Playa Venao was one of the places we wanted to visit while we are in this area. We had read about how it was discovered by the surfing community and was growing into quite a big destination with a lot of development happening. It's about 22km from Búcaro.
We set out nice and early as we had also heard the road was not great so who knew how long a 22km drive would be. Stops at construction points can take a long time here in Panama!
We drove through Tonosí which is about 12km away and our local go to shopping area. You can buy most of your basics but no dairy or nice bread. A case of Panama beer is only $13 so we go there a lot 😛!
We continued on and took the turn off for Venao. The road was definitely under repair. At one point we waited about 20 minutes for the oncoming traffic to be allowed through. The interesting thing was, they were black topping the road...but if there was an intersection or a bridge they skipped those parts. We still have not figured out the reason for that LOL. So we drove this patchwork of beautiful new road and gravel road all the way to Venao.
Didn't see too many birds along the way until this guy was ahead of us. We stopped and I got out and happily he did not fly away but jumped in the trees and then back on the road.
I had not seen this bird before this so was happy to get a semi-decent shot. Of course I have seen them since lots of times. My "lifer" list of birds is growing!
So we arriver at the beach. Another endless sandy beach with great surfing waves. We tried to find the restaurant that was listed as #1 on Trip Advisor for lunch but it was closed. So we went for the #2 restaurant, Coleos Cafe.
A little tiny shack kind of place which unfortunately didn't have a view but the food was amazing.
I love that a lot of places here paint the walls in vibrant bright colours.
So I chose the Falafel and Richard had a chicken Shawarma. Both were delicious and I almost forgot to take a picture..but here was mine...just in time. Couple of cold beers and we were happy.
We started a conversation with another man who was eating there and learned that he is a retired man from California, comes down here to surf for a few months and is looking at starting mountain biking tours here. I cannot imagine biking mountains in this heat but to each his own. So we learned from him that apparently this whole beach is being developed by Israeli's (hence the amazing middle eastern food) and they have huge plans. We saw the start of many hotels under construction and I presume thats why the road is being worked on too.
Personally it has already lost the appeal of Panama for me. There are other beautiful unspoiled areas to go that have small hotels and engage the local culture.
Beaches for miles however and if you are a surfer this is the place to be apparently.
We set out nice and early as we had also heard the road was not great so who knew how long a 22km drive would be. Stops at construction points can take a long time here in Panama!
We drove through Tonosí which is about 12km away and our local go to shopping area. You can buy most of your basics but no dairy or nice bread. A case of Panama beer is only $13 so we go there a lot 😛!
We continued on and took the turn off for Venao. The road was definitely under repair. At one point we waited about 20 minutes for the oncoming traffic to be allowed through. The interesting thing was, they were black topping the road...but if there was an intersection or a bridge they skipped those parts. We still have not figured out the reason for that LOL. So we drove this patchwork of beautiful new road and gravel road all the way to Venao.
Didn't see too many birds along the way until this guy was ahead of us. We stopped and I got out and happily he did not fly away but jumped in the trees and then back on the road.
 |
| Yellow Headed Caracara |
I had not seen this bird before this so was happy to get a semi-decent shot. Of course I have seen them since lots of times. My "lifer" list of birds is growing!
So we arriver at the beach. Another endless sandy beach with great surfing waves. We tried to find the restaurant that was listed as #1 on Trip Advisor for lunch but it was closed. So we went for the #2 restaurant, Coleos Cafe.
I love that a lot of places here paint the walls in vibrant bright colours.
 |
| Can you tell it's a surfers paradise? |
So I chose the Falafel and Richard had a chicken Shawarma. Both were delicious and I almost forgot to take a picture..but here was mine...just in time. Couple of cold beers and we were happy.
 |
| SOOOOOO GOOOD!!! |
We started a conversation with another man who was eating there and learned that he is a retired man from California, comes down here to surf for a few months and is looking at starting mountain biking tours here. I cannot imagine biking mountains in this heat but to each his own. So we learned from him that apparently this whole beach is being developed by Israeli's (hence the amazing middle eastern food) and they have huge plans. We saw the start of many hotels under construction and I presume thats why the road is being worked on too.
 |
| Here you can see the loads of gravel brought in, and in the distance one of the many new hotels. |
Beaches for miles however and if you are a surfer this is the place to be apparently.
It would be interesting to come back in a few years and see what it looks like. A kind balance of development and restraint would be good to see.
We headed home after a walk on the beach. It was HOT HOT HOT that day!
Thanks for stopping by!
Sue and her Sidekick
I love the murals on the wall of the eatery! Food looks delicious too!
ReplyDelete