Chiriquí Province Places

Bambito

Rather than a town, Bambito is a series of farms and houses scattered along the serpentine Río Chiriquí Viejo valley on the western slope of Volcán Barú, between Volcán and Cerro Punta. Since the people who live in the valley do their shopping in nearby Volcán, it has almost no stores or other businesses—just a few hotels—so it lacks the kinds of architectural eyesores that dominate most Panamanian towns.

The valley's scenery seems to grow more impressive with each hairpin turn. As you drive northeast from Volcán, ever closer to the volcano, you suddenly enter the narrow valley and are surrounded by tall trees and sheer rock walls adorned with bromeliads and other foliage. Even if your destination is Cerro Punta, make a few stops to admire the suspension bridges spanning the boulder-strewn river, lush forest clinging to hillsides, wildflowers, and neat wooden farmhouses. Small farms line the road, and several roadside stands sell vegetables, fruit preserves, and fresh fruit batidos (smoothies). From December to April, the trade winds whip down the valley, keeping it cool, but it's still warmer than Cerro Punta. Bambito's forests and farms are full of birds, and Volcán's guides can help with bird-watching there.