Adventuring in the Mountains of Boquete, Panama

Boquete (pronounced boh-KET-ay) is a small-ish town tucked away in western Panama surrounded by the Chiriquí Highlands and comprised of coffee plantations, forests, and the Barú Volcano National Park. It is paradise for adventure-seekers and nature lovers alike, and even more so for bird watchers.

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In recent years, Boquete has also become a popular retirement location for ex-pats. It is a welcoming community full of friendly folks and things to explore — all for a very reasonable price tag. I was on the fence as to whether to include Boquete in my travel itinerary for Panama, but could not pass up the opportunity to visit the coffee farms and experience the outdoor adventures. I am so glad we went for it!

Above photos: Boquete Town Center

Read my complete post on our full 9-day itinerary for Panama here.

If you are considering a trip to Panama and possibly spending time in Boquete, I would absolutely vouch for this place. Whether you have just a couple days or a couple weeks, the area boasts so many outdoor experience opportunities, the only draw back will be having to choose.

How to get to Boquete

Boquete is accessible by car, bus, or plane. From Panama City, it is roughly a 7-hour drive (about 300 miles) via bus or car. From San Jose, Costa Rica, the Tracopa Busline can get you there in about 7 – 8 hours. However, the easiest way to get there is by flying into the nearby airport of David from Panama City via regional jet on Air Panama.

The David airport is located about 45 minutes west of Boquete. You can either rent a car here or have a cab drive you. We took a cab. However, if there was one thing I would change about our trip, it would have been to rent a car. There is no Uber service in Boquete and the cab drivers all use the What’s App app for ride requests. We found the whole thing a bit tricky and stressful, even though Boquete is a very safe and tourist-friendly little town.

View of the mountains in northwest Panama

Above photo: Aerial view of the mountains in northwest Panama

If you happen to be coming from Bocas del Toro, the Hello Travel Panama Shuttle to Boquete is a very safe and popular way to make this relatively short journey. The shuttle is a comfortable, air conditioned mini bus. It stops at a rest stop mid way so you can use bathroom facilities, grab a snack, and stretch your legs. The drive winds through the mountains and up-and-down the hills. The whole thing costs $30 per person and takes about 4 hours.

Where to stay in Boquete

Boquete is not a fancy place with a plethora of luxury hotel offerings. Most of the accommodations are independent properties. While I was going about my own research, I came across a few options that looked ideal based on location and dining options.

Hotel Panamonte is centrally located and situated on the Caldera River. They have parking, on-site dining, and an area shuttle. It frequently sells out during peak periods (as it was for us), so be sure to check your dates and reserve well in advance.

We also read and heard good things about Los Esablos Resort. This all-inclusive property is located in a regional park just outside of Boquete. It has more amenities than other hotels, such as a full service spa, which might be ideal if you are looking to relax and unwind. Because of our packed agenda, we would not have had time to truly enjoy this property, so we opted to save our splurge for later in our trip.

We stayed at the Boquete Garden Inn Hotel just outside of the main drag. The property was gorgeous. Really, really gorgeous! True to it’s name, the gardens were so pretty and very well cared for. The staff has thoughtfully planted the trees and flowers to attract winged creatures of all kinds. We loved sitting on the terrace at breakfast and watching all of the birds visit the feeders.

Above photos: Boquete Garden Inn Hotel

What to see and do around Boquete

There are so many great adventure tours available from Boquete. I highly recommend visiting the following sites to peruse the options. Since we only had one full day, we had to make some tough choices.

If PTO days were a non-issue, we would have stayed at least another day to do some other guided hikes or the white water rafting. Our top choices were a coffee farm tour and the Hanging Bridges Hike with Tree Trek.

There are a number of different coffee farms and coffee tours to choose from. After doing a bit of research, we decided on Finca Dos Jefes. The owner, Richard, is an ex-pat who not only produces some of the best coffee in the region, but he is also advocating for serious changes in coffee farming economics in the region. He has developed a passion for coffee hand-in-hand with a genuine care for the indigenous people of Panama who own and work the farms. We learned so much from Richard in the morning we spent with him. The nicest guy and the most informative time spent.

Finca dos Jefes

Above photos: Coffee Farm Tour at Cafes de la Luna, Finca dos Jefes

We had a quick lunch in Boquete in between tours. Next up: the Hanging Bridges Hike with Tree Trek. These folks will pick you up in Boquete in their little safari bus and give you a ride up to their adventure park. The hike is a circuit of 6 trails combined with 6 suspension bridges of 4.5 kilometers of travel over the tropical cloud forest of Panama.

Our guide, Louis, was fantastic! There is no way we would have been able to identify the flora and fauna on our own. We even saw a quetzal peeking out of his nest – an incredible sighting of this rare and elusive bird.

I highly recommend the Hanging Bridges Hike. It had been described to us as a “nice nature walk.” But, it was a bit more challenging than that. Thankfully, we paused several times throughout the hike so we could catch our breath and rest our legs.

Hanging Bridges Hike
Hanging Bridges Hike
Hanging Bridges Hike

Above photos: Hanging Bridges Hike

Where to eat in Boquete

I am certain that I cannot provide an exhaustive list of all of the great restaurants in the area. However, there were a few names that repeatedly surfaced in my reading that I am happy to pass on. Had we been in Boquete longer, I would love to have tried these personally. Alas, please drop a note in the comments if you had any recommendations to add!

The Rock: Just outside the main drag in close proximity to the Boquete Garden Hotel. Advance reservations recommended.

T’ACH: The restaurant located at the Panamonte Hotel and reportedly one of the best in town for traditional Panamanian cuisine. You do not have to be a guest to dine there, but advance reservations are recommended.

Our first dinner in Boquete was at Ngadri Cocina Panamena. This restaurant was such a surprise! Tucked away down a quiet little side street, it is rather unassuming from the outside. We were seated on the patio, open to the fresh air and beautiful park-like gardens. The menu offered Panamanian dishes made with locally-sourced ingredients, as well as some interesting cocktails (yes, of course we did!).

Ngadri Cocina Panamena

Above photos: Ngadri Cocina Panamena

I don’t know how common it is, but the restaurant also had live entertainment. We thoroughly enjoyed the young dancers who performed a series of Panamanian folk dances in traditional costumes. They were precious and so fun to watch!

Ngadri Cocina Panamena

Above photos: Young folk dance performers at Ngadri Cocina Panamena

Our second dinner in Boquete was at Butcher Chophouse, at the recommendation of our hotel. The food here was so good! Our steaks were perfectly cooked. They brought out a flight of six different types of salt with our steaks. I know this sounds weird, but I love my different types of salt – pink, black, flake, sea, etc. So, I was in heaven seasoning up each bite with a different type of salt. Butcher is a cozy, intimate restaurant with rustic decor and wonderful ambiance. Great dining experience here to end our stay in Boquete.

Above photos: Butcher Chophouse

A few other notes

I feel compelled to share a few other little notes that may or may not help the tourist community.

First, going back to the cab thing, it is not unusual for cabs to pick up multiple fares at the same time. It is a bit like a ride share. A driver may ask you where you are headed before deciding if it is in the same general direction of someone s/he may already have in his/her cab. The first time it happened to us, we were really uncomfortable. But, as it turns out, these guys are just maximizing their time and mileage. Also, cabs are not metered. So, just ask before getting in so there are no surprises at the end of the ride.

Next tip, stick to the path and mind your guide. I’m not aware of anything sinister, but Panama is not as far along as other countries when it comes to posting warning signs and securing dangerous areas. I was amazed at the things our guides spotted that I would have never seen otherwise — this goes for the good stuff (spotting the critters) and the bad stuff (imminent danger). There is plenty of self-guided tourism and things you can do on your own. For the hikes and activities that require guides, there is usually a good reason for it.

Finally, timing matters. Boquete experiences some pretty significant swings in rainfall. The dry season lasts from mid-December to mid-April, and the rainy season lasts from mid-April to mid-December. We were there mid-April and completely lucked out with the weather because it really could have gone either way at that point. Plan and pack accordingly and be prepared for those tropical rains which make this area so lush and vibrant.

Above photos: The lush flora in Boquete

Thank you for visiting and reading my post! To read my complete post on our full 9-day itinerary for Panama, please click here. Comments and additional recommendations are welcome!

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