Hillside Trails, Ocean Views, And A Wishing Bridge

My first weekend back at Los Islotes I hiked our Caminos De Los Islotes for the first time. These were finished while we were away for the holidays.

Here is the approach…

A view of Caminos de Los Islotes, a trail in Panama — LIOS

We have marked three trails up the hillside of the point of land between our two beaches. You set off on one path…

That diverges into three, each of differing difficulty. The views along the way in each case are of the Pacific Ocean below…

The third camino is the most challenging. You need good shoes and strong ankles to make it up this steep slope. The trail ends at Guandi’s Point. The views from this special spot are worth the climb…

Caminos de Los Islotes, Panama. The trail ends at Guandi’s Point. — LIOS

I traversed the point for an hour, identifying where to place benches so fellow hikers can linger to appreciate the peace of this place.

At Guandi’s Point, we’re preparing to erect a small pagoda. I stood where it will go. Yes, I confirmed, that’s the vantage point we want to showcase.

For me, descending this hillside is more challenging than the climb. Finally back at ground level, I had a choice to make—Playa Sol to the left or Playa Cascajilloso.

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This coast sees four tides every 24 hours. The sweep from one to the next is dramatic. The highest tide of the day was in, meaning Playa Sol wasn’t an option unless I was up for a swim. So I turned right, around the point, as the sun continued its climb for the day…