When you had enough of tropical islands and big cities you might want to travel to Boquete Panama. This is a small mountain village not far from David in the north of Panama close to Costa Rica. Boquete is famous for its soft climate throughout the year and the magnificent hiking trails in the mountains.
Travel to boquete
Boquete is easy to reach by public transportation. You can take different busses from Panama City to David and than transfer on a bus to Boquete. The whole trip will take you around 8 hours of travelling. When you enter Boquete you can stay in various hostels and hotels that all look like they were stolen from the Swiss Alps. These places to stay are laidback and have al the facilities you need. In Boquete you can find many activities to do such as hiking, mountain biking, walking, rafting and coffee plantation tours. There are also a major volcano you can climb and a pristine cloud forest that looks like it came from the Jurassic Park movie.
Hiking in Boquete
You can’t visit Boquete without doing at least one hike in the surrounding mountains. We can recommend you the Pianista Trail, which you can hike without a guide. The Pianist trail takes you through the outback farmlands up one of the mountains. After around 1,5 hour of walking you will enter the jungle. This jungle starts as any other jungle with dense vegetation and bird sounds everywhere. After one hour of jungle hiking up the mountain the forest starts to change. The jungle is now becoming a cloud forest; this is a forest that is growing in the clouds which makes it very humid and wet. Vegetation is growing on every tree and some trees have only moss on them. This is probably one of the most amazing places to hike in Panama and the cloud forest is unmatchable by any jungle! Be sure to take some supplies since the total hike to the top and back takes around 5 hours. On this website you can find more info on hiking in Boquete.
Sleeping in Boquete
Boquete looks like an Alpine mountain village that is full of chalets and wooden houses. The best place to stay for the night in Boquete when you are not on a budget is definitely Hotel Palo Alto****. Another great hotel option when you enjoy golfing or hitting the Spa is Valle Escondido Resort Golf & Spa****. Looking for a budget backpacker style place to stay than your best choices are definitely Hostal Nomba or Hostal Gaia.
Activities and tours
Next to hikes into the mountains various tour operators in Boquete offer mountain bike trips, squad riding, jeep safaris and visiting a coffee plantation. The coffee from Panama is famous around the world and how awesome is it to drink the coffee at the origin. You can also buy the freshest coffee on these coffee plantations. Another tour we can suggest, only if you are less able to walk, take the jeep safari up the volcano and you will have stunning views.
Real estate & retirement homes
Unlike the rough hikes into the mountains Boquete is famous among American elderly to retire and move to the place. Therefore, Boquete offers many real estate and elderly facilities where you can retire in the peace and tranquility of the Panamanian mountains.
Getting to Boquete from the San Blas Islands
Getting to Boquete from the San Blas Islands will take you all day, around 14 hours in total. You have to take a water taxi to Carti and from there you can rent a 4×4 jeep taxi driver to Panama City. Ask the driver to put you off at the Central Albrook Bus Terminal. From there you can take various busses to David in the north of Panama. When you arrive in Boquete you have to rent a cab or transfer to another bus and drive to Boquete. The total cost of this journey will be 80-100 US$.