Mercado Artesanal

El Valle


El Valle is home to one of Panama’s largest handicrafts market. Indigenous Ngöbe-Buglé people, along with a sprinkling of Emberá and Wounaan, bring a variety of handicrafts to sell to tourists (most of whom are Panamanians from the capital). If you’re self-catering, the market also stocks a good selection of fresh produce. Sunday is the busiest day.

A popular item sold here is the batea, a tray carved from a local hardwood and used by the Ngöbe-Buglé people for tossing rice and corn. You can also find figurines, colorful baskets woven from palms, gourds painted in brilliant colors, 'real' Panama hats and birdcages made from cane.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby El Valle attractions

1. Butterfly Haven

0.24 MILES

One of El Valle's top attractions allows you to walk among up to 250 butterflies as they flutter by in a screened 'flight house.' Learn more about these…

2. Museo Histórico Padre José Noto

0.28 MILES

The most interesting exhibits in this small, very central museum divided into seven sections are the ones focusing on petroglyphs and ceramics produced by…

3. Museo Victoriano Lorenzo

0.44 MILES

The exhibits in the three rooms of this small museum east of the center focus on local history and the eponymous mestizo national hero. The most…

5. Zoológico El Níspero

0.68 MILES

About 1km north of Av Central, this zoo set in the forest is home to everything from tapirs and capuchin monkeys to jaguars and more than 50 species of…

6. Aprovaca

0.7 MILES

For the largest selection of orquídeas (orchids) in the region, visit this idyllic, not-for-profit garden east of the center, run by the local association…

7. La Piedra Pintada

1.28 MILES

Located in the northwestern corner of the valley, La Piedra Pintada is a huge boulder adorned with pre-Columbian carvings. Locals sometimes fill in the…

8. Chorro Las Mozas

1.38 MILES

The most accessible of the waterfalls around El Valle is Chorro Las Mozas, located about 2km southwest of town; you can reach it on foot from the center…