Headed to Guadalupe

Headed to Guadalupe

We made it out of Panama City around 0930 and began our 9 hour road trip to Guadalupe. We navigated the well-paved roads without incident passing by many radar- wielding National Police. The speed varies between 30-100 km/hr. The weather was partly cloudy with occasional light rain.

We arrived in Guadalupe around 6:30 P.M., just about the time it was getting dark. Guadalupe is a tiny community nestled in the mountains near Volcan Baru. The hills are covered with many different agricultural crops and the high mountain peaks beyond are shrouded in a perpetual mist. We are here at the end of rainy season and right now there still seems to be a significant amount of rain that often takes on the form of heavy blowing mist.

Our hotel Los Quetzales is perfect for this phase of our adventure. It is located just outside of 2 national parks, Volcan Baru National Park and La Amistad National Park. The restaurant serves excellent cuisine at a reasonable price and has a descent variety of vegetarian selections. They have an organic garden here where they grow many of their own vegetables. The staff is friendly and very helpful. Our room is on the top floor of a 3 story lodge-type building. It is equipped with a kitchen, fireplace, patio and my favorite, a small lookout loft surrounded by windows complete with window seats. I have dubbed this room my secret hideaway. The lodge also has a spa which offers a variety of therapeutic modalities. Activities at the lodge include; guided or non-guided hiking, biking, birding, and horseback riding.