Hiking The Plantanation Trail In Soberania National Park, Panama

Panama City can get quite crazy at times amidst the traffic and the urban jungle. However, the beauty of Panama is that you are never far from the jungle or an adventure. Just a 28km drive from Panama City is Soberania National Park. Inside the park, you will find several trails with one of the most popular being the 14km Plantation Trail.

PLANTATION TRAIL IN SOBERANIA NATIONAL PARK

The drive from Panama City takes about 45 minutes and you actually pass nearby the Panama Canal. Once you arrive at the parking lot (pinned on the map below for your reference), there are three great maps at the unmanned information station. These maps clearly show the different trails in the areas so you can understand where you are heading. It is possible to attempt some longer trails in the region. However, at 14km, the Plantation Trail is already a substantial walk for most people. Take note it is 7km out and 7km back not 7km in total. The entire hike took us about 3.5 hours. The terrain is a flat path almost the whole way and is easy to walk.

I didn’t have any expectations for a hike so close to Panama City and I was blown away by how awesome and untouched this area was just moments from the bustling city. The trail follows a river throughout the route and at times you can drop down to the river to explore.

Early on in the hike on the left-hand side of the trail, you can hear a waterfall. We dropped down to check it out and it was beautiful!

As we continued on there were many spots where I couldn’t quite believe how stunning and untouched the river and this jungle were. It is a beautifully maintained trail, perfect for relaxing and getting back in touch with nature, far away from the stresses of the city.

The Plantation Trail is quite flat and many people favor this track for mountain biking, which I would have definitely been keen to try. It connects with the Camino Del Cruces trail, which would be a good extension for a mountain biking route. However, possibly a bit of a stretch for most hikers as many are not looking to go further than the 14km trail as it is.

The wildlife on this trail was amazing. We saw countless frogs, spiders, insects, and interesting plants. However, we were even treated to Panama’s finest with a family of howler monkeys coming to inspect us, a sloth and a Capybara all making appearances. It really was an all-around experience with so many wild animals and amazing nature along the trail.

The end viewpoint is probably the only disappointing part about the trail. There really is nothing and you just turn around and head back. That’s fine because the trail is very interesting but a nice viewpoint or waterfall would have really topped off an amazing trek!

WHERE IS SOBERANIA NATIONAL PARK

Just 28km northwest of Panama City, Soberania National Park is a huge area. The Plantation Trail is pinpointed below. There is a parking lot and trail signs the whole trail so is definitely very easy to navigate.

ADVENTURE BAG FROM PLANTATION TRAIL IN SOBERANIA NATIONAL PARK

This is an adventure bag. It is full of trash. Every time I go on an adventure I collect one adventure bag full of trash. It’s my small way of saying thanks to mother nature for allowing me to enjoy her beautiful creations. If we have time to go on an adventure we have time to collect an adventure bag on the way back out of the trail once we have enjoyed the waterfall, the hike or the beach. Adventure hard!

HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT MY OTHER PANAMA GUIDES

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I hope you enjoy my guides and have a great time exploring Panama!