There are no words to describe how amazing our recent adventures were. We have experienced whale watching on one other occasion without disappointment, but it was nothing compared to our recent trip to the Gulf of Chiriquí in Boca Chica.
We traveled with two other couples to Boca Chica, where we checked into our favorite resort, Regalo. Jen and I stayed at Regalo Resort on one other occasion, and we found it just as beautiful and charming as we remembered. The resort is wonderfully remote while convenient to the public pier at Boca Chica. The proprietors, Carol and Jenni, have recently put in a pickleball court and converted the helipad into a bahio, where they host yoga retreats. They tell us that the resort is booked at capacity for most of the year, and they’re planning a minor expansion.
They employ a full-time chef, a bartender, and maid staff to serve the guests. The entire staff met us upon our arrival. They collected our bags and whisked them away to our suites while we checked in and were treated to a welcome cocktail at the bar. Dinner is typically offered in two choices, with other options for those with special diets or needs. We were given our options for dinner and asked what time we wanted to eat.
A table was set up on the pool deck for our party of six and another for the other guests in the resort. The other guests were a family of four from Florida who had spent the day deep sea fishing. They told us of the magnificent time they had and were asking Carol how they could transport their catch back to Florida. This seemed to me a near impossibility, but Carol was preparing their fish for the trip, packing it in a cooler with ice.
The resort can arrange any adventure from the public pier at Boca Chica. On our prior trip, we did an island-hopping boat tour with an excellent captain, Victor. Our tour started on Isla Bolanos, where we could swim and soak in the wondrous sights and sounds of the Gulf of Chiriquí. The second stop was Isla Paridas, where we enjoyed a great lunch. It was the only island with commerce. We saw just one small house serving drinks and fresh seafood, so we took the opportunity to restock our cooler and have Red Snapper served with salad, rice, and patacones. Following lunch, we swam on the beautiful beach before heading to our third island, Isla Gomez. It was a tiny, uninhabited island with a perfect beach. We did not have to share this island with anyone else. Captain Victor gave us an hour to swim and enjoy the beach before returning us to the pier at Boca Chica.
That day, we shared the boat with a Panamanian family. The couple and their well-behaved children were bi-lingual and spoke English to us. They ended up joining us for dinner at Regalo. It’s no surprise that they have become lifelong friends. It always amazes us how welcoming and friendly the Panamanian people are.
After returning to the pier, we walked around a bit in the village. There was truly little to see and do there. Boca Chica is a basic little town of fishermen and tourist boat excursions. This is a popular destination for whale watching. The whales migrate to the Gulf of Chiriquí from August to October. This is where whales give birth because of its safe, warm waters. Otherwise, everyone there had an agenda of fishing, sightseeing, or scuba diving. This was not whale season, so we saw no whales on our excursion. There were no cute little shops or restaurants, so we returned to Regalo for a relaxed evening meal with our new friends.
Our priority on this trip to Boca Chica was to see whales. From July to October, the humpback whales arrive in the Gulf of Chiriquí after their long journey from Antarctica to have their young and teach them to survive. The waters here are perfect for breeding as they must be warm and safe. This offers well-being and protection to their babies, who must be born with fat to resist the cold temperatures.
Adult males measure between 12 and 14 meters, somewhat smaller than females. An adult humpback whale can measure between 15 and 18 meters and live up to 50 years. Its weight ranges between 25 and 40 tons.
On Tuesday, we went to the pier, where we met our guide for the day, Jay. He proved to be an expert at finding whales. Although the location of the whales is sometimes tricky, Jay knew where to go and gave us the show of a lifetime.
Our day included a stop at Isla Paridas, where we had stopped on our previous adventure, to have a delightful lunch of fresh langostinos (shrimp).
Our day ended at the resort, where we swam in the beautiful infinity pool, enjoying drinks prepared and served by the bartender while the chef prepared another delightful meal.
After extreme adventuring, we visited with our gracious hosts, and all turned in early. Carol and Jenni posed for a fan photo. We don’t often endorse or recommend places unless we would return. This is a place we will return again and again. See my September 11, 2023, issue 154 Newsletter for a link to this magnificent place.
I would be remiss if I didn’t say here that the breakfast at Regalo is delightful and included in the price for a night. They served fruit and a breakfast selection with juice and fresh coffee from the Chiriquí highlands of Boquete both mornings. One of the couples we traveled with arranged an extra day in Boquete to tour a local coffee finca (farm).
Following our delightful breakfast on Wednesday morning, we drove to Boquete. The drive was beautiful and relatively short. If you’ve ever driven in Panama, you know the roads in parts of the country are not so great. The Inter-Americana Highway from Santiago to David is relatively new and in excellent shape.
On our initial trip to Boquete, we journeyed in one day. The entire trip is about 400km, taking approximately five hours without stops. We’ve been there three times with no shortage of adventure stories.
Boquete is a small mountain town in Panama. It’s located in the westernmost Province of Chiriquí, about 60 kilometers (37 mi) from the border with Costa Rica, and lies on the Caldera River in Panama’s green mountain highlands. Because of its elevation of 1,200 meters (3,900 ft) above sea level, its climate is cooler than the lowlands. Its scenic location, temperature, and natural environment make it popular with Panamanians and attracts tourists and retirees from all over the world.
Archaeological studies support the idea that Boquete’s history started between 300 AD to 600 BC. In this region, you can find petroglyphs (prehistoric rock carvings) that are evidence of the ancient settlements in the area. During the Spanish colonization, the highland area was an isolated refuge for the indigenous tribes like the Ngöbe and the Misquito due to the topographic terrain. The colonization of Boquete began in the second half of the nineteenth century by locals from Bugaba, Gualaca, and David and foreigners from Yugoslavia, France, Germany, and other European countries. Colonizers also arrived from the United States, starting the first coffee plantations and agricultural farms. In Spanish, the word Boquete means ‘gap or opening.’ It was through this gap that curious gold seekers trekked, looking for a cheaper and quicker way to the Pacific. By the early twentieth century, several villages had been populated: Lino, Quiel, Bajo Mono, Los Naranjos, and Bajo Boquete, which now is the town center of the district.
The town of Boquete has a population of around 25,000, including around 2500 expats from all over the world. It also has some of the most beautiful waterfalls, flowers, hundreds of bird species, butterflies, and hiking.
It should be no surprise that Boquete hosts a couple of Panama’s biggest festival celebrations. It is the perfect setting to stimulate artistic ability and creative talent, making it ideal for hosting the annual Boquete Jazz and Blues Festival.
Boquete boasts a vibrant music and arts scene. The annual Boquete Jazz Festival was founded in 2007, the second-largest jazz festival in the country after the Panama City Jazz Festival. Having been renamed Boquete Jazz & Blues Festival, it’s held annually in February. Since 2012, the event has showcased first-class international Blues acts and notable Panamanian and Latin American artists featuring Jazz and Latin American music styles. It was the first festival in Panama to do so. These entertainers are a great success! According to friends who have attended the festival, it features outstanding talent. As people walk about, they say there are smiles on every face, dancing, and great fun. This has been described as a great community event for all. My information tells me the festival is moving from Boquete in 2024 to the Buenaventura Resort on the Pacific Riviera.
The Boquete Flower Festival has been held annually from around January 11th through the 21st since 1984. Our good friends attended the festival, and this is how they described what they found. The festival is held in the Feria grounds on the east bank of the Boquete River near an old cable suspension bridge. The bridge is indeed an engineering wonder as, despite its dilapidated condition, it still stands and carries traffic. They found a festival atmosphere with at least 200 stalls. Local artisans displayed everything from local native costumes to coffee, handicrafts, food, beer stands, and magnificent flowers. The army of gardeners had done a masterful job keeping the 30,000-plus blooms bright and well-watered despite the drying winds and tropical sun. Given the altitude and climate, it was apparent that the organizers had gone to great lengths to pick the most attractive and durable plants. Our friends saw everything from petunias and pansies to beautiful bright chrysanthemums. In the center, they found a display by the local orchid society. These blooms were indeed the jewel in the Feria’s crown and as exotic and exquisite as the orchid name implies.
On their drive from David north to Boquete, they noticed, with the change in climate from hot and humid to cool and refreshing, multicolored flowers were abundant along the roadside and in the ditches. It was easy for them to understand why Boquete is Panama’s flower capital. They also told me that missing the vegetable display would have been tragic. The abundant vegetables in the area are responsible for the fantastic food found in the restaurants locally. Based on my experience, Boquete always has something great to enjoy.
Visitors to Boquete are frequently invited to visit the Tuesday Market because it is such an integral part of the community. The Tuesday Market activities have been a big success, both commercially speaking and in integrating the locals and the expatriates working side by side. Any Tuesday visit to Boquete must include a visit to the Market. We have visited there on two previous occasions.
The last time we were there, we took a hike on the Pipeline Trail, explored the countryside, and hiked the hanging bridges of Tree Trek. We were traveling with my writing group, and Detective Larry was conceived at the same hotel where we stayed on this trip. I am anxious to share the first of the Detective Larry Saunders Mysteries, Murder in Eagle Cove. It is scheduled for release on November 1st, 2023. Newsletter subscribers are getting advance notice of special events and some surprises. Subscribing to the Newsletter is simple and free. You likely received an invitation to subscribe when you opened this blog post. If you didn’t get the invitation or skipped over it, send me a private message. Include your name and email address so I can add you to the distribution list.
Our agenda for this visit was to enjoy some outstanding local restaurants and take an excursion to the top of Volcan Baru. The Volcan excursion was one I never thought we would be able to do. The journey to the top is at least a four-hour hike in each direction. For an old, out-of-shape senior citizen, this is unattainable. Fortunately, we found a tour company offering transportation to the summit by four-wheel drive ATV.
We arrived in town with time to explore before stopping at a local favorite, Big Daddy’s, for lunch. After a relaxing lunch, we went to Boquete Garden Inn for the next two nights. The inn has a happy hour at six every evening and a complimentary breakfast each morning. We settled into our rooms and met our fellow travelers for a glass of wine in the hotel’s delightful bar. Our dinner reservations were at The Rock. It’s considered one of the finest restaurants in town. I may get hate mail for this, but let’s say it’s not likely to be a place where I would return. Our dinner bill was the highest of our adventure, and it was just average food. The highlight of the experience was a marshmallow roast at the firepit in the outside dining area after our meal.
We met our tour operator on Thursday morning in front of the inn at 3:30 a.m. The early departure meant we would drive to the summit of Volcán Barú in the dark to see the sunrise over the Caribbean if the weather cooperated.
Volcán Barú, also called Volcán de Chiriquí, is an active stratovolcano and the tallest mountain in Panama, at 3,474 meters (11,398 ft) high. It is about 35 km (22 mi) from the border of Costa Rica. It’s also the twelfth-highest peak in Central America.
Due to its height and the narrowness of the isthmus of Panama, it is possible (though relatively rare) to see both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea from Volcán Barú’s peak on a clear day.
The small town of Volcán is at the base of Volcán Barú. The erosion of a small river there exposed an ancient forest below, dated to about 1000 years old. Volcán Barú is surrounded by a fertile area of cool highlands drained by the Chiriquí Viejo and Caldera Rivers. The towns of Volcán and Cerro Punta can be found on its western side, while Boquete is on the eastern flank.
The occasional fall of hail or ice pellets has been reported on the summit, where the minimum temperature can be below 0 °C (32 °F), and frost formation is frequent during the dry season. The peak is host to a large installation of broadcast towers.
It has been determined that El Barú volcano is active and part of the extension of the Central American Volcanic Arc in Panama. In 2006, an earthquake swarm was registered in the Volcán Barú area. This was not the first; researchers cite at least three other seismic events recorded recently (1930, 1965, 1985).
In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Panama’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Secretariat (SENACYT) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), published a study on different aspects of Volcán Barú. The report outlined potential hazard areas, rock composition, and areas affected by previous eruptions; there is evidence that during the last eruption, which occurred in the 16th century, the debris avalanche deposits covered an area reaching as far as the Pacific Ocean (the largest documented in Central America and nearly ten times the area covered by the Mt. St. Helens debris avalanche in 1980).
Data collected at several locations from four previous eruptions during the last 1600 years indicate that a new eruption would last several years, putting population and costly infrastructure at risk in the areas surrounding the volcano. Typical events during such volcanic episodes include pyroclastic flows, super-heated gas clouds rapidly descending the volcano’s east flank, conceivably reaching as far as Boquete, Alto Boquete, and the Caldera River, and fallout of ash and other particles ranging in size from dust to one-meter blocks, known as tephra, causing fires, roof collapses, water contamination, crop damage and eye and lung irritation, especially among elders and infants. A third type of event, mud and debris flows, known as lahars, create landslides, obstruct river courses, and could have long-term effects in the zone. The severity of these events is directly related to the lava flows and their interaction with underground water deposits.
The volcano was declared Volcán Barú National Park in 1976, with an area of 14,325 ha (35,400 acres). It’s a part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. Fauna includes the black guan, black-and-white hawk-eagle, Underwood’s water mouse, volcano junco, wren thrush, and yellow-thighed brush finch. Over 250 species of birds have been identified within the park, and all five species of big cats live here as well. The national park protects various habitats, including humid montane forests, low humid montane forests, and montane rainforests.
The park’s most popular hiking trail is the Sendero Los Quetzales (Los Quetzales Trail), which connects Boquete with Cerro Punta and wraps around the side of the volcano. The trail takes around 6 hours to hike. There is another trail to the top of the volcano, but this is long, steep, and strenuous.
On our visit, we could see the Pacific coast clearly while clouds shrouded the Caribbean side of the volcano. The summit is the only destination in Panama where there has ever been snow. It was about 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) when we reached the top. There was no snow, but the 25-mph wind was unforgiving. The volcano has seven craters, which are all visible from the top. The Volcan Baru National Park allows only fifteen vehicles to make the ascent to the summit daily, and there were two others there on Thursday morning. The road to the top is roughly thirteen km of extreme rocks and ruts. Our driver, Melissa, was very skilled and delivered us safely to the top and back. The park only allows qualified, experienced drivers to make the journey. We followed another driver from her company in both directions. The two groups included our group of six, another guy who paid for a private tour, two drivers, and a guide. There was one stop along the way to clear rocks from the road for passage. I understand that hikers can no longer hike up in the dark of night. Camping at the summit is also no longer allowed. I believe the other tour company delivered some individuals to the top who would make the hike down. In any case, it is a challenging hike for even the most experienced hikers.
While at the top, our tour operator made us breakfast while we stood in awe of the magnificent sunrise views and the surrounding vistas. The trek was about two hours in each direction. Each time a vehicle makes the trip to the top, it is taken immediately for a complete inspection. She says replacing the tires, shocks, and brakes is commonly a short cycle. The ride down was a bit more daunting than the ride to the top. One of our fellow travelers arrived at the bottom with bruised ribs from the descent.
I cultivated some of the history and geography from Wikipedia, while some came from our guide.
Our dinner plans on Thursday night took us to RetroGusto. This was one of the best meals of the week, in my opinion. I rarely share pictures of food, but the image below is of my entree. I enjoyed the smoked pork chop. I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Boquete. The restaurants in Boquete are a treat, and we all wished we could experience more of them. We have been to RetroGusto on one other trip to Boquete, and the experience both times was delightful.
On a previous trip there, we enjoyed Mesa Azul, which we recommend. We enjoyed a great meal at George’s Grill on our first trip. I related a great story in the first edition of 2 Retire In Panama? from George’s, but some readers had terrible experiences there, so I will refrain from recommending it.
Friday morning, we enjoyed a delightful breakfast at the Boquete Garden Inn before checking out and heading home. This hotel has been renovated and remains a favorite place in Boquete. We always find great new friends while visiting. On our drive back to Coronado, we found Dona Gladys. This was a stop Jen and I made on our first trip to Boquete, and I stated in the first edition of 2 Retire in Panama? that I didn’t think we would ever find it again.
I always recommend spending several months on the ground here in Panama before deciding where to retire. The consensus of our group was that Boquete is a beautiful place to visit for many reasons, but a little damp and cool. We’re pretty happy living in the beach community of Coronado. Go and explore the country and draw your own conclusion.
Our next great adventure is less than two weeks away. We are traveling to the Mayan Riviera of Mexico, near Cancun. We plan to visit Tulum and enjoy other sites near our resort. Watch for posts on social media in the weekly newsletter, and be sure to return to read our next blog post. If you’ve yet to subscribe to this blog or the newsletter, please do it. I have kept the content free and have never spammed my readers. We love you all and love sharing our adventures.
Blessings from paradise,
Greg and Jen
#welovepanama
