The weather’s bipolar in Bocas Del Toro around August. It rained hard on the day I arrived, but we lucked out on Filthy Friday because it was sunny all day. The next day it was overcast and it rained in the evening, then it was sunny again the next two days— sunny enough, that I managed to get a bad sunburn. After 6 days in Bocas, I’ve decided that I’ve had enough of beaches. I needed to go someplace cooler, away from the sun. I asked around— where could I go to get away from the heat and humidity? Everyone I asked recommended Boquete.

As a side note, when I mentioned to a Brazilian friend that I was heading there next, he laughed out loud. When I asked what’s so funny, he told me to google what the word means in Portuguese. Have to admit, that’s a weird name for a town— if we’re in a Portuguese speaking country… but Panama isn’t one. 🙃

Boquete is a small mountain town about 4-6 hours away from Bocas del Toro. That’s relatively close, and it’s easy to get there. There are direct shuttle services from Bocas to Boquete. If you’re staying at Selina in Bocas Town, you can book a seat at the tour desk. Otherwise, you can book online. Keep in mind that this is a popular route, so if you’re planning on heading to Boquete from Bocas del Toro, book a seat at least one day in advance. It costs 30 dollars, and this includes the fast boat to Almirante. They said the shuttle leaves at around 12 noon, so you have to take the fast boat at around 11:30 AM. The trip takes 4 hours, with one short stop at a restaurant for lunch. The shuttle drops you off at the town center.

If you want to save some money, there’s a cheaper way that involves a number of transfers:

• First, take a water taxi from Bocas Town to Almirante— this costs $6.
• Then once you’re at the port in Almirante, you can walk for 20-30 minutes to the Terminal de Transporte Almirante (it comes out on Google Maps) or take a shared taxi for a dollar.
• Once you’re at the Terminal de Transporte, wait for a mini bus to David. This costs $10 and this leg of the trip lasts for 4 hours.
• The minibus will drop you off at the main bus station in David. You can take a chicken bus to Boquete from here. One departs every 20 minutes or so, and it costs $1.75. This last leg of the trip takes about an hour.

This takes 2 hours longer but you’d get to save some money. If 10 bucks isn’t a big deal to you though, just take a direct shuttle from Bocas to Boquete. It’s faster and more convenient.

The direct shuttles and chicken buses would drop you off someplace at the town center, so if you’re staying in town you could easily walk to your accommodation. Some hotels and hostels are at the outskirts though, and it may be a little too far to walk. Luckily, there are lots of taxis in town. A fellow traveler told me that Uber works in Boquete. Sure the app works, and it tries to search for a driver, but I never had any luck getting one.

Since I was still badly sunburnt, I mostly stayed at the hostel on my first two days in Boquete. Even though it was sunny, the weather was noticeably much cooler which was exactly what I needed. I did get to check out the town though when I went out for lunch and dinner. It’s a quaint little town with lots of restaurants and shops. The town caters to a lot of tourists so it is pretty pricey. Still, there are lots of cheap places to eat if you know where to look. If you’re looking for someplace to base yourself, Boquete is a pretty good spot. You can get all essentials here, I even had my laundry done in a cheap lavanderia close to my hostel. And Boquete is close to nature. It’s a must visit if you plan on doing some hikes. From the town itself, you can head up to the Mirador for a panoramic view of the town. This short hike only takes about 30 minutes.

The most popular hike in Boquete is the so called “Lost Waterfalls Trail“. This is a 2 mile hike that brings you to three waterfalls. To get here, head to the corner of Calle 1A Sur and Avenida Belisario Porras. On Google Maps, search for “parada de buses pequeños“. There are usually a couple of mini buses parked here, ask which minibus will pass through the trail to “las tres cascadas“. There’s no set schedule, they’ll leave once they’re full. This only costs $2.50. Take note that these minibuses will drop you off at the main road, not at the start of the trail so you’d have to walk a short distance. Heading back to town, just go back to where you got dropped off. A minibus back to town passes by every 30 minutes or so.

If you’re in a rush though, or if there’s at least 4 of you in the group, you might as well just take a taxi. It only costs 10 Dollars each way. The taxi will drop you off at the start of the trail. Ask the taxi to pick you up after a set time if you’re planning on taking a cab back. I’ve been told taxis rarely pass by on these parts unless you manage to catch one that just dropped off passengers at the start of the trail. I finished the entire thing in less than two hours, though most people spend 3 hours— maybe even longer if you plan on swimming or just chilling by the falls.

Now since these waterfalls are located in a private property, you need to pay $10 to enter. The first part of the trail is pretty steep. Once you’ve passed this, you’ll see a booth where you have to pay. You don’t need a guide for this hike. Though there are only a few signs, the trail itself is clearly marked. You can’t swim on the first waterfall, but you can on the second and third. I’d say it’s a pretty easy hike. the hardest part is the one heading to the third waterfall wherein you have to pull yourself up a rope due to the steep incline. I’ve encountered several travelers who headed back after seeing this part of the trail. Don’t! Unless you’re really unfit, I believe you would be able to climb up. The third waterfall is also the best one IMO.

Now there’s another reason why traveler’s head to Boquete— to hike Volcan Baru, Panama’s highest peak. I wasn’t aware of this— heck, I wasn’t even aware of Boquete before this trip lol. By the time I heard about it from other people at the hostel, I didn’t have time to do it anymore. I would have definitely done this if I had more time. Most people book a guided tour. A guided hike costs about $100 per person. You’d be picked up at around midnight so you’d make it to the peak by sunrise. Those who don’t want to hike can do this the easy way if they can afford to. 4×4 tours to the peak of Volcan Baru are also offered for around $150 per person. You’ll be picked up at your accommodation at around 3 AM. You can book these tours through your hotel/ hostel or through several tour agencies in town. You can also book online but these may be a little more expensive. If you want to save money, I’ve been told the hike itself is pretty straightforward so you don’t need a guide. Obviously public transport is non existent late at night, so you have to hire a private taxi for 20-30 dollars each way if you want to reach the peak by sunset, depending on where you’re staying. This is pretty cheap if there’s four of you. Even if you’re alone it’s still gonna be cheaper than joining a guided tour. By the start of the trail there’s a sign that says it costs $5 to enter, but no one is gonna be there late at night to collect money so it’s practically free if you do the sunrise hike. I’ve been told it’s a difficult hike, so maybe try doing easy hikes around Boquete first to assess your level of fitness. Also, I’ve been told it gets extremely cold in the summit so wear warm clothing!

If you’re heading to Panama City from Boquete, you need to head back to David first. The bus stop is right by the Central Park, along Avenida Belisario Porras close to the Palacio Municipal shown below. Search “bus stop for David” on Google Maps, it will point you to the exact location. This costs $1.75 and takes about an hour.

Once you’re at the bus station in David, head to the northeastern end of the terminal and you’ll see a booth selling tickets to Panama City. As of August 2024, a single journey ticket costs $15.25 during the daytime, while the express buses which run at night costs $20. These are modern, airconditioned double decker buses, and the bus I took was larger and way more comfy than the bus I took from Panama City to Almirante. Though the express night time buses only take 6 hours rather than 8, I’d still prefer to take the day time buses. I’ve been told that the area surrounding the main bus station in Panama City gets real sketchy after midnight. Better arrive during busy hours to stay on the safe side. See the bus schedule below:

I’d say a trip to Panama should include a good mix of history, beaches, and hikes. Spending a couple of days in Boquete is a great way to cross out that last one. 🙂