It has been quite a lot of airplane and airport time the past month, so it is time to get out and hit a hiking trail. This time we decided to head to the Parque Nacional y Reserva Biológica Altos de Campana, which is about 80 km west from the city. It's a smooth 1h20min drive out on a Saturday morning.
I did my homework and did a bit of research and found out that we have to book to go our spot with the Ministerio de Ambiente. I sent out an email on Tuesday for a hike on Saturday, but never received any reply. But we decided to go ahead and head there anyway and we shall see what will unfold for us. The road up to the entrance of the park is filled with nurseries selling beautiful plants with the backdrop of the mountains. It is quite impressive! A bit of a hump as we arrived, as expected. Since we were not registered guests, we were asked to go to the MiAmbiente office 3 km back to the road where we just passed. It was a smooth 3-minute conversation to explain to the officer and then up we went back to the park entrance with a small note to pass to the officer at the gate.
We were warned to take the easier kid-friendly trail, as opposed to the Sendero La Cruz, which is red-rated trail. But you guessed it right... we took the Sendero La Cruz, anyway. We figured the kids are quite experienced-hikers as they have been to many trails in South Africa and the Reunion Island. So let's give the Panamanian trail a try.
I think the trail does deserve a red-rating in the rainy season. Or according to L, "it's dark-red rating in rainy season, and on the day like we went today the rating would be a yellow". Fair enough. My Apple Watch shows a total time of 2h15min, distance of 3.7km and elevation gain of 265 m. Mind you we did take time to make sure the kids are well adjusted to the trail and took a long break at the top, the highlight of the hike.
Personally, I love this trail and will definitely come back again to try the other trails in the area. Due to the altitude, the temperature is very comfortable and is perfect for a late(r) hike (we started at around 11:00).
All in all, this is a perfect day trip to enjoy a nature hike. Gorgeous weather, stunning view, clocking in some good amount of steps, and breathing in the healthy forest biome. My definition of a perfect Saturday!
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