The 14 Best Things To Do in Boquete, Panama
The Lost Waterfalls Trail - Boquete, Panama
by Rebecca Hollman
updated April 10, 2019
Boquete, Panama
Boquete is one of the most beautiful areas of Panama, known for its lush jungles, waterfalls, coffee farms and hiking trails. Some of the most accessible trails are the Lost Waterfalls trail, the Pipeline trail, and the Quetzales trail. Boquete is a small mountain town located in Panama’s green mountain highlands. Because of it’s high elevation, Boquete is drastically cooler than the rest of Panama. It is located on the Caldera River and is typically lush, vibrant green, and usually wet.
Check out the 14 best things to do in Boquete, Panama below
Table of Contents
1. The Lost Waterfalls Trail
The Lost Waterfalls Trail - Boquete, Panama
The Lost Waterfalls Trail - Boquete, Panama
ABOUT: The Lost Waterfalls trail is one of the most accessible trails in Boquete, and one of the most beautiful. It is close to town and easy to reach by car or bus. The trail itself is moderately difficult with some steep sections. The difficulty mainly comes from the mud, making the whole trail slippery. Coming down some of the steep sections in the mud can be quite sketchy and you will probably slip and fall at least once. If you want to make the hike much easier, just go to the first waterfall. There is little mud on the way to and from just the first waterfall. In total, this trail has three waterfalls - each getting better. The waterfall at the end is the biggest, but all three are uniquely beautiful. Bring a bathing suit because you can get in waterfalls #2 and #3. The trail is an out and back, about 2 miles each way. In total you could do the hike in 2 hours, not calculating in time spent at the waterfalls. It is rated moderate because of the slipperiness from the mud.
GETTING THERE: From Boquete, head to Los Naranjos. The road will split after Mi Jardín is Su Jardín, take the road to the right towards Bajo Mono. Follow this road until you reach the trailhead for the Pipeline Trail (it is marked with a sign that says PIPELINE down the left post of the sign). Turn right here and follow the smaller road up until you see cars parked along the side of the road by a gravel driveway to your right. From here, walk down this driveway and to the left over a foot bridge across a river. After crossing the bridge, take the trail to the RIGHT. The trail to the left is Sendero Culebra and will take you all the way to Bocas del Toro, so DO NOT go this way. There is a big sign at this intersection saying Lost Waterfalls to the right so you can’t miss it. Take this trail up a lot of stairs until you reach a house. There is a little hut by the trail behind the house where you will have to pay $7 USD to enter. From there, the trail is straight forward. If you keep to the left all the time you will go to the last waterfall first. Otherwise each split in the trail will lead to a waterfall if you go to the right. You will go down the split to the right to a waterfall and then come back on this split to reach the main trail.
2. The Pipeline Trail
The Pipeline Trail - Boquete, Panama
The Pipeline Trail - Boquete, Panama
ABOUT: The Pipeline trail is one of the most accessible trails in Boquete, and definitely the easiest trail in the area. It is close to town and easy to reach by car or bus. The trail is very flat, with no elevation change, and well maintained. People of all ages, including children and seniors, could walk this trail pretty easily. There are two bridge crossings on narrow planks that could be problematic for people with limited mobility. At the end of the trail, you have to cross a boulder field and will eventually reach the tail, skinny waterfall at the end. This trail is mostly for enjoying the flora and fauna of the area. The trail is an out and back, about 1 miles each way. In total you could do the hike in 1-1.5 hours, not calculating in time spent at the waterfalls. It is rated easy but there are a few sections that could be considered harder for people with limited mobility.
GETTING THERE: From Boquete, head to Los Naranjos. The road will split after Mi Jardín is Su Jardín, take the road to the right towards Bajo Mono. Follow this road until you reach the trailhead for the Pipeline Trail (it is marked with a sign that says PIPELINE down the left post of the sign). Either park here or get dropped off here and walk up this gravel road. You will see a small hut on your left where you will need to pay the $3 USD entrance fee. The trail is through the big gate, directly ahead if you were looking from the Pipeline sign. It winds behind some people’s houses and past some beehives. The trail is clearly marked the whole way. When you reach the boulder field, you know you are almost to the end. Turn around at the waterfall and come back the same way you went out.
3. The Quetzales Trail
ABOUT: The resplendent quetzal is a very rare and elusive bird that inhabits parts of Costa Rica and Panama’s mountain highlands and cloud forests. Boquete is one of the few areas in Panama where tourists have a chance of spotting a quetzal. Allegedly, the Quetzal Trail is the best place to spot quetzals, but in reality you have an equally good chance on any of the trails in Boquete. The Quetzal Trail is a nice trail for people to hike, regardless of seeing quetzals since it is relatively flat the entire way and gives a good sample of the lush forests surrounding Boquete. The trail technically goes all the way to the town of Cerro Punta, on the other side of the volcano. From Boquete to Cerro Punta, the trail is roughly 9 kilometers and would take 4-6 hours in one direction. The trail has a $5 USD entrance fee.
OPTIONS FOR HIKING THE TRAIL: The most common option for hiking this trail is to hike to the half way point, Mirador Las Rocas, and then turn around and come back the way you came. Since there is no technical “lookout point” it doesn’t really matter if you go all the way to the end since you will see all the flora and fauna on the first portion of the trail. Another option is to hike it all the way to Cerro Punta, spend the night in Cerro Punta and hike the whole thing back the next day. Cerro Punta is a cute town and there are a handful of hostels and hotels to stay at. The last option is to hike all the way to Cerro Punta and then take the bus from Cerro Punta to David and then David to Boquete. Taking the bus will take a couple of hours so factor this into your time frame when planning your hike.
GETTING THERE: From Boquete, head to Los Naranjos. The road will split after Mi Jardín is Su Jardín, take the road to the right towards Bajo Mono. Follow this road until you reach the trailhead for the Pipeline Trail (it is marked with a sign that says PIPELINE down the left post of the sign). Turn right here and follow the smaller road up until you see cars parked along the side of the road by a gravel driveway to your right. This is the entrance for the Lost Waterfalls Trail. Continue along this road until it dead ends - this is where the trailhead for the Quetzales Trail starts.
4. Piedra de Lino Trail
The Piedra de Lino Trail - Boquete, Panama
The Piedra de Lino Trail - Boquete, Panama
ABOUT: The Piedra de Lino hike is a short but steep hike that gives a different lookout than most of the hikes in Boquete. Most of the other hikes are on the side of the Volcán Barú National Park. The Piedra de Lino trail is on the other side of town and gives a lookout of the town of Boquete. The trail starts by going up a very steep section by the fencing of someone’s pasture. You then climb up a steep section through cut grass and loose dirt. Eventually you will reach the ridge line, which you follow for 5 or 10 more minutes until you reach some large boulders. This is the highest point and gives a lookout along the whole valley. You come back the same way you came up. Be careful going down as the loose dirt is extremely slippery. This trail is short but difficult because of the elevation gain and the slippery footing (going both up and down). The trail is an out and back, about 1 mile each way. In total you could do the hike in 1.5-2 hours. It is rated difficult because of the steep ascent and the loose and slippery footing. The elevation gain is close to 5,000 feet.
GETTING THERE: From Boquete, head south along the main road. Turn left across the bridge (Calle 4a sur) which is right below the Boquete flower cafe and garden. Turn left after the bridge on Avenue Buenos Aires. Follow this road north the Cafe Princesa Janca coffee processing plant and past the Il Pianista restaurant and trailhead. Turn right on a small road just after Hostal Casa Pedro. Follow this road as far as you can up until you reach a dead end which is the driveway to someone’s home. Park here and follow the foot path up along a pasture fence. You will pass and unfinished house under construction. Keep following the trail up and up through some pastures and loose dirt. Eventually you will reach the ridge line where you will go underneath the coverage of trees. Follow the ridge line a bit farther until you reach the couple of big boulders that form the lookout point.
5. El Pianista Trail
ABOUT: The Pianista Trail is on the other side of town from Volcán Barú National Park and leads up a steady, muddy incline. There are streams, narrow canyons that the trail winds through and lots of mud! Once you reach the summit, there is a great lookout of the town of Boquete below. The trail continues past the summit, but it is very dangerous and almost waist deep in mud. Do not go past the summit, as many people have gotten lost on this trail. The trail is a 4 kilometer out and back. It has 2,000 feet of elevation gain in 4 kilometers so is quite steep. The trail should take between 3-5 hours in total.
GETTING THERE: From Boquete, head south along the main road. Turn left across the bridge (Calle 4a sur) which is right below the Boquete flower cafe and garden. Turn left after the bridge on Avenue Buenos Aires. Follow this road north the Cafe Princesa Janca coffee processing plant and to Il Pianista restaurant. You can park on the right side of the road right before the restaurant. The trailhead is the gravel road just to the left of the restaurant. There are some signs that say no hiking but hiking is definitely allowed.
6. Summit Volcán Barú
The Volcán Barú Trail - Boquete, Panama
The Volcán Barú Trail - Boquete, Panama
ABOUT: The sunrise summit of Volcán Barú is one of the most popular hikes in all of Panama. The hike starts around 11PM - 12AM (depending on your fitness level) and you reach the summit right as the sun is rising. You get to watch the color change and the sun come up over the ocean of clouds. The peak of Volcán Barú is so high that you are siginificantly above the cloud coverage and it really does look like your looking over an ocean of clouds. If you’re lucky, the clouds will blow off as the sun rises, letting you see the landscape of Panama in all directions. From the peak you can see both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. People also hike the trail during other hours of the day, but the most popular option is to be at the top for sunrise. This trail is roughly 30 kilometers, or 19 miles, in total. It is not terribly steep, but a steady moderate incline for 6 hours straight. This trail is rated DIFFICULT because of the length and circumstantial conditions (weather, lack of sleep, etc.). Please only attempt this hike if you are in good shape and are well prepared with clothing, food and water.
GETTING THERE: The entrance to the trail is at the end of Via El Salto/Calle 2a Norte. From Boquete, turn left on Calle 2a Norte right after RetroGusto restaurant. Follow this all the way past Finca dos Jefes until the road ends at the park entrance hut. Right before the park entrance, there is a gravel road to the left. You can park along this road. The gravel road is right at the dropped pin on the map below. Walk up Calle 2a Norte past the park entrance hut until the road is technically called Camino Volcán Barú. This will be the trail you follow all the way to the top. Once you reach the summit, there is actually a continuation of the trail that leads to a second smaller peak with a cross on the top.
7. Take a Climbing Class on the Climbing Wall
ABOUT: Boquete has some very awesome basalt climbing walls located in Los Naranjos. One of the walls is very popular for people of all levels and has routes rating anywhere from 5.6 to 5.12 +. Classes and tours are offered for people of all ages to take a go at the climbing wall. All the routes are bolted so if you had your own climbing gear you could potentially lead climb and put your own ropes up. Otherwise, you really need to take a class. There are a handful of companies around town that give classes and also give full day rock climbing tours that take you to three different walls around Boquete.
GETTING THERE: The famous wall is located along Route 41 headed towards the Lost Waterfalls or the Pipeline trails. If you follow the main road out of town to the north, it will curve to the left and pass along the Argentinian steak house. When the road splits the first time, stick to the left and pass the big gymnasium. When it splits again, stick to the right towards Bajo Mono. Right before the first concrete bridge, there is a giant basalt wall along the left hand side of the road. There will most likely be lots of people climbing and cars parked along the side of the road so it’s hard to miss. Most of the climbing companies are in town and have transport to take you to the wall.
8. Caldera Hot Springs
ABOUT: After spending multiple days hiking in Boquete, it might be nice to relax your muscles by soaking in natural hot springs. The Caldera hot springs are located 11 kilometers outside Boquete on a private farm. There are four pools of varying temperatures and the springs are heated by Volcán Barú. These hot springs are nice because they are not developed. There are no pools are walls built to catch the spring water and there are no facilities around. It really is just some natural pools located in a remote location. The pools are usually not busy and there’s a high chance you will have them all to yourself.
GETTING THERE: Heading south along the main road from Boquete to David, you will go 11 kilometers towards the town of Caldera. Turn left at this point where the sign points to Caldera. Drive 6.5 kilometers along this road until you reach Caldera. Look for signs for the hot springs on the right side of the road. Turn right onto the gravel road and drive 2-3 kilometers. This road is very brutal but doable. Park at the area before the cement water canal and walk the rest of the way along the road, about 10-15 minutes. Where the road splits, take the left. Initially, the road will be very hot and dry but eventually you will reach the tree line and it will become covered. When you arrive to the farm where the springs are, someone will come out and charge $2 USD per person.
9. Finca dos Jefes Coffee Tour
Finca Dos Jefes Coffee Farm - Boquete, Panama
Finca Dos Jefes Coffee Farm - Boquete, Panama
ABOUT: Finca Dos Jefes is a coffee farm in the Boquete area that grows high quality coffee and works hard to provide great working conditions and pay for its employees and also to reduce the environmental impact of their farm. Finca Dos Jefes is unique in the way they process and dry their beans. They are also one of the few brands that grow and roast their own beans. Most brands only roast beans, and grow the beans from micro farms that usually only produce small batches of coffee per year. The tour at Finca Dos Jefes teaches you about how coffee is grown, processed, roasted and brewed and allows you to walk around the farm and watch how the beans are dried and roasted.
GETTING THERE: Finca Dos Jefes is on Calle 2a Norte, heading to Volcan Baru from Boquete. It is a large farm on the right side of the road. The road usually has a gate closed but if you wait outside someone working there will open it for you. You can also arrange for the tour guide to come pick you up from your hotel in Boquete.
10. Boquete Bees Honey Tour and Butterfly House
Boquete Bees and Farm - Boquete, Panama
Boquete Bees and Farm - Boquete, Panama
ABOUT: Boquete Bees, also sometimes called Boquete Butterflies or Miel Boqueteña, is a honey farm just outside the main area of Boquete. This farm raises bees and produces many different types of honey, that they have for sale in the gift shop. Besides just selling honey, they also have honey tasting tours and honey harvesting/processing tours. The farm also includes a butterfly house, full of different types of butterflies (mostly the blue morpho). Yoga classes are offered daily inside the butterfly house where butterflies fly around and land on you while you practice yoga. Boquete Bees produces very unique honey. Their raw honey has over 40 different flavor profiles, without anything being added! This multitude of flavors is because of the vast biodiversity of the area, thanks to Volcán Barú. The more different types of species of plants in the area, the more different types of flavors the honey will be.
GETTING THERE: The honey farm is located along Route 41 headed towards the Lost Waterfalls or the Pipeline trails. If you follow the main road out of town to the north, it will curve to the left and pass along the Argentinian steak house. The honey farm is right before the road splits for the first time. There is a small gravel road to the right (right before the split). Turn down this road until you see a small parking lot with a sign that says “parking for yoga and honey.” Park here and then walk down the road to the right until you reach the café.
11. Cangilones de Gualaca Slot Canyon
Cangilones de Gualaca - Boquete, Panama
ABOUT: About an hour outside of Boquete is an awesome slot canyon called Los Cangilones de Gualaca. This slot canyon is an amazing way to spend your day. You can cliff jump from different heights, practice rock climbing out of the sides of the canyon, and spend the day just relaxing in the water or on the sides of the rocks. This is a super popular spot for locals and it is always packed with people but it was such a fun day of water adventures.
GETTING THERE: Head south along the main road towards David from Boquete. Turn left on Highway 10 towards Gualaca. Stay on 10 through the town of Gualaca and there will be signs for the canyon on the left. Turn left and follow this gravel road until you reach a stop where you will have to pay $1 USD to enter. Keep following this road a little bit longer and there will be ton of parking spaces. The Cangilones are very easy to find from Boquete as it is a common place to go and well marked the whole way.
12. Culebra Trail
ABOUT: The Culebra trail is a very unique trail because it goes all the way from Boquete to Bocas del Toro. The full trail requires a guide and takes 4 days/3 nights to do the whole thing. However, it is much more common for people to just spend a half day or day on the trail going as far as they can, and then turning around and heading back to Boquete. If you just do a portion of the trail, you can do it in a couple of hours and still see some of the unique flora and fauna of the Panamanian cloud forest. However, hikers have gotten lost on this trail pretty regularly so it is recommended to go with a guide (even if you are just going for the day).
GETTING THERE: From Boquete, head to Los Naranjos. The road will split after Mi Jardín es Su Jardín, stay to the left and pass the large gymnasium. The road will split again, take the road to the right towards Bajo Mono. Follow this road until you reach the trailhead for the Pipeline Trail (it is marked with a sign that says PIPELINE down the left post of the sign). Turn right here and follow the smaller road up until you see cars parked along the side of the road by a gravel driveway to your right. From here, walk down this driveway and to the left over a foot bridge across a river. After crossing the bridge, take the trail to the LEFT. The trail to the left is the Lost Waterfalls trail which is also a nice trail but not the Culebra trail.
13. Macho de Monte Waterfall
ABOUT: Macho de Monte is a canyon and waterfall located close to the town of Volcán. It was formed by the Río Macho de Monte as it runs by the side of Volcán Barú and towards the Pacific Ocean. The river has formed beautiful waterfalls and clear pools that are great for swimming. The water of the pools is drastically blue and is such a beautiful place to spend the day swimming and relaxing on the rocks besides the water. It is quite complicated to get to get to the Macho de Monte canyon by yourself so I strongly recommend going with a guide. Ask your hostel or hotel if they have guide suggestions.
GETTING THERE: I would strongly recommend going with a guide who will take you there as getting there is quite complicated. If you really want to do it yourself, check out the following posts about how to get there.
http://livinginpanama.com/panama-travel/volcan-canon-macho-de-monte/
https://blog.thepanamaadventure.com/2013/04/12/macho-de-monte/
14. Cascada del Trueno Waterfall
ABOUT: Also commonly called Salto del Trueno or Cascada Bregue, the Cascada del Trueno is a large waterfall in the Chiriquí province. The Río Bregue creates this 80 meter waterfall called “the Thunder Waterfall.” It converges with Río Macho de Monte farther down, so it is common to do a combo tour to both this waterfall and the Macho de Monte canyon in the same day. The waterfall is located in the town of Cordillera, on the road between La Concepcion and Volcán. It is quite complicated to get to get to the Cascade del Trueno by yourself so I strongly recommend going with a guide. Ask your hostel or hotel if they have guide suggestions.
GETTING THERE: I would strongly recommend going with a guide who will take you there as getting there is quite complicated. If you really want to do it yourself, check out the following posts about how to get there.
https://www.journeyera.com/trueno-thunder-waterfall-chiriqui/
