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Things to Do in Boquete, Panama
Life as a full time expat is pretty great for the most part. We get to live, work, and play in some of the most beautiful parts of the world, but it seems as if not everyone shares my affinity for this kind of lifestyle.
Over the last four years I’ve tried and failed miserably to get everyone I know to come visit us in the various places that we’ve lived. A few friends and family have traveled to see us, but not many. I’m really not sure why this is.
When we made the move to Panama six months ago I expected that we’d see more visitors than we did in the United Arab Emirates, Peru, or Taiwan. It’s closer to the United States and not as foreign feeling as the other places to which I’ve tried to lure people.
So, here we are, six months in, and do you think we’ve had any visitors?
Nope. Not a one.
What is it about Panama? Do people just not realize how cool this country is? I recently had a conversation with a friend who was to meet us in Cancun during our upcoming trip in September. This is how that convo went down.
Friend: I can’t make it to Mexico, now just isn’t the right time.
Me: No worries, that just means you’ll have to come to Panama!
Friend: That’s what I was thinking. Can we go to Costa Rica?
When I read that I almost cried. Yeah, Costa Rica is cool and all, but it’s pretty much the same as Panama. It’s not as if everything changes like magic when you cross the border that lies a mere hour and half from my house.
So in the spirit of that old adage that say something about beating that dead horse until you succeed in making lemonade, I’ve compiled a list of a few things about our little town that are pretty wonderful, and none of them involve going to Costa Rica.
Hiking
Boquete lies in the shadow of a really big, very extinct volcano called Volcan Baru. People like to climb it for eight hours in the dark so that they can see the sunrise from the top. I am not one of these people. While I do enjoy a good hike, doing in in the dark is not really my thing.
It’s best to hire a guide for this trip, although there’s no requirement that says you have to. There are several outfits that will let you pay them to come with you on your hike, and some of them also do organized group hikes, as well.
For those who’d rather try something a little more tame and a little less nighttime-y, one or more of the other trails might suit your fancy. There is the Quetzal Trail that allows you to hike all the way to Cerro Punta if you so desire and the Pipeline Trail offers some pretty spectacular waterfalls. The trail known as El Pianista is, despite some recent very bad press, a really beautiful area and will take you over the Continental Divide and into the Bocas del Toro district if you follow it until the end.
Birdwatching
Panama has a ton of birds; they’re everywhere. If you’re my friend on Facebook then you know how I feel about the birds. At any given time throughout the day our yard is inundated with birds, from giant pterodactyl-like vultures to tiny hummingbirds who like to come inside the house like people. I even saw a beautiful male quetzal fly through our yard one morning. I know that birdwatchers often go their whole lives without seeing this holy grail of feathered friends and I was just like, “Cool. Where’s the coffee?”
Of course, your birdwatching adventure could be combined with a hike, but you could also sign up for a tour that more or less guarantees that you’ll see the quetzal. Finca Lerida offers a good one, as does Boquete Outdoor Adventures.
Whitewater Rafting
The Boquete area has some really nice rivers, although dams have recently been put in place that have altered them to some degree. However, river rafting here is a lot of fun. If you’re in town for just a few days, as most visitors are, this is the one activity that you should be sure to include, in my opinion.
The river has some really good rapids and is blissfully uncrowded. You might see monkeys doing monkey things in the trees along the river, and there are sloths hanging around too. Even if you’re not that into rafting simply lazing around on the river and ogling the sexy scenery is a day very well spent.
A shameless plug this is not, but I really like Boquete Outdoor Adventures for this tour. Jim and his crew are very, very good at what they do and they run a first class outfit. You really can’t go wrong with any of the tours and activities that they offer.
Coffee Farm Tours
Panama grows some really delicious coffee, and most of those coffee farms are right here in Boquete. Several different tours are available that allow you to see the coffee trees up close, learn more about the harvesting of the coffee cherries, and discover the secrets of the roasting process.
Of course you get to taste some of the different types of coffee, and many of the farms give you a sack of coffee beans when you leave. How can you go wrong with that?
Of course, there are many, many more things to do here and I could go on and on. However, the best way to learn is by doing, right? That just means that you’ll need to come down here and see our pretty little mountain town for yourself.
Just don’t talk about Costa Rica, okay?
Author’s Note: All photos are courtesy of Boquete Outdoor Adventures and are used with permission. Still not a shameless plug, I just think Jim is a stand-up guy who operates a great business.
A Visit to Finca Dracula Orchid Farm
Not long after we arrived in Boquete Will decided that we needed to take a trip to the town of Volcan. According to our trusty GPS it was just a short distance away, and Will decided to prove it by taking a seemingly random road out of town.
I think we made it about 15 minutes on that one before we hit a dead end on the slopes of Volcan Baru.
We tried again a few days later on a different road and made it about 30 minutes on that one. It was a beautiful drive but, alas, no Volcan.
After getting proper directions from a live human being and conducting a brief round of Google searches we decided that we would head out on the coming Saturday, and we even had a specific destination.
The Finca Dracula Orchid Farm.
Home to a rare and magical species of orchid that only shows its spooky face by the light of the moon, Finca Dracula is located in the village of Cerro Punta, just outside Volcan. Now that we realized we had to go around the volcano instead of over it, and we had an ample supply of Pringles for the trip, we headed out to meet Dracula.
It’s about a 2 hour drive from Boquete through the rolling foothills of the volcano. Dotted with cattle ranches and highways that boast more horses than cars at times, the road swoops down then up and over rivers and gorges, and the weather alternates between rolling mist and bright sun depending on the mile marker.
Volcan is small, but it’s a great place to stop for lunch or a bathroom break. Cerro Punta is about 20 minutes further down the road, and you’ll know when you get close to it.
Have you ever had those moments when you stop and think, “Hey. I know I’m in X country, but I could swear I was Y right now.”
Yeah, Cerro Punta made me look over my shoulder for a fondue restaurant and people wearing Swatches. Bursting with lush green meadows and alpine forests, the Cerro Punta area feels so Swiss that there is even a village called Nueva Suiza. I’m not kidding.
It even comes with a little hotel dressed up as a chalet.
Finca Dracula is located just past the downtown area of Cerro Punta. If you feel lost there are several tourist kiosks on the main road, staffed by people who will be happy to help you. I was handed a very nice map and a coupon for a free night at the local hotel just for stopping in to use the bathroom!
The last portion of the road to the farm is badly rutted and is suitable only for 4×4 vehicles. However, you can easily park at the bottom of the road and walk in. You’ll cross the bridge on foot and work your way up the road to the small office and greenhouse area.
As I said, we visited on a Saturday and expected the place to be packed with orchid enthusiasts. After all, Dracula orchids are quite rare. However, we were the only ones there and the lady in the office said that they didn’t do guided tours on the weekends.
We then walked around the grounds on our own. There are a number of beautiful tropical trees and flowering plants on the well-kept path, but I came for the orchids. We hurried through the trail and went back to the office.
The lady then, very kindly, offered to take us into the greenhouse. Not all of the orchids were in bloom, but the ones that were took my breath away. I’ve seen quite a few orchids in my day, but I’ve never seen some of the varieties that they keep at Finca Dracula.
Our impromptu guide rattled off the Spanish names of the orchids, but I couldn’t pay attention. I was too busy staring into the corner where Dracula sat in his pot, his purple face bent over against the midday sun that filtered through the roof. I had heard that the Dracula orchid could be placed into a bucket of water briefly and it would open, no matter the time of day. Our guide didn’t seem to understand what I meant when I asked, but I might have used the Spanish word for drown.
We looked around for a few minutes more and I tried unsuccessfully to buy some of the orchids. Either they simply weren’t for sale or the lady thought I’d drown them; I may never know the real reason why she wouldn’t let me leave with an orchid of my own. We then left and made it back to Boquete in time for dinner.
All in all it was a great day and a great drive. The Cerro Punta area is gorgeous and worth a visit, and that visit should always be capped off with a stop at the Finca Dracula Orchid Farm.
Note to Scientists: If you’re an orchid enthusiast or expert I apologize for the inaccuracies regarding the photos. I was never able to establish the proper names of the orchids, so I had to improvise.
How to Get There: If you’re driving take highway south from Boquete toward David. At the 14 kilometer mark take a hairpin right at the gas station onto highway 13. Continue to Volcan then turn right on the road marked Cerro Punta. If you’re taking the bus, grab a local bus out of Boquete to David, then change to the local Cerro Punta bus.
Consequently, you could ask a live human to avoid any mixups.
There is an admission charge of $10.00 per person, which may or may not include a guided tour.
Misheard Spanish – The Dangerous Bear
On a recent outing to Bocas Del Toro with friends, we took a day trip to Isla Zapatilla, which is a Panamanian National Park. Zapatilla is an uninhabited island with some very lovely beaches. We enjoyed an afternoon of beach-type activities and in summary had a great time on the island.
On our way back to the main island we asked our boat captain if there were any islands we could go to that had monkeys. He replied positively that we could vist – what we heard as (translated to English)- “Island of dangerous bears”. Unaware that non-dangerous bears existed, this place-name was puzzling, nonetheless, we asked to make the detour to the island of dangerous bears in hopes of spying some monkeys.
Monkeys tend to be more of a dawn and dusk thing and today was no exception. We didn’t see any monkeys. We did, however observe a sloth slothing about high in the canopy of this mostly mangrove island. Seeing the sloth prompted us to ask what the word for sloth was in Spanish to which our boat captain again replied with the same string of words that has thus far caused us much vexation. “Oso Peligroso” (is what we all heard) which would translate to “Dangerous Bear” in English. At the time, nobody really said anything about it. On an individual basis I can say for myself that I felt a bit embarrassed about not understanding the words but figured since I’m not a clergyman and I don’t plan on giving any sermons on the seven deadly sins in Spanish, it’s pretty safe to say that I won’t ever need to use the Spanish word for ‘sloth’ so no practical need to know it.
A few days later when some of the same friends were together, somebody uttered the words ‘oso peligroso’. I have no recollection what prompted it, but I do recall that the utterance of those words resulted in uproarious laughter. We all understood that none of us had understood. Either that or the Spanish word for sloth really is oso peligroso, which would actually be quite humorous.
Fast forward a few more days, and there I was, in some waiting room for some governmental agency and the National Geographic channel was on the television. Oddly enough I was actually thinking about the dangerous bear and if a Spanish speaking priest gives a sermon on the seven deadly sins if the same word would be used. “Thou shalt not dangerous bear” or some such… Anyhow at that exact moment an image of a sloth came on the tv and its caption read ‘Oso Perezoso’ which would translate to something along the lines of ‘lazy bear’ or ‘slow bear’ which makes much more sense than dangerous bear. So much for the humour, but hooray for new knowledge.
So now I have increased my Spanish vocabulary with something that, seriously, I will probably never use again. Unfortunately, this bit of knowledge probably occupies the space formerly inhabited by the location of my keys so I’ll never be able to find them.