Almost immediately after entering the forest, we were engulfed by the lush greenery on all sides. Could the writer of this journey please contact met at marjawestboeken{at}gmail.com? Not surprisingly we were completely ‘socked in’ as they say. Don’t come off as a tourist. That fork in the trail is interesting and almost as eerie as you described in. I hope my travels give you the motivation to set off on an epic adventure of your own. To get to the IL Pianista restaurant you can either catch the ‘Colectivo’, which will come through the main street. He was the only person we saw all day on the trail. We walked through the tunnel of vines and trees, keeping an eye out for Quetzals, snakes, howler monkeys, wildflowers and strange bugs and critters. Here you will begin the ascent of more than 2000 feet over the next three kilometers. Take me to the cloud forests because I love them. - Der Trail führt unten zwischen Weiden entlang. Answer while moving onwards but don’t give any personal info outside of your first name, or a made up name if you prefer. Look, you can believe me or not, but as firstly a guy, and secondly someone with some psychic sensitivities, that’s a bad dude. After we backtracked we found the right path. This was the final result from this epic little location. I’ve also researched it a lot, and it is even more plausible tat they died in an accident…. What was the air like when you got to the top? Help keep our trails and parks open during COVID-19 by committing to social distancing. After a few hours (slow photographer pace) we made it to the summit. Basically you think any farmer in Boquete is now a murderer. 4. I was especially struck by your comments about rainforest…like most folks when I travel to a peak I am looking forward to the view from the top…however, you’ve opened my eyes a little. Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. There are signs that say no hiking, but no one will stop you. Look, all over central and south America, well organised drug cartels (usually drugs) operate. How exactly is anyone making fun of the deaths of the two dutch girls? By the way … the accident happened downhill past the summit of the pianista. It is unbelievable the naivety of certain tourists who act as if they are in their own country, dressing in the most inappropriate way possible; in the city nothing will happen to them, but just get a little bit away from the civilization that the picture completely changes. Enfim, andar em grupo também super funciona, como moças andam por lugares que não conhecem, nunca foram no Panamá, também a senhora que elas(as moças) estavam hospedadas deveria no mesmo dia falar com a polícia, mesmo as moças não sendo nada dela, eu se alguém fica na minha casa e deveria voltar por volta das 16:00 horas e o cachorro voltou sozinha e as moças não voltaram, falaria com a polícia imediatamente, é isso, lamento tudo, porém fica a dica do Seth. They’re generally ruthless and indiscriminate when it comes to victims or violence. The trail leads you into a cloud forest, which essentially means at least half of the trail is inside the clouds. At that same moment a local came along exactly as you described in your story and disappeared as quickly downhill as he appeared. Realmente você deve se precaver. We did the hike today. El Pianista Trail is a 4.9 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Boquete District, Chiriquí, Panama that offers the chance to see wildlife and is rated as moderate. In the end there is longer elevation but other than that the hike in pretty easy. THE WEEKLY #196: IT’S BEEN 4 YEARS AS A TRAVEL BLOGGER, MY TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR: WHAT’S IN MY BACKPACK. I enjoyed the early parts of this hike with the beautiful hills on either side and the sounds of the river cascades to the right. 1. Length 4.9 mi Elevation gain 1,998 ft Route type Out & Back Hiking Forest Views Wildlife I don’t think you did from your post. Hi Seth, It is a murder drama. The funny part about this trail is that you enjoy all of the trees, vines, flowers, canyons, critters, and scenes on the trail and the viewpoint is just expected to be a blanket of white cloud. 3. Whereas I do observe flora and fauna as I walk any trail, my mind is focused on the peak and the view ahead…but reading your article made me realise that -as often it is in life- the journey can be as important and as good as the destination! As a traveler and adventurer, seeing this trail, I say with conviction that it was a completely reckless and extremely dangerous attitude for these girls to have ventured without a male companion. Hope to read more. Depending on the weather you can have a good view or just be in clouds the entire hike. The sides of the trail began to rise and before we knew it we were being dwarfed by the trail. In this case I took one look at the mud and having heard from other hikers and blogs not to go past the summit for a variety of reasons we headed back on down the same way we came out. Thanks for the guide! Olá pessoal, sou do Brasil, Brasília-DF. Thanks for your tips but I’ve been traveling the world for 4+ years now and use my intuition rather than the advice of online experts. Once we reached the stream it was such a magical little spot. 2. Your photos are breathtaking and gives me a better visual of what the two girls saw. Also, IF the other person any of us encounter on any trail moved away from us quickly, could not another explanation be that they want to get away from us quickly themselves because they fear us, or just wnat to get to the other end of the trail? Nobody knows the full story but it was certainly a botched job by the Panamanian officials and that is the part that will keep this case a mystery unless someone comes forward to explain what happened. It doesn’t take that much to take down two girls. Enjoy your next cloud forest….