A guide to Boquete in Panama

Sandwiched between the screaming hot Caribbean coast and the Pacific coast in Panama (or Costa Rica), it’s ridiculously refreshing to land in the little, lush hillside town of Boquete. Finally I was able to wear that sweater again I brought along the way! 

Boquete is located at 2000 meters in the highlands of Chiriquí – right in the middle of both coasts – and its temperature is way cooler compared to other Panamanian hotspots because of the altitude. I personally felt really relieved to sleep without a fan or aircon for once. 

The volcanic ash in the region enriches the soil and thus creates the perfect, fertile climate for all of the coffee beans and fruits, veggies and flowers to grow. There are so many strawberries for sale in here! These are the strawberry fields of Panama indeed and its understandable that the area attracts lots of expats. 

Apart from getting your daily dose of vitamin fresa in here, get acquainted with landscapes full of dormant mountains, little rivers, cloud forests, hot springs, canyons and endless trails in between all of that… what’s not to like in here! The more than bearable temperatures make this area a hikers’ dream! 

All in all Boquete reminded me a lot about Monteverde in Costa Rica. If only because the activities – like hiking in the cloud forest, ziplining, coffee tours, birding (Boquete is an excellent place to spot the famous quetzal!), butterfly farm visit – are more or less the same over here. But when it comes to appearance, Boquete definitely beats Monteverde!

I mean, these colourful fellows are all around ↓

The city’s nickname “flower capital of Panama” seems about right. 

How to get there

Most of the buses reach Boquete via the nearby big town of David. David’s the hub from where to jump into the highlands. This city is nothing more than a dusty transit town, and therefore it’s surprising to see that with every kilometer/mile that you drive north towards the town of Boquete the surroundings start to feel more refreshing and lush. 

I personally arrived from Almirante (the hub from either Costa Rica or Bocas del Toro). Minivans will take you from Almirante to David for $8,- USD. From over there you take another bus to Boquete for $2,- USD. It may take you a little longer compared to a ride with those private shuttles (they drive directly to Boquete without stopping in David), but it’ll save you $15,- to $20,- USD. 

To and from David you can also easily take other (long distance) buses, for example to Santiago (the stop in between for Santa Catalina) or Panama City. David also has an airport in case you don’t want to lose time being on the road. 

What to do

There’s tons of stuff to do in Boquete. I stayed for a week and still had the feeling I’d only hiked a fraction of all the trails. I think you could make a new hike every day for about three weeks in here. 

I talked to a couple of locals and expats in here and figured out that these three trail below are (obviously arguably) the coolest ones to do in the near surrounding of Boquete!

Hikes

• The Lost Waterfalls Trail (also named the Three Waterfalls Trail)

The #1 hike in Boquete. This trail really is a crowd pleaser and with reason. Within the time span of something like three hours you can see three gorgeous waterfalls. In two of those you can even swim if you want, but brace yourself for icy-cold waters. My German hiking mate was brave enough to face it, but my body – still warmed up by that Caribbean sun – refused any Spartan methods. 

I would never recommend to do a hike on your own, but if you really have to, this seems like the one. I met quite some people (but not too many) along the way and my host as well said this hike was easy to do solo. 

The road can be muddy and you have to conquer big steps and boulders from time to time, so sturdy shoes come in handy!

• The Pipeline Trail

Another short, yet very satisfying hike!

This road leads – what’s in a name – along a water pipeline system that’s still functional. Really try to walk until you can no more, as there’s a magnificent waterfall at the end of the trail (hidden around a corner) flowing like a veil from the canyon. We hiked the round way trail within two hours. 

This trail is also famous for its gorgeous, green-and-red quetzales! The earlier you go, the more likely you’ll spot one. Personally, I didn’t saw any, but I did encounter some howler monkeys high up in the canopy. But even without spotting anything, this trail still is so much worth your time, if only because you walk passed a 1000-year-old tree.

My fellow German hostel mate Niklas and I hiked both The Lost Waterfalls Trails (the previous one) and The Pipeline Trail within 4,5 hours – in that order. However, I’d suggest you to start your (early) day with The Pipeline Trail and hike on to the waterfalls. If you still have the energy obviously. It’ll increase the chance of seeing a quetzal. The trailheads are something like a 20-minute hike from one another, but understand that the road goes up, so you better catch a ride to the second hike! 

• El Sendero de los Quetzales (The Quetzal Trail)

This trail is very intense, but if you start out here early in the morning, you might have a good chance of seeing (more) quetzales. Nope, again I personally didn’t see ANY impressive birds. I haven’t been lucky on the quetzales front, but ah well, it gives me a reason to come back to Boquete right? Perhaps you need a guide anyway for a better chance of spotting them. 

This trail leads along the upper part of the famous Barú volcano. Its highlight (apart from those birdies) is the mirador. It takes a steep 3 hour climb (by a fair level of fitness) to reach it. 

It had been a couple of weeks for me since I’d hiked such a steep trail and thought it was quite a long way up. Once – bloody finally! – at the top it was all cloudy… great. ↓ ?

And still, despite the steep hike up, the lack of birds (or probably the lack of my spotting skills) and the messed up view on the top, I’d recommend you to walk this trail. With all the moss, little river crossings (you see my hiking mate Joel crossing one in the pictures), small waterfalls, mushrooms and butterflies I thought it was quite magical.  

You can either return from the Mirador to the start of the trail, or you walk it all the way through to Cerro Punta. From over there it takes a while though to get back to Boquete. You first have to take another bus to David and next a second bus back to Boquete. It might take you an extra four hours all in all as seen from the Mirador, if you’re lucky. 

Butterfly garden + Boquete Bee

On the edge of town you’ll find this cute spot. At first it’s a bit confusing what it is that one can do in here, as this center is a not only a butterfly garden, but also a shop / cafe / yoga spot / honey tasting center.

Note that nothing is free in here, but fortunately prices aren’t breaking the bank either. For $10,- USD you can make a round through the little butterfly garden with a guide and for $7,50 USD you can taste something like twenty honeys with lots of funky flavours and textures :). The shop really is worth checking out as well. They sells some peculiar stuff in here, such as earrings made of old butterfly wings and honey wine. 

On top of that, I especially think that doing yoga in this place must be fun. How cool would it be if a butterfly would land on your hand while making that ‘warrior pose’! All in all you could really spend a couple of hours in here if you’re not in the mood for doing any outdoor activities. 

Climbing the basalt wall

I’m not much of a climber, but if you’re into this kind of stuff, you just HAVE to arrange a climbing trip at the basalt wall of Los Ladrillos! 

If you are heading to the Lost Waterfalls / Pipeline Trail / El Sendero de los Quetzales by either van or taxi you’ll pass this formation on the way. It’s on your left as seen from town. Ask your driver if he wants to stop there for a sec. It’s really cool to see the climbers go up that spectacular formation!

Thé sunrise at Volcán Barú 

Volcano Barú is with its 3722 meter the highest peak in Panama. On immaculate days you can see both the Pacific and Caribbean sea from its top; all in just one looong 360° view! As sunrise is supposed to be magical, many people hike the 4 to 6 hours trail to the top in the darker hours of the day.

I personally didn’t manage to do this hike, but some folks told me it was the highlight of their trip, so I’m gonna include it anyway. 

For $7,- USD you’ll be picked up around 11:30 pm at your ho(s)tel by one of the van services in town. The van will drop you off at the trailhead of Barú. Over there you pay the entrance of $7,- USD and walk in the dark ánd in the freezing cold for rest of the night. So note that you’ll need a headlamp, all the layers you can find in your backpack and something to keep your energy levels and spirit high. Mind that if you’re a fast walker, you do not necessarily win the game as you have to wait longer in the cold at the top. 

Telling by the look on the faces of travellers that returned from the hike, don’t plan anything else for the rest of the day! Also check how weather conditions will be like when you’re planning your hike. It may not be worth the ascension if its very rainy. I personally just lacked that kick in my butt for getting up at night, so hereby, just don’t miss out on it! 

The Coffee & Flower Festival 

Flowers are all around in Boquete, but in January you’ll find an incredible amount of them. Little did I know that I’d personally planned my visit to Boquete during its busiest festival of the year… La Feria de las Flores y del Cafe (or the Boquete Cofee and Flower Fair)!

At first I was slightly shocked to see the amount of people walking around town. “Is Boquete really thís popular?! Que horrible” I thought. But quickly I learned that each January the streets of this mountain town are flooded with thousands of tourists. Not just Panamanians like to visit the cute, little hillside town of Boquete, visitors from all over the world come here to taste the coffee and observe that flower galore. 

Read more about what to expect of the festival in here! 

Where to eat?

Sugar & Spice was my favourite place in Boquete and I basically could have eaten here 3x a day during my whole stay. Sugar & Spice is a little bakery / coffeeshop with lovely and reasonably priced (Reuben!) sandwiches, freshly baked croissants, muffins, ridiculously delicious pies and cookies, daily soups, smoothies, giant salads. Oh gosh, I want to go back already just thinking about it…

The atmosphere is relaxed and there’s both an indoor and outdoor area where you can enjoy your breakfast or (late) lunch. Just like anywhere in Boquete the coffee is superb and you can fill up your water for free in here as well! ↓

Note that it’s closed on Wednesday!

But there’s more! I wrote an article specifically about great & cheap eats in Boquete. In case you’re tired of all the pizza, pasta and the high tourist prices in town here are three more places to go! 

Where to stay?

There are lots of lodging possibilities in Boquete. I personally looked for accommodation for the smaller budget, ended up at Agaseke Lodge and simply loved everything over there. Laury the owner – a Panamanian from Bocas del Toro – was the best host ever. She was kind and very helpful and loved to think along regarding itineraries. Plus I liked that I was staying with a local in here, rather than an expat. Her daughter and nephew were giggling and running around the lodge; pretty cute. 

Agaseke has a really big garden in the front and in the back and a very long veranda, with space for every guest. ↓ The location of the lodge was at the western side of town. It felt secluded and at the same time it was only a 5 to 10-minute walk from the main square. 

Nevertheless, I’d recommend Bambuda Castle and Buena Vista as well. Read more about where to stay in Boquete in here!

That’s my little guide I made for you in Boquete. I hope it’ll get you going. 

Here’s where to find everything!