools and mud.
- La India Dormida: a steep hike along the ridge of the crater, with views over the whole valley.
- Cerro Gaital: cloud forest on the north rim of the crater. It is one of the best places for birds near Buenaventura, with many kinds of hummingbird.
Surfing lessons at El Palmar
About 40 minutes, east along the coast near San Carlos. Playa El Palmar has waves for every level, including first-timers and children, and it is a popular place to learn to surf.
Panama Surf School has taught at El Palmar since 2005. A lesson lasts about 1 hour 30 minutes, and the board and rash vest are included. They teach children from 4 years old, in English, Spanish or French.
La Pintada and the sombrero pintao
About 1 hour 10 minutes, north of Penonomé. La Pintada is the home of the sombrero pintao, Panama's own hat. It is woven by hand from plant fibres, in black and white bands. Thousands of people in the area make or sell them, and UNESCO recognised the craft in 2017. You can buy one at the La Pintada craft market, and the hat festival is held there each October.
Natá and the El Caño archaeological park
About 1 hour 15 minutes. Natá is one of the oldest Spanish towns on the Pacific coast of the Americas, founded in 1522. Its church, the Basílica Menor Santiago Apóstol, was begun the same year and is still in use. It is one of the oldest churches in the Americas.
A short drive away is El Caño, a pre-Columbian burial ground of the chiefs of the area. Archaeologists found the chiefs buried with gold breastplates and ornaments. The museum on the site reopened in 2019. Call or email before you go to check the hours.
Antón
About 20 minutes. The town nearest to Buenaventura. The Museo Casa de la Cultura is a good introduction to Panamanian culture.
Birds: the Aguadulce salt pans and El Copé
About 1 hour 45 minutes each. For keen birders.
- Aguadulce and Playa El Salado: the salt pans and mudflats of Parita Bay are the second most important place in Panama for migrating shorebirds, although the salt pans are smaller than they were. Look for roseate spoonbills, wood storks and black-necked stilts. Shorebird numbers are highest in the northern autumn, from about September to November.
- Omar Torrijos National Park (El Copé): wet forest on the mountains of the continental divide, north of Penonomé, with many forest birds.