El Macho waterfall a big Panama thrill

El Macho is well worth the trip to Panama.

DATELINE PANAMA - This was the Panama I wanted to see - lush rain forests, volcanic mountains, endless ocean vistas, waterfalls, rare flowers and quaint vacation towns tucked away in dramatic tropical landscape.

It all came together for me early this morning when we pulled into the small tourist town of El Valle de Anton - think Muskoka with a Latin accent - that sits at the base of a majestic range of mountains known locally as the Sleeping Lady whose peaks are hidden from view most days by low hanging clouds.

Located within those lush mountains is El Macho, a beautiful waterfall that is the biggest tourist draw in this part of Panama - about 120 kilometres south of the capital Panama City.

You can zip line across the waterfall and lush jungle for about $35 dollars or just walk the tails leading to El Macho for only $3. Along that trail are rare plants, some wild creatures like golden frogs - one of rarest species in the world - and even a few square trees - honestly, the trunks are square.

We were welcomed at El Macho but a loud buzzing sound made by giant bees - think the 747 variety of the bee world. Insects like cockroaches that come in small sizes everywhere else in the world are super sized in Panama - the cockroaches here are as big as a big man's fist.

Panama, I'm quickly realizing, is an eco wonderland and El Macho is the big boy in this eco tourism world.