We’ve been in living the slow travel life in Boquete Panama for a little more than a week now, and we have finally settled into our new groove.
We’ve found all of the best supermarkets and cheap crap supply shops, as well as many of the best restaurants, bars, and local scheduled events in the area.
And we’ve also found fun ways to pass the time for free, or very cheap.
Bottom line, we’ve set up a good foundation for living out the next several weeks here.
So now that we have figured things out, let us show you how we’ve gone about our day-to-day business in Boquete this past week.
Living in the Alto Boquete Neighborhood of Boquete
The Alto Boqueteneighborhood is a residential suburb, about a 5-minute drive south of Boquete center.
Alto Boquete is an interesting mix of local and expat residents, the latter of which are often very well-to-do.
Although it may appear that living in a suburb would be difficult without a car, thankfully this is not the case.
We are only 1 km away from Plaza San Francisco, where there is a small grocery store, an expat-centric restaurant, a gym, and other small businesses. There is also a bus station here, which is super important!
So for grocery store emergencies, we have something solid close by.
Contradictory store name aside, Canasta Basic Deluxe has surprisingly good meat and egg prices!
Also, keep in mind that we are visiting Boquete in the middle of the rainy season. This means we can expect a long torrential downpour every day, starting at around 2 pm give or take. So we have to plan accordingly!
We try to get an early start every day, so we can finish our outdoor activities for the day before the inevitable downpour begins.
And when we are out we have to keep our eyes on the skies at all times. The mornings and early afternoons are lovely, but the storm clouds roll in very quickly in the mountains.
So whenever we go out we usually bring our daypacks, rain jackets, hats, and a small umbrella just in case.
So far the rain hasn’t been a problem, but it will definitely prohibit a few of the longer mountain hikes we could have taken.
Local Transportation
Buses and collectivos pass by Plaza San Francisco every 10 minutes or so. And for $0.60 USD per person, they will deliver us to the center of Boquete proper.
The buses also go in the opposite direction, toward the city of David, should we need to do any bulk or specialty shopping. The trip to David is $2 USD per person and is about 45 minutes away.
And there are taxis, should we need to get to more specific locations. They cost more at $3 to $4 USD per ride (for 2), if we are within a 5-minute driving radius of Boquete center or our Airbnb in Alto Boquete.
If we are in Boquete center, the public transportation options are way more diverse. Collectivo vans will take you to many of the neighborhoods surrounding Boquete.
All you have to do is go where all of the collectivo vans hang out, and look at the destinations written on their windshields to see where they go.
Collectivos are very useful to get to more distant trailheads and attractions in the area. But you will absolutely need to speak some Spanish to make the best use of them!
Safety
As with all of the other areas of Panama we have been in, Boquete is super safe. Locals, expats, and tourists all seem to walk the streets of Boquete unconcerned, with everyone just going about their daily lives.
Safety is actually one reason why expats seem to love Boquete so much. In fact, many expats comment that Boquete is safer than their country of origin!
That said, you still always need to use common sense to prevent crimes of opportunity, rare though they may be.
Getting Our Airbnb Settled
Thankfully, there really wasn’t much to do to get our Airbnb the way we like it.
We did buy a properly sharp kitchen knife, two cheap wine glasses, some citronella candles (for the outdoor kitchen), and basic toiletries.
But really, that was it!
And our only real gripe with our Airbnb is that we have no microwave, despite the listing stating there should be one present. We haven’t really needed one so we are not likely going to bug the owners, but still.
Shopping for Day to Day Needs
Although the small corner market at Plaza San Francisco in Alto Boquete has many things we might need, it doesn’t have everything.
So when we aren’t in a rush we hike one of several possible hour-long walking routes to Boquete center to pick up any needed supplies.
Our Airbnb is on a quiet country road.
The views from these walks can be beautiful, featuring mountains…
Or river floodplain views depending on which way we go.
Eventually, these routes merge with the main road (route 41/Avenida Central Boquete) that leads into town.
Thankfully there are sidewalks. And even they are pretty!
So far our preferred grocery stores are (in no particular order):
From Rinconcito Boqueteño: Fried fish with coconut curry sauce, rice, salad, lentils, and plantain. It was a weekend special at $8 USD.
Our lunches at El Sabrosón #1 Far side: chicken, pork fried rice, and cole slaw salad. Near side: filet mignon wrapped in bacon, beans, rice, cole slaw, and plantain.
And we always have to be minding the weather, so we can’t dilly dally too long.
Once we are done with everything we grab a collectivo to get us back to Plaza San Franciscoin Alto Boquete, or take a taxi if we need door-to-door service because of downpours.
Having Fun Around Town
There are actually a lot of things to do in the area, although to date we have focused on the local freebies.
One day we checked out a local path that takes you to a mirador lookout point close to town.
This is the mirador trailhead point on the above map, leading to the path entrance.
The entrance to the lookout path. It is really a local pedestrian shortcut, with an overhang the entire way to protect walkers from the rain.
The path keeps going up and up! It was quite the long stairway.
But the incline wasn’t too terrible, and the views were very pretty!
Panoramic view from the lookout point. Gorgeous!
Every Tuesday morning there is a weekly farmer’s market in the TapOut grounds area where expats and locals sell their goods.
This is a great place to get specialty foods, roasted coffee beans, street food, art, and souvenirs!
It was pretty cool. The prices were reasonable, especially when you consider the quality of what you are buying. But we wouldn’t go so far as to say the prices were cheap.
Our apologies for forgetting to take photos!
We stopped in La Casa del Cafe to try a couple of carafes of Boquete’s famous Geisha coffee. This stuff can sell for $2,500 USD per pound at auction, but we got our carafes for $10 USD each.
The owner even gave us instructions on how to properly drink it so we could fully appreciate the flavors! It was like doing a formal wine tasting but with coffee.
And we admit the flavor profile was pretty awesome!
Cheers!
We look forward to our next opportunity to drink some!
We also discovered Parque Biblioteca Boquete, a wonderful public park space, complete with water features, river views, walking paths, and benches.
The main entrance.
The park map. Lots of things to explore!
Lots of brick-paved paths.
Lots of greenery and viewpoints.
River views along the path.
A well-manicured artificial pond area…
With turtles! Two of them, ironically.
It is a great place to explore and hang out for an hour or two.
And finally, there is street art to be found if you look hard enough.
Celebrating Rhonda’s Birthday at Ngädri Gastronomía Panameña
Rhonda’s birthday was earlier in the week, so we took advantage of a break in the rain to go out for a fancy dinner to celebrate!
You can view their menu (in PDF format) HERE, although it is not 100% current.
Where the magic happens.
We ate in the glass-enclosed area overlooking the local stream.
The stream in question.
Two sangrias and freebie plantain chips with mystery sauce.
Rhonda’s appetizer of ensalada de vegetables rostizados.
My appetizer of pulpo caramelizado en raspadura. It was awesome! And so much food. After this, I really didn’t need a main dish.
Rhonda’s main dish of a super thick tuna steak with fried patacones. It was the best tuna she has ever had!
I had a yuca gnocchi dish with vegetables in coconut sauce. So good. And so filling!
We way overdid the amount we ate. We could have easily stopped after the appetizers!
And considering the volume and quality of food we were given, the $74.41 USD (including tip) total cost for our meal wasn’t a bad deal at all.
Basking in the birthday dinner afterglow.
We plan on coming back!
What Are Our Upcoming Boquete Plans?
Now that we are settled and have seen the majority of the free and easy-to-access sights of downtown Boquete, we are planning a bunch of activities in the coming week.
During the evening I am writing this post, there is a “TacoPalooza” taco contest at TapOut, a local bar in the town center.
At $12 USD per person, we’ll definitely be there.
We also booked a 3-hour coffee tour at Finca Casanga Coffee, in the mountains near where we live!
$35 USD per person is the going local rate and is a little steep by our standards. But the tour is very hands-on and extensive compared to most. And we will actually be roasting our own coffee and bringing it back with us.
And the fact that it includes a Geisha coffee tasting (among others) is an absolute plus!
[UPDATE: Click HERE to view the post describing our tour!]
We plan on hiking the Pipeline Trail, one of the most well-known mountain trails in the area. For a $5 USD entry fee to support trail maintenance, it is supposed to be beautiful, includes waterfalls, and isn’t too long.
So it is ideal to hike within our weather time window.
And if we are lucky we may see monkeys and Quezals!
[UPDATE: Click HERE to view the post describing our hike!]
And last, we hope to fit in a trip by collectivo to a hot spring on a local farm in the area.
At $3 per person to get in, we will be happy to give the local farmer our money!
[UPDATE: Click HERE to view the post describing our hot spring visit!]
Closing Thoughts
So although our travel life in Boquete Panama is supposedly slow, we have a big week coming up!
Honestly, I’m not sure we’ll be able to fit everything in. But at least we won’t be bored!
And so far it is a toss up between San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala, the Barranco neighborhood in Lima, Peru, and Cuenca, Ecuador for who has the coolest street art in our journeys. But every town seems to have cool art somewhere!
2 thoughts on “Living The Slow Travel Life in Boquete Panama”
Man, I love seeing all the street art. Happy birthday Rhonda!!
Rhonda says thank you!
And so far it is a toss up between San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala, the Barranco neighborhood in Lima, Peru, and Cuenca, Ecuador for who has the coolest street art in our journeys. But every town seems to have cool art somewhere!