If you want to get out of the city for a day, hire a driver (the company that I used is no longer in business) and head to the center of the country to El Valle. Located in the Anton Valley, this is a small picturesque village that has a well-known local crafts market with an abundance of folk art and textiles plus wonderful fruits, vegetables and local flowers. You can also visit the El Chorro Macho Waterfall, a zoo and a botanical garden. I focused on the market and lunch nearby. One piece of advice, don’t go on Easter Sunday. Most of the locals in Panama City head out for this important weekend, so the traffic getting back into the city in the afternoon can be a real nightmare. We left earlier than expected, just to beat the traffic.
