Venado is a 3 mile long beach break, similar to Blacks Beach California, with long, pealing rights and lefts in front of the beach lodge. This spot catches just about every swell direction and it is rarely under 4' and as big as 15' faces with a good swell. On larger swells over 10 feet, it tends to close out and you have to surf the other spots close by. The ideal size for Venado is 6 to 8 feet at medium to high tide.

The tides fluctuate up to 16' between high & low tide creating a variety of conditions and strong tidal push. Venado is best at medium to high tide. The beach break tends to close out when it is over 6 feet swell during the low tide, however you can normally get some fun tubes at low tide. Low tide gets relatively shallow and hollow with steep drops and very fast walls.

Venado is a popular spot for local surfers from Panama City and the town of Chitre, so on the weekends it sometimes gets somewhat crowded with maybe 20 surfers in the water. However, the beach is very long, and there are several peaks, so you can always find a peak to yourself. During the week, there is normally no one in the water, so you have the place all to yourself. The other spots surrounding Venado are virtually un-surfed, except on rare occasions when a handful of surfers from Panama who know about these places make the trip to surf there. But normally you can surf those spots alone. There are no locals who surf in this area.

4 Night / 5 Day Quick Surf Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive in Panama (Tocumen), Guide picks up group at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City and transports surfers to Hotel in Panama City, where you spend the night (arrivals before 3 pm have option to go on city and canal tour at no additional cost). Surfers usually go out that night to clubs and see the city.

Note: If you arrive in Panama City before 1pm, you have the option to skip the Panama City portion and go directly to Venado that afternoon.

Day 2: Guide picks up surfers at hotel in the early morning and transports to selected hotel in Venado. Surfers unload their gear at the hotel, then go surfing. Hotel accommodations, Surf guide, and transportation included.

Day 3: Hotel accommodations, Surf guide, and transportation included.

Day 4: Guide transports surfers back to Panama City Hotel either early in the morning, noon, or afternoon. Surfers can see the canal if time permits, and go out in Panama City.

Note: If your flight back home on day 5 is scheduled for late afternoon or night time, then you have the option to spend all of day 4 surfing and avoid spending the night in Panama City. In this case, you would leave from Venado in the early morning on day 5 and be transported directly to the airport in Panama City for departure.

Day 5: Guide picks up surfers at Panama City Hotel and transports group to Tocumen International Airport for departure.

Note: - Additional nights can be added (per request in advance).

- Food and beverages are not included in package.

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Accommodations:

Luxury: There are no major hotels other than the surf lodge at Venado, so for those who want to sleep in a comfortable room with TV, Air Conditioning, inside bathroom with clean toilet and shower, then they have to travel to a town inland from the beach about 15-20 minutes by car. Accommodations include small air conditioned rooms with TV (local stations only) and clean inside bathroom facilities and showers. The rooms are located upstairs on the second floor of the hotel. The downstairs portion is dedicated to the restaurant. The rooms can come with two bunk-beds (for 4 people), one bunk-bed and one single bed (for 3 people), two single beds (for two people), or one double bed (for one person or a couple).

Meals are not included with the accommodations as there are other restaurants in the town within short walking distance. However, for those who wish to eat at the hotel, meals are taken at the restaurant/bar downstairs from the rooms and prepared using a variety of local and western dishes which may include beef, shrimp, chicken, or fish with a any combination of vegetables, rice, beans, potatoes, french fries, lentils, plantain, and salad. Hamburgers and sandwiches are also available. Vegetarian diets are also accommodated. Meals can cost between US$1.5 to US$3.

Standard: On the beach, directly overlooking the Venado beach break. Accommodations include small cabins with inside bathroom facilities and showers. Each room has two single beds. The rooms do not include air conditioning or fans, but the beach breeze is nice and cool. However, if you want to stay here, bring your mosquito repelent or mosquito net because in the rainy season the mosquito’s can be bothersome at night. There is also a large bohio/porch with an open bar/cantina, hammocks, chairs and tables overlooking the beach where people hang out during the day and night. The kitchen is attached to the cantina/bar on the corner with tables for eating. There are bathrooms and outside showers for those who stay at the surf lodge.

Meals are not included with the accommodations. Meals are cooked at the bohio kitchen and prepared using a variety of local dishes which may include fresh fish, shrimp, chicken, or beef with any combination of rice, plantain, fresh vegetables, lentils, beans, and french fries, and a traditional vegetable salad or local soup. Breakfasts are normally juice, coffee, eggs, corn tortillas, toast or fried bread (this is a local dish), and fruit. Vegetarian diets are also accommodated. Meals normally cost about US$1 - US$4.

Photo of Hotel/View Photo of Room Photo of Food

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Surf Tour Cost:

Tours of more than 4 people pay the same cost per person as tours of 4 people.

For more information on pricing. Contact us

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Other Breaks in the Area: There are a few additional breaks accessible from Venado by car. Some of these include:

Madrono - A sand bottom, fast and hollow left hander breaking close to the beach. Located North of Venado, about a 5 minute drive from the beach lodge, then a 20 minute hike through cow pastures and a few small creeks. This place gets slightly larger than Venado, and much more powerful. Must surf this place on medium to low tide. This place is known to have large sea turtles crawl up on the beach to lay their eggs. You will see a variety of rare birds, colorful fish and turtles at this secluded beach. You will never find a crowd here.

Ciruelo - A rock bottom right point break, breaking over a volcanic rock reef and reeling off of a shallow rock bottom reef for about a 50 yard long ride. Located South of Venado, about a 5 minute drive, no hiking. This place is usually about the same size as Venado, if not a foot or two bigger. You will never find a crowd here. Must surf this place on mid to low tide.

Destiladeros - A rock bottom right point break, breaking between at the peak between two large boulders and reeling down the rock bottom reef for a fairly long ride with various fun sections, tubes and a very shallow inside tube. There are also three other breaks within walking distance, one left and one right about 300 yards on each side of this point break plus a pebble bottom beach break that breaks rights and lefts with much more power than Venado. Located about 30 minutes south by car from Venado. This place gets double the size of Venado, but it can only be surfed on a swell, at least when Venado is over 6-7 feet. You will never find a crowd here. Must surf here between medium and high tide.

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Night Life:

If you stay at the Luxury Accommodations, there are a few cantinas in the town where the hotel is located. Other than drinking a few brewski’s at the local cantina (with a bunch of drunk local cow herders and fishermen), all there is to do is hang out with your buddies talking surf stories, watching surf videos and playing dominoes. There is also a park in the town, and a few ice cream shops, restaurants, a supermarket and a pharmacy.

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Communications:

There is a public telephone about 5 minutes down the road from Venado where you can call back home collect or using an international calling card (AT&T or MCI are accepted). There are no internet café’s in Venado. The closest town from Venado is about 15-20 minutes away by car and it is a small town, but it has restaurants, pharmacies, cantinas/bars, supermarkets, etc. The closest relatively large town (with Internet Café’s) from Venado is about 2 hours away by car. Generally, unless for a special request or emergency, our guests don’t leave Venado or the small town close by until it is time to go home.

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