If you’ve had your fill of lazing around on palm-fringed tropical beaches, the highlands around Boquete are a great way to experience a very different side of Panama.

Firstly, if you’re a fan of hiking, like us, the town is a great base to explore the rainforests of the surrounding hills, and even to tackle Volcán Barú, the country’s highest peak.

Apart from that, the area around Boquete is one of Central America’s premier coffee-growing regions, and there are tons of coffee farms offering tours (and tastings). We hung around in Boquete for three days. Read on for our favourite places and activities in the area.

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Guided Tours in the Boquete Region

Boquete is Panama’s outdoor adventure paradise and there are lots of well-rated rafting, canyoning and hiking tours available. Check out a few of those below.

The Perfect Three-Day Boquete Itinerary

The following itinerary consists of two days that are all about hiking and one day that’s a bit more laid-back. This is how we did it, but obviously, you could easily shuffle around activities or whole days if the weather (or your current mood) doesn’t allow for an exhausting hike.

Day 1

Breakfast at Café de Punto Encuentro

Let’s start with our favourite breakfast place in town. The Café de Punto Encuentro doesn’t just have great food and coffee, but also a nice atmosphere with a half-open patio and lots of potted plants.

It’s run by the cordial Olga, who is so affectionate that she hugged us on our second visit like we were year-long friends. You’ll likely also meet her little dog Toffee and her curious parrot Panchito during your breakfast. Don’t miss this great place!

Parque José Domingo Médica

Boquete itself might not have as much historical charm as some other places we came across in Panama, but the small main square is certainly a nice place to hang around for a bit, with its blooming flowers and pretty central bandstand. If you rely on public transport, you’ll have to come here regularly, as most collectivos leave close to the plaza.

For instance, if you want to reach the trailheads of the Pipeline and Lost Waterfalls Trail, you’ll have to catch a collectivo going to Bajo Mono from the corner of Avenida Central and Calle 1 Sur, one block north of the plaza.

Pipeline Trail

The Sendero Pipa de Agua is the easiest trail we came across in Boquete’s surroundings, and therefore a good prelude to the tougher Lost Waterfalls and Volcán Barú hikes. It’s an easy 3km-walk (one-way= along a mostly flat trail to reach a waterfall, which is very tall, but also very thin in the dry season.

The majority of the trail lies in Volcán Barú National Park and runs through a pretty section of mountain forest. Along the way, we passed some massive trees, including a 1,000-year-old Mexican Elm and were constantly surrounded by colourful butterflies.

It’s also a favourite with birdwatchers, and we spotted some Cherrie’s Tanagers and Yellow-Faced Grassquits along the trail (according to Google Lens; we’re pretty ignorant on that subject;-).

There’s an entrance fee of 5$ for the trail, and you’ll have to register at the compound to the left of the little bridge at the trailhead. To get there, catch a Bajo Mono-bound collectivo from the corner of Avenida Central and Calle 1 Sur one block north of Boquete’s main plaza and ask them to drop you at the Sendero Pipa de Agua.

See Also: Hiking the Pipeline Trail in Boquete, Panama – What to Know

Lost Waterfalls Trail

A little further into the mountains is this trail, which is more spectacular, but also more difficult than the Pipeline Trail. The trail leads through a pretty section of jungle to three waterfalls, which get increasingly more impressive.

There’s one especially tricky part of the trail, between the second and third falls. It includes some scrambling up slippery rocks, but there’s a series of ropes helping you to navigate these sections. Just take it slowly and you’ll be alright.

I highly recommend doing the hike in the late afternoon. When we started, we met plenty of people on the trail, but at the upper waterfall we simply waited until everyone was gone, had a swim in the (super-cold!) pool at the foot of the falls and then checked out the other falls on the way back without anyone else around.

The entrance fee to the trail is a bit steep at 10$, but it’s still worth it for the impressive falls, in my opinion. The trailhead is on the same collectivo-route as the Pipeline Trail. If you want to do both of them, you’ll have to wait for another collectivo passing by or simply walk along the road for about 30 minutes, like we did.

After the hike, you’ll have to wait at the turn-off along the highway for another collectivo back to Boquete. We found that hitch-hiking isn’t easy here, as not many cars go along this road (it ends just a few kilometres further in Alto Chiquero).

Dinner at El Sabrosón

El Sabrosón is a local chain of budget-friendly restaurants in Boquete. You just pick-and-choose from a selection of meat, vegetables and side-dishes at the counter and pay about 3 to 4$ for the whole meal.

It’s super no-frills, but also very tasty and a great option, if you’re on a small budget. We went to El Sabrosón #1 on the eastern side of Avenida Central a little to the north of Parque José Domingo Médica.

Day 2

Volcán Barú Hike

At 3,474 m or 11,401 ft., Volcán Barú is Panama’s highest mountain and hiking to the top takes all day, so I highly recommend starting shortly after dawn (grab some breakfast to go at Supermercado Romero east of the plaza). The easiest and most popular trail is the ascent up the eastern flank of the mountain. That’s the one I chose, as the trailhead is easiest to reach from Boquete.

The way up is quite a slog, but the beautiful views from the top, are well worth the effort. If you’re really lucky, you might also be able to see both the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean from the summit, although the Caribbean side was mostly draped in clouds when I was up there.

Still, the views to the east and especially to the west into Costa Rica were amazing, and I hung around for quite a while before making my way back. With a total distance of 27km or 17mi. and an elevation gain of nearly 1,900m or 6,200 ft., the hike is no piece of cake and took me 9 hours to complete at a swift pace. Plan a little more, just to make sure.

If that sounds too stressful, but you still want to visit the summit of the country’s highest mountain, you could also go up Volcán Barú with a (pricy) 4×4 jeep tour. That way, you could also watch the sunrise from the summit.

To get to the trailhead by public transport, you can take a collectivo (minibus) to El Salto/Volcancito from Calle 1a Sur one block to the north of Boquete’s main plaza. Just tell them that you want to go to Volcán Barú, and they’ll drop you at the highway, from where it’s a 1km walk west to the ranger station.

You can check out my full guide to hiking the mountain here.

Dinner and Drinks at Boquete Brewing Company

After a strainful day of hiking, you’ve definitely deserved a drink (or several). Boquete Brewing Company has a pretty broad choice of craft beers, and you can try several with a four-beer tasting menu. My selection included some interesting flavours, including chocolate.

They don’t serve food themselves, but there is a food truck selling fast-food on the outdoor patio, plus when we were there, there was some live music going on. To get to the place, you’ll have to follow Avenida Central north past the church. It’s on the left-hand side of the road.

Day 3

Breakfast at Boquete Sandwich Shop

The final day should be a little more relaxed than the two previous ones, so start your day again with a decent breakfast, either at again at Café de Punto Encuentro (because it’s just so good) or at Boquete Sandwich Shop, which we also liked. The latter seems to be a bit of an expat hangout. It can be found at the corner of Avenida Centenario and Calle 2a Sur.

Taking a Coffee Tour

The hills around Boquete are full of coffee farms. Stefanie and I love coffee, but even if you don’t, I highly recommend taking a tour to learn about the growing and manufacture process. Plenty of farms offer guided tours, with pretty big differences in duration and price.

We decided to tour Finca Dos Jefes (Café de la Luna), mainly because the price sounded alright at 30$ per Person, and they also offered transport from our hostel and back. In the end, we were super happy with our choice, as we got an interesting and fun tour from our Ngäbe guide Lazaro.

It was easy to see that he was very passionate about the process himself. Lazaro explained everything very clearly in easy-to-understand Spanish, but if your Spanish-skills skills are a bit rusty, an English language tour should be possible as well. Richard, the owner of the farm, is from the US and sometimes does tours himself.

The tour also included a tasting of different types of coffee and a tasty sweet tea brewed from the coffee cherry. After our tour, we also bought some beans as souvenirs for the family (there was absolutely no pressure to buy, but it was certainly more affordable than getting it at one of the shops in Boquete proper).

You can contact them on their site to inquire about tours.

Hiking at Finca Lérida

If you’re still in the mood for some (easy) hiking, you can jump a collectivo to Finca Lérida Coffee Farm, where you can walk some trails through the extensive coffee plantations and the wooded fringes of the Volcán Baru National Park.

While exploring the grounds, we spotted several hummingbirds and two Black Guans, plus we even managed to see our first and only Resplendant Quetzal at the small waterfall at the end of the trail leading into the National Park.

oming here only makes sense if you’re going to spend some time in the area, as there’s a 12$ entrance fee, but for us, it was worth paying to finally see a Quetzal (although this is obviously not guaranteed).

To get there, you’ll need to hop a collectivo to Alto Quiel from the corner of Avenida Central and Calle 1 Sur one block north of Boquete’s main plaza and get off at Finca Lérida.

Jardín El Explorador

If you’ve still got some exploring in you, I recommend visiting the aptly-named Jardín El Explorador. This is basically a big private garden turned into an unusual tourist attraction by the ingenious owner. All over the property, there are hundreds of quirky artworks made from discarded rubber tires, coffee pots and the like.

What we liked even better, where the fantastic views of the surrounding mountains to the West, including the ever-impressive Volcán Barú. It’s not huge, but there’s a lot to explore in the grounds and it’s just a fun place to hang around for a while (and pet the resident cats), so you should plan at least an hour. There’s an entrance fee of 5$.

The garden is at the north-eastern edge of Boquete and we simply walked there from the centre. To get there, cross the Rio Caldera to the eastern side and follow the street north to the bus stop shaped like a giant strawberry, where you’ll have to turn right. Walk uphill for a while, then turn right again at the first opportunity. The garden is a few hundred meters down this road on the left hand side.

Dinner at Rinconcito Boqueteño and Local Deserts

For dinner, I recommend Rinconcito Boqueteño on Calle 4a Sur, which has a pretty location with seating on an open terrace over the Rio Caldera. They serve both local and international mains as well as tasty cakes. You can also try some of Boquete’s famous locally-grown strawberries as a desert.

If you’re still in the mood for something sweet afterwards, you can drop by The Perfect Pair along Avenida Central, one block north of the main square. They serve coffee and hot chocolate and sell tasty chocolate candies (some of them formed like Golden Frogs).

Other Things to Do in Boquete

It would be easy to hang around Boquete for a longer time. There are plenty of other hiking trails in the surrounding mountains, including the El Pianista Trail and the famous Sendero Los Quetzales, which was unfortunately closed for maintenance, when we were in town.

As soon as it opens again, this would probably be one of the main attractions in the area.

Boquete Itinerary Map

All of the places mentioned above can be found in this map of Boquete. I’ve used different colours for the different days of the itinerary.

Practicalities

Where to Stay in Boquete

We stayed at Boho by Arte Hostal Boquete, which is central and affordable. They have both dormitories and small private rooms with shared bathrooms. There’s also a terrace with some hammocks to literally hang around and a big wall mural of the surrounding hiking trails.

If you’re looking for something a little more comfortable, Boquete Garden Inn has good reviews, while Valle Escondido Wellness Resort is one of the most luxurious choices in the area. Have a look at the map below for more options.

How to Get to Boquete

To get to Boquete by public transport, you first have to make your way to David along the Panamericana and change buses there. The trip from David to Boquete takes a little under one hour. Buses back to David start near the post office at the south-eastern corner of the main plaza.

There are also several tourist offices in town offering shuttle services to Bocas del Toro, Santa Catalina or other popular places around the country. These are more expensive than using local transport, but should also be a little more comfortable and hassle-free.

Where to Go Next

The Paradisical Bocas del Toro Archipelago

The Beautiful Valle de Antón

Amazing Panama City