Volcan, Boquete and David

Boquete

If you enjoy highlands landscape, hiking in cloud forest, and quiet relaxing "get-away-from-it-all" atmosphere I highly recommend visiting Panama's Chiriqui province.

The province is located in the western-most part of the country an shares border with Costa Rica. The main city is David, and it is located approximately 300 miles from Panama City, and can be easily reached either by car (about 7 hour drive) or airplane (the flight itself is about 30 minutes, but you need to factor in time to get to the airport). Within an hour drive from David there are several picturesque towns, two of which, Volcano and Boquete, are very popular tourist destinations. Make sure to pack warm sweaters or even light jackets, as temperatures there are significantly cooler than in Panama city.

Boquete has a permanent ex-pat community, as well as a Chabad center serving both visitors and a small local Jewish community. Chabad center houses a delicious kosher bakery, and can arrange full kosher meals upon request.

The main attractions are region's cool climate and beautiful natural scene. Once there make sure to take a guided tour of numerous coffee plantations spread around the area of Volcan and Boquete. Depending on the season, you will see first hand how coffee is grown, collected and processed. And not just any coffee, in this area grows world's most expensive variety - Geisha. At the 2017 auction, the wholesale price went all the way $601 for one pound! Whether you are coffee aficionado, or simply curious tasting Geisha coffee is guaranteed to be a unique experience. Coffee is available for sale at the farm, and in some coffee shops in Panama city.

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