(Newswire.net — December 28, 2013) Rio Hato, Cocle —
Panama is more than hanging out at the beach and catching some rays. Although the beach is great, there is only so much of that you can do.
While vacationing in Playa Blanca, check out taking a drive…in a jeep! We are talking some serious 4×4 action. This is how you can seriously get out and see what the Panamanian jungle is like.
In the jungle, the air is thick, the water clear and the wildlife is wild!
Jungle Jeep Adventure offers three tours – a 3 hour jungle tour, a 6 hour crater valley tour and an 8 hour Cascada el Tavidal trip. Take the plunge and go for the 8 hour trip! It is well worth it.
You start out by getting your driver’s license recorded. What for you ask? Because you get to drive. How awesome is that! A short briefing on the operation of your 200hp Jeep Wrangler and off you go, following the guide.
A short banyo break (bathroom stop) and off you go. You will appreciate that stop as the rough roads rattle your kidneys but the smile never leaves your face. The roads are steep, the Panamanians friendly and mosquitoes thick (don’t forget repellant).
You travel hill and dale, up and down, crossing several streams (rivers during the rainy season) but you have nothing to fear as the 4×4 Wrangler handles anything you throw at it.
And then, the canopy opens up and you are treated to majestic vistas where on a clear day you can see the Pacific Ocean AND the Caribbean Sea! Picture stops abound, but you aren’t on a schedule.
Back in the Jeep and you’re off like a herd of turtles in a hailstorm (what?). But the best is yet to come.
After traveling for about 20 km through the forest and the mountains, you will find it: a hidden waterfall. This 98 foot waterfall crashes into a secluded pool where you can swim and relax in the heart of one of the purest forests on the planet. Swim, relax and sway in a hammock, take tons of photos, smoke a cigar, or write a poem. Listen to the talking forest hum, chirp, and sing. Become one with nature.
After your workout at the waterfall, the tummy starts to growl. No worries! Next stop is an eco-restaurant high in the Panamanian hills where they offer a variety of meals and drinks. You don’t have to limit yourself now because the rest of the trip is regular roads (although these feel a little more dangerous!)
After lunch you find yourself at another photo opportunity at the rim of a crater, an extinct volcano, where you can view the village of El Valle de Anton and your hotel way off in the distance at Playa Blanca.
A short drive later and you will be shopping at the open air market in El Valle where you can find hand crafted treasures and locally grown produce.
Then begins the journey back to the hotel where the realization sets in of what you just accomplished. But you aren’t done yet!
The staff of Jungle Jeep Adventures has a parting gift for you – a specially marked T-shirt to show off to the world where you’ve been and what you’ve done.
And then it’s time to say good bye – for now! You’ve have just developed new friends at Jungle Jeep Adventure and you will have plenty of photos to help you remember them.