Post - Everyday Travel Guides

by Rebecca Hollman
updated June 15, 2020

Cerro Chame Hike - Chame, Panama

El Valle de Anton, mostly shortened and called just El Valle, is a cool mountain town a short drive away from Panama City. Known as an outdoor adventure spot, it draws a big crowd of Panamanians from Panama City who want to come play in the mountains for the weekend. The town itself is located in a volcanic crater, with the ridges and peaks surrounding it in all directions. These leads to tons of epic hikes just steps away from the edge of the town. Besides the hikes in the town, there are a handful of good hikes that are day trips away. One of these hikes is Cerro Chame - located less than an hour away in the town of the same name. This hike is an awesome sunset adventure and gives some pretty epic views of the surrounding valley and also the coast.

Table of Contents

About This Hike

This moderately strenuous hike starts out following a mellow dirt road (marked Quebrada Jose Arauz on the map below). Eventually the road starts to ascend and eventually the trail cuts sharp to the left leading the road - you might have to duck under some barbed wire here. We missed the trail turnoff originally, and then back tracked when we realized our mistake and saw it easily the second time. This part of the trail is under the cover of trees for a little bit before it opens up and you can see the mountain and the surrounding land in all it’s entirety. The trail continues to ascend until you reach the summit (the cross) at 500 meters above sea level. The mountain is actually more a cluster of peaks and you can follow the trail to the different summits, although doing so makes your total round trip roughly 13 kilometers in total. If you continue a little bit past the cross, you can see the ocean and also Malibu Beach below.

Trail Info

This trail has multiple end-point destinations so trail length can differ. The true summit is 3.4 kilometers from the dropped pin below. However, you can keep following the trail to multiple further peaks. If you take the trail to the last point and back, the whole hike could be 13 kilometers in total. The total elevation change to the true summit is 700 meters, more if you go to the final peak. It’s approximately 2 and a half hours from the dropped pin to the cross at the true summit.

Getting to the Trail

To get to the trailhead from the Pan-American highway from Coronado, turn right at the Delta gas station. At the end of the short road, turn left. Drive through the neighborhood until you leave the asphalt road and turn right onto the gravel road. You will see a sign that says Hogar Monte Carmelo. Next, turn right at the very large sign that says “Maduro Tropical Gardens”. There is another sign that says “Hacienda El Itsmeño” on a tree on the left side. When you see a long row of hedges ahead, turn left before the hedges. You will approach a sign that says Reforestation Chame. Park there along the road.