On Day 7, I made a second trip to El Valle de Antón or the Antón Valley, a town of over 8,000 nestled inside (but over 25,000 in the entire valley) a flat wide caldera of the 6 km wide
inactive El Valle volcano, estimated to be about 7 million years old.
The last eruption was about 300,000 years ago. Because of its 600 m elevation, it is cooler than the Panamanian coast and lowlands by about 5 C. It's a popular
place to retire for primarily Panamanians. The increasing population in this small area is causing pollution and other issues, like endangering species in the valley.
My first trip in 2020 was by bus, but today's trip was in a van with just seven of us, plus guide and driver. This allowed us to drive in on the southwest back roads,
a much more pleasant drive, with better views of both western Panama and the Antón Valley from the volcano rim mountains. Our tour included a
hike in the rainforest to Chorro El Macho waterfall, a visit to the El Nispero Zoo and a stroll through the market and town of En Valle de Antón. Then, it was back by 2 p.m. to
catch the tail end of lunch.
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