The golden frog epitomizes El Valle’s bio-diversity

An hour and a half by car from the hot-blooded metropolis that is Panama City exists a serene valley that feels a world away.

Ringed by mountains carpeted in jungle green, El Valle de Anton is one of the world’s largest crater towns. Imagine a deep bowl carved out of fertile earth, kept cool in the shade of the peaks and tropical forest growth that encircle it. Here Panama’s elite come to retire, buy weekend homes, install heated pools and breathe sighs of relief. No city lights and honking horns here…just starry skies and silent slumber.

Settled by Chocoe tribes and later cultivated by farmers, El Valle is clearly a Mecca for gardeners and outdoor enthusiasts. Driving down serpentine curves that lead into the town, you see a view that is misty and vague: enigmatic. Then, suddenly, the flower-festooned valley opens up before you like a pop-up book on nature.

Here you can attend one of the most famous markets in Panama or see the golden frog that epitomizes the area’s bio-diversity. And the rana dorada isn’t the only specimen worth seeing… Spot the spotted woodcreeper, chase the elusive flower of the holy spirit, wrap your arms around square-trunked trees, or stand puzzled before petroglyphs yet to be deciphered.

Stay at Anton Valley from $55 a night. See: www.antonvalleyhotel.com.

Editor’s Note: In the June issue of International Living, Panama is one of five countries chosen by our editors as the world’s healthiest places to live in 2010. This inaugural special health issue also details how you can lower your blood pressure…live longer…save thousands of dollars on orthopedic surgery…and lots more.