BOQUETE, BETWEEN WATERFALLS AND MOUNTAINS
WHAT TO DO IN BOQUETE?
HIKES
What to do in Boquete? The city’s known for its beautiful hikes. There are all types. Here are two hikes that I can recommend:
- The Pianista trail: a round trip of 8km, 609m of elevation gain
To get to the trailhead, you have to take a collectivo from the city center. There’s a person who tells you which collectivo to take depending on your destination. It takes around 1 hour to go there. When you get off the collectivo, check with the driver about the return times. The start of the hike’s quite nice, you walk in the middle of the plains. Then you climb in the forest for a while. After being in Costa Rica, it was weird to be in a forest and not see any animals haha. But the vegetation remains very dense in this place, it’s super pretty! It’s nice because it’s very quiet. Then you arrive at a beautiful viewpoint over the mountains of the region. It’s really nice ! Then you return the same way. We did the hike in 3.5 hours in total. Click here to download the trail.
- The Lost Waterfalls trail: a 3.5km round trip, 252m elevation gain
Same thing as for the other trail, there are collectivos that go to the entrance of the trail. After paying the entrance, you enter a forest. Don’t stop at the first waterfall right away. Continue directly to the second waterfall which is super pretty! And then climb to the third which is also super beautiful! The path can be a bit muddy and sometimes you have a rope to help you. But it’s quite easy, don’t worry. Then, turn around to go to the first waterfall which is the largest and most impressive! It’s magnificent ! We did the walk in about 2 hours. I really liked the waterfalls and the trek. For me, this is the trail not to be missed in Boquete! Click here to see the route.
There’s also a hike you can do, sunrise at Barú Volcano. We met people who did it and really liked it. On the other hand, they left at night to be sure to arrive up there by sunrise. Click here to find out more about this hike.
Round-trip bus price to go to the Pianista trail: approximately US$4*
Round-trip bus price to the Lost Waterfalls trail: approximately US$4*
Entrance fee to the Lost Waterfalls trail: US$10*
COFFEE EXCURSION
Yes, I didn’t expect it either, but Boquete is nationally known for its coffee. There are around 600 coffee companies, some of which you can visit. We chose to take a guided tour at the Don Pepe cafe. They pick us up from our hostel to go directly to the factory. From there, our guide, who previously worked for this company, explains the whole process of making coffee. We see the coffee fields, the factory, the machines, where they dry the coffee bean, the techniques, etc. The visit’s super interesting! Then we have a tasting of 6 different coffees. Unfortunately, as I don’t like coffee, I can’t give a very objective opinion, but my friend with whom I visited liked it.
I really liked this visit, it was very interesting and the fact that the guide worked in this place added something extra to the visit.
Price of the guided tour with guide and transport: US$30*
WHERE TO STAY IN BOQUETE?
Unfortunately the hostel I went to no longer exists. On the other hand, you can always look at the different options by clicking here.
THE PRACTICAL MAP OF BOQUETE
HOW MANY DAYS TO VISIT BOQUETE?
Honestly I think that in 3/4 days you’ll have covered the hikes and some excursions to do in the surrounding area. If you’ve time, plan widely to try to have good weather if possible. Here’s an idea for an itinerary on what to do in Boquete:
- 2 DAYS :
- The Lost Waterfalls Trail
- The coffee excursion
- 3 DAYS :
- What’s described above
- The trail Pianist
- 4 DAYS :
- What’s described above
- The ascent of the Barú volcano
THE BEST MONTHS TO GO TO BOQUETE
Temperatures are similar throughout the year. It’s still recommended to go there during the dry season, between January and May.
| JANUARY | It’s the start of the dry season, there’s little precipitation. |
| FEBRUARY | Just like the month of January. |
| >MARCH | A few days of rain in addition to previous months. |
| APRIL | Conditions are similar to March. |
| MAY | It’s the transition to the rainy season. |
| JUNE | The start of the rainy season. |
| JULY | Conditions are similar to the previous month. |
| AUGUST | Rainy days can be frequent. |
| SEPTEMBER | Rainfall can be heavy. |
| OCTOBER | Just like the month of September. |
| NOVEMBER | Precipitation begins to decrease. |
| DECEMBER | It’s the end of the rainy season. |
HOW TO GET TO BOQUETE?
BY PLANE
If you’re coming from a faraway destination or another country, to begin with, you can arrive at Tocumen International Airport. Then you can go to David by bus or plane, the nearest transfers to Boquete. Click here to see your different options.
BY BUS
From the bus terminal in David, you’ve small local buses that go to Boquete.
WHAT BUDGET TO EXPECT TO VISIT BOQUETE?
What to do in Boquete at a low price? The budget described below corresponds to a backpacker budget:
- Accommodation: There are a few hostels close to the city center. Count between US$18 and 30*
- Food: It’s still cheaper to cook. There are large supermarkets in the center. Allow around US$10* per day.
- Transport: The hikes don’t depart from the city. You’ll often have to take a collectivo from the city center. Allow around US$4* for the round trip each time.
- Activities: For the activities described in the article, count on approximately US$40*.
The total budget for 4 days in Boquete would be around US$180*.
MY TRAVEL TIPS TO VISIT BOQUETE
- Many collectivos take you to the start of the hikes. Ask in the center, they’ll tell you where to take them.
- If you can, try to allow several extra days in case of bad weather.
- Start hikes early so as not to have too many people and avoid the heat.
*Prices are as of December 2022.