After accomplishing all the administrative work in Panamá City, we hired a driver to take us to the western part of the country where we have decided to settle, at least for now. There are a large expat numbers here in the Boquete area where we can get help with learning how things work around here. The highlands are absolutely beautiful. Boquete means “hole” in Spanish. It is in a valley surrounded by mountains, including the highest point in Panamá, Volcán Barú.
The Volcán Barú is an active stratovolcano and the tallest mountain in Panama, at 3,475 metres high. It lies about 35 km off the border of Costa Rica in the province of Chiriqui. It is also the twelfth highest peak in Central America. Due to its height and the narrowness of the isthmus of Panama, it is possible to see both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea from Volcán Barú’s peak on a clear day.
There are all kinds of eco tours, hiking and bird watching here. There is also a plethora of coffee plantations which flourish here because of the altitude. The coffee is to die for! Every Tuesday morning, Boquete has an Open Market with plenty of people selling their wares, various fruits and vegetables that they have grown, a variety of homemade foods, as well as plants and herbs. We purchased 2 bags of delicious tomatoes for $1! The indigenous tribe in this area, the Ngöble-Buglé, also sell their hand made items.
Boquete has a lot of English speaking people…the area is a draw because of its spring like weather all year long. Right now is the start of the wet season and we have been having some rain every day now. This morning the sun is shining, but this afternoon more than likely will have a few hours of rain. In Boquete, over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 55° F to 75° F and is rarely below 53° F or above 78° F. Just from the short period of time we have spent here thus far, we are learning towards temperatures that are a little warmer than this. Of course it has its benefits. There is no need for heat or air conditioning here, saving lots of money in electric bills. There are so many micro-climates here. From what we have seen in town, most people wear long pants, and in the evening, they wear jackets.
Keep writing Nancy, very interesting. What would it take to get a few kilos of coffee sent back 😬
We will get you some coffee!
Hi Folks.
We have been thinking of coming to Panama for 4 to 5 months of each year just to get away from the cold here in Canada, any assistance you can give us would be very much appreciated, we are thinking of the Boquete area and David, however we only want 4 to 5 months because if we stayed longer we would loose our Canadian Benefits, our idea is to come every year in November and stay until the end of March. what we need is a place to rent for that period, a furnished home if possible. What I am asking is if you have any connections with this we would be forever grateful.
We live in Ontario Canada and we are sick of the cold which lasts for over 6 months at a time
Again, any help you can give is much appreciated.
Best regards to you both.
Ian and Joyce..
Hola Ian and Joyce, I can share our experience with you. We were told never to rent sight unseen, we arrived in the Chiriquí highlands two weeks ago and are still getting our feet wet. We found a place after a few days after we arrived. I would have to say that you really need to see it first. Stay at a hotel or Airbnb first while you explore. Ask around. Our Spanish is beginner but people are friendly and helpful. Coming from Pennsylvania we were tired of winters as well. It will take some time to adjust, we are still feeling our way through. One thing we do know, in this short amount of time we’ve been here, you have to be patient. There will be all kinds of outages. They won’t last long but are an annoyance. Real estate agents will only show you their listings. Driving around, you will see places for rent or for sale. Just jump in, you will figure it out! Good luck