……….is about a four hour drive from Santa Catalina and on the way to  Panama City.   According to our guide,  it’s nestled in the crater of  an extinct volcano, is a town of approx. 6,300 and is hard not to like.    It truly is known as a cool mountain retreat which hikers, birders and outdoor enthusiasts love to visit.   We are now on our way home and plan to spend a few days at Coronado Bay just relaxing so it made sense to spend a night at El Valle……..and so glad we did.   We stayed in a funky little hotel known as Hotel Rincon which, apparently, is reminiscent of Panama in days gone by…….and the price was right.   It is getting very busy here now as the Easter holidays are upon us so we were glad to find a place to settle in for the night.

Jim having his ‘before cocktail’ swim in El Valle

 Funky littleaccommodation the following morning we did a three hour walk/hike here to another waterfall and then we were off to a market to pick up our fresh fruit and vegetables for the next few days………and of course an ice cream!!!