PANAMA ENDURO TOURS
Links to some videos of Enduro riding in Panama
I get a call one day from a friend, come riding I have the bikes lets go ride some trails, I was a little apprehensive as my idea of getting out is exploring the mountains on a cheap Chinese 200cc dirt bike, I knew he had something a little more performance orientated.
I knew Kieron from his diving days, we had dived sea mounts and reefs out at Coiba and he had now decided to start up a small venture running endure tours on the extensive trails and tracks in The west of Panama.
I felt a little apprehensive but turning down an opportunity like this was not an option so on the day I arrived at 8.30am ready to give it a go.
The riders for the day were to be Kieron with seven years of enduro training, Carlos a tour guide from Boquete, for whom this would be his first time off road, Martin whom was a really good Enduro rider with years of experience then myself.
Although I had a few years of riding dirt bikes off and on road, it was never something that I had taken too seriously, The only gear I used for safety was a Helmet and some work boots, I had never raced and tended to go at my own pace. This was to be the first time with all the safety kit.
We got changed in the purpose built change room, by the time the special socks, knee pads, trousers, padded jacket, boots and helmet were on I felt an bit like the Michelin man, though it all looked pretty cool, I have to admit.
We had an informal chat about the tracks we would be riding, with some really good tips to help control the bikes and things to look out for. Then we got the introduction to the bikes themselves, Husqvarna TE250I fuel injected 2019 latest model machines, which were brand new. They are built super light and as I was to find out they are pretty powerful.
We got going by 9.30am on sealed roads headed for Caldera, the route took us over the mountain at around 1000 meters altitude with some spectacular views, the road giving way to dirt, then we dropped down into the village of Caldera itself. The bikes were fast and responsive, they were also surprisingly easy to ride as long as you did not get crazy with the throttle, Carlos seemed to be doing really well for his first time off road, he was not having too many problems controlling the bike.
With all the safety kit it was warm even at this altitude, getting cold was not going to be a problem, Caldera brought the sealed roads again and we continued up the valley headed to the upper Chiriqui river canyons.
The plan was to follow the valley of the Rio Chiriqui up to the Fortuna dam on one side of the river, then cross the dam to descend a second track back to Caldera. In enduro terms this was a novice trail, but I had ridden it before on my bike and it had its challenges.
We turned off the sealed road at 400 meters altitude and climbed upward on a loose dirt road, the views unfolding before us. Although this area is heavily developed for hydroelectricity it still retains its wild beauty, the mountains ahead of us were the centre of the country, the spine so as to speak, they are still untamed and home to many wild animals. I have seen white faced monkeys, wild dog tracks, Jaguar and Puma footprints and coatis among other animals up here. The river in the canyon itself although controlled by the dams, can still produce world class whitewater kayaking and is home to a few paddle blades, paddles and other sundry pieces of gear I have lost playing there.
We crossed a long suspension bridge over the Rio Chiriqui, built over a small canyon, before climbing upward to the village of El Silencio, (The Silence) and we were not that silent.
We climbed steadily upwards, for now the climate was still dry the track was steep and rough, we climbed through trees and scrub before breaking out into pastures on the steep mountain sides. The view from this point at 800 meters above sea level was amazing, we could see all the way down into the gulf of Chiriqui some 60 kilometers distant over the lowlands, the surrounding mountains above to the north west are fully forested, the trail was giving us its best face.
we continued to climb upward, coming to a bit of a lump, I decided it would be good to open it up a bit and get a little jump in, this was the first of two crashes where I underestimated completely the bike. Opening the throttle wide, yes the bike took off alright, problem I was completely out of control. I came down hard on my left hand side, the gear worked well though, I was more worried about the new bike to be honest which turned out to be virtually unscratched. Luckily no real harm was done so we continued on.
Carlos ahead of me had a small run in with the ground, as now the climate had turned wetter and the going more slippery, again the gear did its job and he was unhurt.
We were learning the hard way to respect the machines.
I was glad when we reached the dam itself as I was needing a bit of a break by this time, we were able to eat fruit and some Empanadas which were being sold by locals.
The temperature was cool up here, the mist was descending sporadicly and it was lightly raining, the lake looked dark with the winds blowing over its waters.
The Fortuna Dam was built in the early eighties, it was completed in 1984 after ten years of construction, in 1994 it was further raised to a full 98 meters that is its present height, the water drops through tunnels some 5 kilometers to the turbines, and then passes through a further 10 kilometers of tunnel, before re-emerging in the Rio Chiriqui. This colossal engineering project produces up to 30% of Panamas energy needs, and stands at around 1000 meters above sea level.
Like it or hate it I admit the project has been a great success for the development of the country and is an impressive engineering feat.
We continued across the top of the dam and entered another track which descends the other side of the canyons of the Rio Chiriqui. Now we were descending steeply on the gravel dirt track, it was difficult to keep the bike moving slow enough, first gear, front and rear brake and a lot of skidding proved my lack of experience.
The second of two crashes occurred when I saw a perfect rise on the road to get airborne, again opening the throttle wide, the front wheel rose over my head and I exited off the back seat, unfortunately I had my go pro off and did not get it on video.
Again the bike was undamaged and myself also but I was learning to respect this machine though.
Further on the track became less travelled and steeper, it became more challenging to control the bikes on the long descents. Here I managed to lose my Go Pro, having not brought a helmet mount I was putting it in my jacket using the mini tripod, it worked well but finally bounced out on the downhill section, Luckily Martin noticed it and after a half hour of frustrating searching we were able to find it. After passing through a couple of gates we came out at a small river crossing which proved easy enough with the low water levels, this avoided having to cross on the rustic walkway suspension bridge over the deep quebrada (creek). Here there is a small village of only a few houses at the head of the lower valley, which I knew well as the kayak put in of the upper Rio Chiriqui. From here the riding became easier as we made the final descent to the sealed road at 400 meters altitude. We now headed towards home, using a trail that follows the Chiriqui river on its south side and comes out at the hot springs at Caldera. By this stage I was thinking a short soak in those thermal waters would go down well, but the day was getting short. The ride back to Boquete was straightforward passing by a lake at close to sunset, with some Wonderfull views of the province.
We got back to the Panama enduro tours centre before dark after having spent an incredibly eventful day, we covered close to 100 kilometers of roads and trails, most on the dirt.
Although this is probably not for everyone, it helps fill a void for those whom are looking for something a bit more adventurous and it allows you to see another side of Panama not so easily accessible but well worth the trouble to explore.
If you want more information contact:
Kieron Baudains at Panama Enduro Tours
www.panamaendurotours.com
+(507) 6974 7722
Boquete
Panama
