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Boquete, Province of Chiriqui   Panama

ABOUT BOQUETE - by www.boquete.org

GEOGRAPHY OF THE AREA:

Now for a little Geography......remember that Panama orients east to west (not north to south), and this takes a little getting used to. The Atlantic (Caribbean) is on the north and the Pacific is to the south. Also, the sun rises and sets over the Pacific. Panama's Provinces (States) are divided into Districts (Counties), which are divided into Counties (Townships). Boquete is situated in the Province of Chiriqui, which is Panama's southwestern-most province, immediately next to Costa Rica's southern border.   

The District of Boquete contains 6 Counties, or Townships; Alto Boquete, Bajo Boquete, Boquete, Caldera, Los Naranjos and Palmira. This District is known as the Valley of the Eternal Rainbow, and often one can view several rainbows at the same time, over the valley. The valley itself is shaped like a bowl, with the far end of the bowl touching Panama's northwestern Province of Bocas Del Toro. Although only a few miles away, there is no road access directly over the bowl, and visitors to Bocas must drive around and over the Continental Divide to reach the Caribbean neighbor. It's a fabulous drive with a drastic change to a more Caribbean type of foliage, housing and people as you cross the Divide.

The Capital of the Chriqui Province is David, which can be reached in about 45 minutes by a 2 lane asphalt road that will soon become 4 lanes, shortening the driving time significantly. David is Panama's third largest city (after Panama City and Santiago) and many of the large stores from Panama City are now building locations in David. David has an international airport with flights several times a week to San Jose, Costa Rica. Both Air Panama and Aeroperlas offer 2 to 3 flights daily to David from Panama City.

FACTS ABOUT THIS AREA:

Chiriqui Province has its 159th anniversary in 2008, and Boquete will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2011. The District of Boquete covers over 484 kilometers (300 miles) and has approximately 20,000 residents, with more than 1,000 of those being foreign residents from around the world. The valley is situated on the eastern side of the volcano (extinct for over 500 years) known as Volcan Baru (one of 2 extinct volcanos in Panama), which became a National Park in June of 1976 and encompasses a surface area of 14,322.5 hectares (over 35,000 acres), rising to a height of over 12,000 feet above sea level. Rainfall is abundant at the higher elevations of Baru's 6 life zone areas. This unique eco-area provides recreation, flora, fauna, birds, animals and water features for the visitor to enjoy and marvel at. There are over 250 bird species found in the park boundaries, as well as animals such as the jaguar, tapir, puma, deer, coati, armadillo, rabbit, sloths (both 2 and 3 toed) and monkeys of various types. This area is the southernmost boundary of the sacred Quetzal bird, revered by civilizations from Mexico to western Panama throughout time. (See a photo of the Quetzal male at the far right end of our strip of photos at the bottom of this page.)

The major industries of Boquete are agriculture, ecotourism and of course, coffee. Boquete coffee is one of the world's best kept secrets, but the word is quickly spreading that the cool humid mountain air of western Panama produces some of the world's best coffee cherries. Recently, a world record $131 per pound was obtained at auction for a Geisha bean grown here.  

Since 2002, the world's retirement population has been discovering Boquete as a retirement haven with low cost of living, perfect weather and beautiful people. As a result, unemployment here is low and quality of life is high.  

BOQUETE'S WEATHER:

Boquete weather is characterized by a warmer Dry Season (December through March) known as Summer, and a cooler Wet Season (April through November) known as Winter. Temperatures are highly dependent on elevation, cloud cover and rainfall, with variances of up to 20 degrees Farenheit between the sea level cities of Panama City and David, to the 1,200 meters (4,000 feet) above sea level elevation of Boquete. Nights and sometimes even days, on the summit of Volcan Baru at 4,000 meters (13,000 feet), can get VERY cold so be sure to prepare for this if you intend to scale the summit. The climatic conditions and sharp incline in topography make for breathtaking beauty, as well as several micro-climates within the valley itself. Check out the weather right now by clicking on the icon below.

ACTIVITIES & ATTRACTIONS:

Tourist activites such as the hot springs, rock climing, canopy fly over, white water rafting, ATV adventures, hiking, birdwatching and others are abundant, as are the restaurants, hotels, B&Bs and WiFi internet locations. Boquete has its own community theater, the Boquete Community Players, the Boquete Jazz Festival, the Chiriqui Art Expo, and various annual festivals and parades. 

Many Civic and Charity organizations in Boquete were founded by the ExPats, which serve the needs of many..... because here you can really make a difference. Rotary International, Lions Clubs International, and others bring professionals and technology from the US and Canada down here to undertake projects that improve the quality of life for the local people. There is Animales de Boquete that brings US veteranarians to conduct several spay/neuter clinics throughout the year, bringing down the population of street dogs and cats and improving the overall animal health in the area. There is Amigos de Boquete that serves hundreds of meals to school children every day.    There's Buenos Vecinos that collects food and money donations to feed the area's elderly and hungry. In short, there's a huge difference being made by loving volunteers that make this community even more precious to us all who live here.

NATIVE PEOPLES:

The indigenous people of this area are called Ngobe Bugle. The women wear a colorful dress that they make themselves. Most live in the Comarca (Reservation) but many live in Boquete. They often come to Boquete to pick the coffee cherries during the Summer picking season. Since Panama has such high literacy, many of the Ngobe Bugle children attend school. They are beautiful and sweet people. Another indigenous tribe comes from Cuna (or Kuna) on the islands known as the San Blas. These people make the beautiful Molas