AZUERO PENINSULA

We just got back from a weeklong road trip to the Azuero Peninsula of Panama.  Monica and Matt finished their second trimester exams at Academia Internacional Boquete and had the week off from school, so we decided to load up the car and venture out to two different surf destinations, Playa Venao (AKA Playa Venado) and Playa Cambutal.  Both kids have been in school since mid July, have been diligent with their studies and were really looking forward to this trip and a break from school.

We are certainly spoiled by California's many beautiful beaches with their soft white sand, and sometimes visiting coastal areas in other parts of the world can be a bit of a letdown in comparison.  Nonetheless, it's always fun to head to the coast and visit Latin American beach destinations, as they have their own unique charm.  Their black sand beaches with green tropical forest in the background, howler monkeys roaring in the distance, warm water, friendly people, and fresh seafood served under palapas, all add a special element to the Panamanian beach experience.  Top this off with bats outside of your bedroom, mini geckos on the walls, cane toads and tree frogs popping up everywhere, and eating freshly caught seafood and sweet tropical fruits each day, and you've got a beach experience different from most we would experience anywhere in the United States.  Our many activities included long walks along the beach, surfing, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, a trip to Laboratorio Achotines (a science lab dedicated to the study of tuna), and last but certainly not least, many great meals trying the local seafood.

We loved our 7 hour road trip from Boquete to the Azuero Peninsula, and as always, it's exciting to see other parts of Panama.  Not only is the Azuero Peninsula known for it's beautiful beaches, surfing, and fishing, it is also the mecca of many important cultural traditions and festivities in Panama.  Each small village or town seems to have its own special folkloric celebrations and crafts for which it is known.  Las Tablas is known for having Panama's famous Carnaval festivities, Parita and Villa de Los Santos are both known for their production of paper mâché masks, Arena is known for it pottery, and the entire Azuero Peninsula is known for it production of the pollera, Panama's national costume (intricately woven blouse and skirt) that is used for many of Panama's most special folkloric dances and celebrations.  We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the Azuero Peninsula and are hoping it won't be our last.

At the start of our 7-hour road trip, we pulled over on the side of the road and bought mamon chinos (Greg's new favorite fruit) from this cute couple.

Welome to Playa Venao!

Playa Venao is known as one of Panama's best surfing destinations.

Playa Venao is backed by lush tropical vegetation.

Taking a swim at Playa Venao felt great after our long car ride!

Monica and Matt having fun on the beach

Christina loved taking early morning beach walks and watching the surfers.  As you may notice, quite a bit of trash has washed up on the right-hand-side of the beach.  Unfortunately, the Panamanians have not found a way to effectively control this pollution, and it certainly takes away from the natural beauty of this area.

This small island sits right off Playa Venao.  It is quite picturesque!

We stayed at Eco Venao, a property set within over 300 acres of a reforestation project.  The accommodations ranged from camping, a rustic hostel with dorm beds, thatched huts on stilts, to furnished guesthouses.   All accommodations and the large thatched roof restaurant were connected by beautiful trails.  This is a view of Playa Venao from one of Eco Venao's many hiking trails.

This is a view of Playa Venao from Eco Venao's campsite.  There is a lot of development going on in Playa Venao, and it looks like several hotels and small resort communities are in the process of being built.  We feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit Playa Venao when we did, as this area is sure to look very different within the next 5 years.

One of the many hiking trails on the Eco Venao property

Christina loved hiking to this small waterfall on the Eco Venao property.

We couldn't pass up taking a photo of this beautiful parakeet hanging out with this dog.  The parakeet was clearly "The Boss" in the relationship!

Monica heading out to surf with the surf instructor 

Monica's surf session came to an end as a storm came up.  Here comes the rain...!  Panamanian beaches can move from being sunny to full blown thunder, lightning, and powerful showers within a matter of minutes.

I spotted 12 howler monkeys in these 2 trees and have never seen so many all at one time!  Unfortunately, I was not able to capture all of them in this photo, but if you look closely, you can spot a few.

 howler monkey

We did not stay at this hotel, but thought the view of Playa Venao with the pool in the background was quite stunning.

One of our favorite excursions was a visit to the Laboratorio Achotines, a lab engaged in the scientific study of tropical tuna.  Yellowfin tuna are caught in the waters off the Azuero Peninsula, tagged, placed in tanks, and their growth and development are closely monitored.  The tour was fascinating, and Greg, being a marine biology, was impressed by the work that these scientists are taking on.

The Laboratorio Achotines is one of the only facilities in the world to successfully breed tuna in captivity.  Their main breeding tank has a school of about 40 adult tuna that weigh up to 160 pounds.  These fish produce hundreds of thousands of eggs each day.  This is a microscopic picture of a newly hatched tuna larvae only 2 mm long.

A view of the bay from the Achotines Laboratory

This is a view of Playa Venao from the far end of the beach.  Christina loved taking long walks from one end to the other each morning.  Even though there is a lot of development going on at Playa Venao (predominantly in the middle section of the beach), as you can see from the picture, it's still possible to walk along the beach and have it all to yourself.

Monica and Matt enjoyed looking for shells, rocks and sand crabs in the late afternoons.

Eco Venao consists of over 300 acres of reforested land.  Christina went on a scenic horseback ride on the property.

Horseback riding at Eco Venao with gorgeous view of Playa Venao in the distance

The horseback ride ended at the beach.  My horse couldn't wait to jump in and drink the ocean water!

After staying 3 nights at Playa Venao, we started our 1 1/2 drive to the more remote Playa Cambutal.  Most of the drive was through beautiful country roads, such as this one.  Playa Cambutal is located at the very southern end of the Azuero Peninsula.  While making a couple of stops along the way to ask for directions, locals would say, "Playa Cambutal, that is FAR...!  Just keep driving, and it's at the other end of the world!"

We've arrived at Playa Cambutal!

a view of Hotel Playa Cambutal from the ocean

Playa Cambutal - just beautiful!

Playa Cambutal goes on forever, and it's possible to walk for hours without seeing a soul.

Matt loves being on vacation!

giant tree frog

We had a lot of fun surfing at dusk in the late afternoons.  Here's Monica at the end of a nice little ride!

Monica and Matt at the beach while the sun goes down.  Such a pretty time of day!

I loved riding the hotel bikes around Playa Cambutal!

Christina cherished her early morning walks along Playa Cambutal's endless beach - not a soul around and so incredibly peaceful!

Playa Cambutal on a sunny day

After walking along Playa Cambutal, you arrive at the small community of Los Buzos, with its pretty beach, a few small hotels, a couple of restaurants, and a line of pangas waiting to be used by local fisherman.

A view of the bay at Playa Los Buzos

Another pretty view of Playa Los Buzos

Christina loved horseback riding on Playa Cambutal.  Time to get back before the storm hits!

Cambutal

Playa Cambutal is known for its pretty beach, surfing, and FISHING.  On our last day, Greg and Matt had the opportunity to fish with a local "panguero", and Matt caught his first tuna ever!

Matt lining them up on the beach after a successful day of tuna fishing.  We were able to keep some on ice and bring them back with us to Boquete, and of course, had an amazing sushi dinner prepared by Greg!

After seven wonderful days on the Azuero Peninsula, it was time to head home.  Instead of backtracking along the coastal route, we decided to take a recommended shortcut through the countryside.  It was such a beautiful drive, with endless hills and palm trees abounding!

During our drive home we stumbled upon a group of monkeys alongside the road.  This howler just glared right at us.