Boquete

城市概覽

For some information, there is the Official Authority of Tourism, Panama (ATP) located a few minutes drive up the road back towards David, next to the Kotowa Coffee Shop, not in downtown Boquete. They have a small museum including some old photos of Boquete, as well as a beautiful view of the valley of Boquete. The main features of Boquete include:

A year-round temperature in the low seventies Fahrenheit / mid twenties in Celsius. A significant North American expat community and tourist destination, which brings with it a wide range of amenities from which to choose, ranging from hostels to luxury, health spas, reliable infrastructure, with English very widely spoken. Fresh mountain air. A small town, with a small town atmosphere, surrounded by relatively untouched natural beauty. The ability, if you choose to venture away from the town, to visit rural, traditional Panama. An abundance of outdoor activities, including zip lining, bird watching, rafting (certain times of year), hiking, and limited golf. World famous coffee plantations. The town is built beside the Caldara River, with a bridge crossing near the main town square, and a nice walking trail and park. Up until the early 2000s, Boquete was a sleepy, almost completely unknown and unremarkable agriculture-based mountain village with almost zero tourism and very few people living in the area whose families hadn’t been there for generations. That changed with a series of events starting with the creation of Valle Escondido, a large residential development aimed at expats. Right around the same time, several magazines devoted to people considering becoming expats began to flourish, with one of the most popular very regularly touting Boquete as “the land of eternal springtime”. As a result of the publicity and the natural beauty and temperate climate of Boquete, it becameone of the best-known North American expat destinations in the world, as a large expat community developed. Bouquete attracts a large number of

如何抵達

By bus From David: there are regular big white and several refurbished school buses leaving roughly every 45 min until 9:45PM. Travel time is a little over 1 hr and cost is $2 (2022/08) which you pay when getting off. The bus station in David can be a bit confusing, because it more of strip mall approach with many bus vendors. From San Jose in Costa Rica: there is one morning bus leaving from the Tracopa terminal at 7:30AM ($21). It takes about 8 hours to get to David, including the Costa Rica-Panama border crossing, and arrives at the David Bus Terminal. Panama immigration officers can be strict, and tourists must often provide proof of onward ticket out of Panama, at least $500 cash or bank statements, and credit cards. From David see above. From Panama City by bus: There are regular buses from the Albrook Bus Terminal, run by at least three companies (Panafrom, Padafront, and Terminales David); between them, there is a bus leaving about every hour. Daytime fares (as of February 2011) are $15; there are also nighttime express buses for $18.50. It is an air conditioned bus and gets very very cold. The bus makes one 30-min meal and bathroom stop in Santiago, halfway in between Panama City and David. It takes roughly eight hours to get there, as there is construction on the Pan-American Highway between Santiago and David as they are widening it to 4 lanes. Construction can sometimes delay traffic. From Bocas del Toro: Take a boat to Almirante ($6-8), a bus from there to David ($8.75), and another bus from David to Boquete ($2). 5-6 hr. Many connections. Takes about 1 hr longer than the private shuttle. (Prices 2022/08)

By private shuttle Also, from Bocas del Toro there is a twice-daily, $30-35 private shuttle (including water taxi to Almirante), 4 hr. The shuttle is way overpriced for Panama standards, and you are better off spending 1 hr more, just paying $15 and experience the real Panama.

By plane From Panama City by airplane: AirPanama has daily flights

當地交通

On foot Boquete is a very cosy mountain village so you won't have problems exploring the main town on foot. The central plaza, in the middle of town on Main Street, near the bridge, is where the David-Boquete bus drops off incoming visitors and locals. Note that the sidewalks can have irregular or broken sections, so not recommended for people with walking problems.

By taxi or bus In the surroundings you can also use taxi (one dollar brings you quite far) or the local area vans/buses which leave from Casa Bruna Super Market 200 m up the main road from the bus stop. Each local van/bus has written on the front window the areas that they cover, which are normally large loops up in the mountains in areas of Bajo Mono, Alto Quiel, Arco Iris, or Volcancito. Be aware that the main "bus station" is not a building, it is a stop in front of a popular strawberry vendor!

By car But if you want to rent a car and explore the area around Boquete, a four wheel drive may be safer, because the mountain roads do get washed out. Also be aware that there are no safe shoulders and no place for pedestrians to walk but the highway, so take caution traveling at night.

By organized tour There are also many tour companies that offer guided trips through the mountains to see waterfalls, coffee plantations, the cloud forest, white water rafting, and the Volcan Baru National Park.

By scooter For the smell and feel of the area there are scooter rentals at $25 for 4 hr as your means of transportation.

必看景點

Boquete is known as the Valley of the Flowers. Nestled in the western highlands of Panama, near the border to Costa Rica, Boquete shares some of the same mountain ranges and some of the incredible wildlife and rain forests. However, because it is not as well known, and a 'road less traveled', prices are lower, and it is not as commercial. You can hike for 1/2 a day, or all day, and still have a rare chance to see the resplendent quetzal, or a howler monkey in the wild.

1 Los Ladrillos. A beautiful huge wall with volcanic tubes. Great for some pictures and to actually understand that you are on top of a volcano. (updated Mar 2019) Cafes de la Luna, Finca Dos Jefes (Cafes Luna) (Pickup in town). Family-owned small coffee farm which started as a retirement project, but has grown into a love of the coffee business and the people of the area. Their coffee is sold in town and worldwide. The farm tour is very informative, and involves tastings of various types of coffee and blends. (updated Oct 2023)

體驗活動

1 Drumming Circle - Stone Cabins. Weekly "drumming circles" are held at the Stone Cabins. Its mostly expats, but visitors are welcome. They have extra percussion instruments there, if you didn't think to bring your drums with you. (updated Oct 2023) White-water Rafting. The Chiriquí (Viejo) River has the best white-water kayaking and rafting in the country. Luckily for enthusiasts, the spot is relatively undiscovered, so no fighting over space here. Several rafting compani