If you’re driving or hiking around Santa Fe, you may benefit from some of the new signs that my husband organized to be constructed to mark the waterfall trailheads for hiking near Santa Fe National Park. I’m so proud of him for organizing this – even though it doesn’t directly benefit us.
So here’s the story.
Over Carnavales, which is the five days before Ash Wednesday in Mid February this year, we were super busy. We’ve had guests go out hiking before and not find the waterfall they were looking for. However, over carnavales we had two great Panamanian ladies who wanted to go exploring and hiking – and when they got to Alto de Piedra, where one of the waterfalls is in the National Park, down a trail that leads off from the road, people wouldn’t tell them which path to take, saying that they needed to hire a guide.
I can understand that you hire a guide to give an enriched experience. We do this in our tours. Our guests enjoy this. And we do it proudly. (And I guarantee you will have a better experience for going out with us). Now, maybe these people were visitors to Santa Fe themselves, and just didn’t know… BUT you don’t hire a guide for directions to a public location. Giving those directions is just part of being human.
So, my husband, Celestino, went to talk with ANAM, the natural resource management agency that manages Panama’s national parks. He got permission from ANAM to put in signs and talked them into throwing in sign supplies, talked with the local tourism coop, and now there are signs marking the trailhead locations and directions to some waterfalls.
I love that he did this. I will post a picture tomorrow!
Do you like that he did this? Want to help? Stop by and let us know!