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Cerro Cara Iguana (also Cerro Cariguana) is a beautiful hike along the ridgeline of an extinct volcanic crater. The hike is located in the town of El Valle de Anton in Panama, the largest town in the world inside a crater!
Cerro Cara Iguana was one of our favourite hikes around El Valle. It has epic views over the town sitting on the bottom of the crater and across the rolling hills all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Except for a few other hikers at the summit, we had the trail all to ourselves.
There are a few different trail options to choose from, and a choice of which direction to hike in. You’ll want to read our guide to make sure you avoid a torturous uphill slog on a very steep and very boring 4×4 road! For some reason, this is the most popular hiking route but we don’t think it’s the best way.
In this hiking guide, I’ll share everything you need to know about hiking Cerro Cara Iguana in El Valle de Anton, including which trail option to take and which direction to hike in, trail stats, what to wear, and pack.
Cerro Cara Iguana quick facts
- ↔️ Trail type: loop*
- 🗺️ Trail map: AllTrails
- 📍 Trailhead location: in town
- 📏 Distance: 8.7 km (5.4 mi)
- 📈 Elevation gain: 570 m (1,870 ft)
- 🥵 Difficulty: moderate
- ⏰ Duration: 3 – 4 hours
- 💰 Entrance fee: free
*There is a shorter, alternative out-and-back trail which I’ll explain below
About Cerro Cara Iguana
Cerro Cara Iguana is one of the best hikes around El Valle de Anton. The trailhead is easily accessible from town and you get a great vantage of the valley from the summit.
Cerro Cara Iguana means Iguana Face Hill in English. I can’t say I really see the resemblance, but you look at the photo and tell me what you see?
This hike really illustrates that El Valle is a town sitting inside a crater. You are standing up on the tall rim looking down into the valley below, with mountains surrounding the town in a near-perfect circle.
The summit, Cerro Cara Iguana itself, sits at 898 m (2,946 ft), jutting right out over the town. It’s a tough slog to reach the peak, but so worth it for the views.
We loved hiking along the ridgeline of the crater, with the trail winding up and down the grassy hills, with epic views all the way to the Pacific Ocean in one direction, and down onto the town and surrounding mountains in the other.
Loop vs out-and-back option
There are two ways you can hike Cerro Cara Iguana:
- Loop trail (green on the map)
- Out-and-back trail (red on the map)
LOOP TRAIL 🔄
This is the option we took as we didn’t have a car, and we wanted to do a round-trip hike from town.
We had also read terrible reviews of people hiking 1 hour + up a steep gravel road, and that didn’t sound like a fun hike to us. We wanted to spend more time on the actual crater rim and less time on the road.
Being a loop you can follow it in either direction, but we recommend ascending to the ridgeline in the east via a set of stairs through the forest. You’ll save the boring road for the descent, which in my opinion is much easier!
You’ll follow the trail along the ridge, reaching the summit of Cerro Cara Iguana towards the end of the hike.
It’s then a quick descent through the forest to an old ranger hut and a slow walk down the very steep 4×4 road.
The trail on AllTrails recommends doing it in reverse, but I would NOT have wanted to walk up that road. It was a killer at the end going down with sore legs, but I much preferred ascending through the forest and finishing with the road.
If you’re doing the loop trail like we did and you’re following the map on AllTrails, do it in the reverse direction.
OUT-AND-BACK ↔️
The out-and-back trail follows the steep, 4×4 road up from town, has a short hop to the summit and then turns around and goes back the same way along the road.
These are the most common instructions you’ll see for hiking Cerro Cara Iguana, even for people without a vehicle, but it doesn’t seem worth it to me.
Why would you walk all the way from town on this steep, long, boring road, only spend about an hour on the pretty ridgeline and then turn around and come back the way you came? When you could instead spend so much longer on a scenic trail on the crater rim, instead of double-dipping on the road. If you don’t have a car, don’t do it this way.
I only recommend this if you have a car, e-bike or some other kind of vehicle or driver that can drop you off at the top of the road (or near it), so you’re not wasting your energy on a not-so-scenic hike.
From the top of the road where the official trail starts in the forest, it’s less than half an hour to reach the summit. You can enjoy the views before turning around and coming back to your vehicle on the road.
This is the out-and-back trail on AllTrails, but the map starts from the very bottom of the steep road. You can drive about 2 – 3 km further up the road if you’ve got an appropriate vehicle, which makes the round-trip more like 2 km (1.2 mi) which isn’t too tough at all.
The rest of this post will focus on our experience hiking the loop trail, which we think is the best option for anyone without a car/driver.
How to get to the trailhead
If you’re hiking the loop trail as we were, you can basically start walking from anywhere in town. You don’t need transport to the trailhead.
Even if you have a car or a bike, you won’t want to use it here as you won’t return to the trailhead. I know the trail is a ‘loop’, but there’s no reason to go back to the very beginning, you can finish the hike when you reach town after descending off the ridge at the other end.
The map on AllTrails starts from the main street, but you can pick it up from your accommodation. The actual trail through the forest starts at the end of one of the residential streets in the southern part of town.
Cost and opening hours
There are no fees to hike Cerro Cara Iguana and no official opening hours or entrance gate.
It’s not a hike you’d want to be doing in the dark as the trail is narrow in parts, and although you won’t get lost, we took a few missteps.
Do you need a guide to hike Cerro Cara Iguana?
No, a guide is not mandatory for Cerro Cara Iguana.
The trail is relatively easy to follow, and even in the areas where it is a bit confusing, you’ll quickly find your way again. I think it would be very difficult to get properly lost, as for the most part you are on an open ridgeline and can see your destination, the summit.
However, if you prefer to hike with a guide to eliminate any possibility of getting lost, there are fantastic local guides in El Valle de Anton. You can book a hike with Valley Guides.
What to expect hiking Cerro Cara Iguana
We had the loop trail pulled up on my phone on AllTrails and planned to hike it in the opposite direction.
We hit start on our Garmin watch as we walked out of our accommodation in the central area of town. We followed the main street for a while before turning south down the residential streets.
We actually got sidetracked quite early on in the hike as one of the streets was entirely closed and completely disappeared in parts while they constructed a new bridge! Luckily the streets are in an easy grid so we cut around the closed road.
We walked until the road ended and the forest coverage started to get thicker and thicker. We reached a sign marking the start of the trail (yay! I always love some confirmation we’re in the right place) and we saw a staircase winding up through the forest.
The first part was steep as we climbed the narrow stairs, which were quite muddy and slippery in parts. I needed a fair few breaks to catch my breath, but eventually, we emerged out of the forest and got our first glimpse of the grassy hills.
This was our first hike in El Valle de Anton and I was so excited to be up on the crater rim, amongst the rolling hills we could see from town.
We spent the next hour and a half trekking up and down hills, along the narrow ridgeline and soaking up the EPIC views. We stopped a lot for photos, and to simply take it all in.
Despite the weather being pretty temperate in El Valle, it felt super hot being up on the exposed crater rim in the beaming sun. We were both in shorts and singlets thankfully, so don’t overdress. It was very windy which was actually a welcome relief and kept us cool.
In certain sections of the trail, we were looking west towards the Pacific Ocean, and we could see all the way to the coastline. In the foreground were dozens upon dozens of grassy hills, it looked like a carton of eggs.
Then the trail would crest over a hill and we’d be looking down into the town of El Valle de Anton. Up to this point, we didn’t really comprehend the geography of the town being inside a crater, but from up here, we could really see it.
El Valle sat right on the bottom of the valley floor below us, and jagged peaks and rolling hills rose up around it in a nearly complete ring.
We made a few wrong turns here and there, but it was nothing we couldn’t correct quickly. There were multiple trails leading to the same place in certain sections, and we never strayed too far from the actual trail. If you follow the map on AllTrails better than we do, you’ll find it pretty accurate.
When we finally neared the summit, it was another steep down-and-up to get to the actual Cerro Cara Iguana. It’s a narrow peak jutting out of over the town and it was worth the final incline to get there!
After many photos, we descended back into the forest, and in just 15 minutes we popped out near what looked to be an abandoned ranger hut. There was a sign marking the trail, and we were back out onto the road we had heard so much about.
It’s a partly paved, but very potholed road that is insanely STEEP! It might not look like it from the photos, but with tired, burning legs, going down on that decline is not what your legs want.
But, we were both so thankful that we were not having to go UP. I hate inclines, and I would have hated it even more walking on this boring road. It was quite foresty, but it was still a road and we had to move over for a few 4×4 vehicles on the way.
It took us almost 45 minutes to get back to town, walking backwards, sideways, crab-style to avoid the burn in our calves with the steepness.
After skulling a Gatorade and ordering some lunch, we sat and looked up at Cerro Cara Iguana, following our trail along the ridgeline. Feeling tired, but accomplished and ready for more hikes in El Valle! Next on our hit list was La India Dormida.
What to wear and bring to Cerro Cara Iguana
El Valle de Anton has a climate that can change quickly, so my best advice is to wear layers.
The Cerro Cara Iguana trail is mostly exposed, so it can feel quite hot if it’s sunny. It is usually windy up on the ridgeline, which may make it cold if it’s a cloudy day.
Some other hikers on AllTrails said they wished they wore pants for the grasses and shrubs on the trail. It didn’t really bother us, but the trail is narrow in parts so you’re brushing against grass and plants. It is overgrown in parts too as the entire loop trail doesn’t see that much foot traffic.
Hiking shoes aren’t necessary, but sturdy runners would be ideal. The trail is slippery and loose in places.
In terms of what to pack:
- 💦 Water
- 🍌 Snacks or picnic lunch
- 🌞 Sun protection (sunglasses, hat, sunscreen)
- ☔️ Rain protection (for yourself and your bag/electronics)
- 📷 Camera or charged phone
- 🗺️ Trail map pre-loaded on your phone
Planning a trip to El Valle de Anton
If you’re planning a trip to El Valle de Anton, the unique town inside a crater, don’t forget to check out our El Valle de Anton travel guide. It covers all the important info you need to know, like getting there, getting around, where to stay and other handy tips to get your bearings.
Final thoughts: Cerro Cara Iguana
We had a beautiful morning hiking Cerro Cara Iguana in El Valle de Anton.
It was our first hike in the area and we were both ecstatic with the views. We were reminded of how unique this town is and we loved being up on the grassy ridgeline. It was a landscape we were yet to experience in Central America.
I hope this guide has helped you plan your hike to Cerro Cara Iguana. Don’t forget to check out our other El Valle de Anton posts for more handy info and hiking guides.
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