SantA Fe

May 16, 2025

El SaltoThe last stop on our 12 month worldschooling adventure was Panama.  We spent about a month in Santa Fe, a small town about 5 hours from Panama City.  During that month we took side trips to El Salto, a remote cabin in the jungles two hours walk from Santa Fe and to Calavebora, a beach town on the Carribean side about an hour and a half drive from Santa Fe. 

After what seemed like forever we have finally gotten back to slow travel again.  We are holed up in a gorgeous three bedroom house about a 15 minute drive from the town of Santa Fe.  We found it as part of the "People Like Us" home exchange group we belong to.  The owners split there time between Michigan and Santa Fe and happened to be in Michigan when we reached out.  

The house is amazing and we've really just be enjoying our time there, cooking, playing board games and having the kids finish up their academic school year with Pathways Charter.  They also have a cute dog named Gracie who we volunteered to take care of while we were there which the kids loved.  They also had two cats, but since Francesca is allergic, we kept them outside. 

We also spent time swimming at the various watering holes nearby and riding the horses that the owners have on their property.  

There are a few restaurants in Santa Fe that appear to cater to tourists - at least it doens't seem that many locals frequent these places. They are not always Panamanian fare, but all are decent and should be checked out if you are looking for slightly less local establishments in which to eat during your stay.  Click on the below links to see our restaurant reviews for each. 

There are also a number of fondas which are small, local eateries or food stalls that serve affordable, home-style Panamanian meals — kind of like a roadside diner or cafeteria for the everyday person.  We went to one called Fonda Sebastian located in the Santa Fe bus terminal and it was exactly what we expected - limited, local menu at super affordable prices.  We had the chicken dish, the meat dish and the soup.  The meal for 5 plus drinks (juice and bottled water) was only $21.

Back in Santa Fe we signed up for what we thought would be a relaxing river tubing experience on the Santa Maria River — Panama’s third largest. The kids had never been tubing before, but I used to do it all the time in college. (Any Bucknellians remember those lazy drifts down the Susquehanna, cooler of beer in tow... maybe some recreational extras? Not me, of course!)

So I pictured a calm float with the family — minus the beer and bad decisions. But this is Panama, where the definition of “relaxing” apparently includes a few legit rapids and a looser approach to safety. When the water picked up speed, Francesca and I exchanged some nervous glances…

But we needn’t have worried — the kids had an absolute blast (and honestly, so did we). I was the only one who fell out of my tube. Naturally, there’s video below. Watch 'til the end.

The above is a compilation of just the white water clips.  Below is a bit longer video of the whole experience. 

My family decided to sit this one out so I went solo up El Tute.  From what I had read it was the best mountain to hike if you were only going to choose one.  

There are a few ways you can go - all described in this Santa Fe tourism website - but I chose the 7.75 mile loop trail that boasted a 2,500 ft altitude gain. 

The way up was steep - sometimes very steep - but the trail was wide (mostly a dirt road) until it veered off into the forest which was teeming with colorful butterflies, crickets and beetles. 

After the forest was the open ascent to the summit.  It was super windy, but not too cold. 

The way down was tiring as I was gassed and my slick sneakers slipped a few times on the loose rock dirt road causing scrapes on both arms. 

Santa Fe was the perfect way to unwind as we wound up our yearlong trip. And we are looking forward to our final four days in Panama City with a hotel and a lot of fun city activities.