I had no idea what Eco-Adventure travel meant until I arrived at the Mamoni Valley Preserve in the jungles of Panama, about an hour and a half outside of Panama City, and the largest remaining unbroken stretch of rain forest (Mamonivalleypreserve.org). We learned all about rainforest preservation and stayed in these really cool two-level, open air bamboo sleeping huts, that had mosquito netting, showers and a composting toilet. Because there were no walls, we had a few visits from some curious monkeys during the night!
One of the first things they told us when we got there was to beware of the “3 Step Snake”. Pretty self-explanatory. If you’re bitten by one, you take about three running steps before you die! They’re rarely seen, but while you’re hiking you have to keep a fierce eye out just in case. It’s the jungle after all. It’s their home and we’re just visiting.
We had amazing hikes through slippery clay trails to beautiful hidden waterfalls where we had lunch, swam, and jumped from the top into the river below. We climbed through rugged rainforest to incredible raging rivers and kayaked down peaceful streams. I completely trashed my hiking shoes- RIP Nikes! But it was worth it.
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