The Downtown Hotel

The Downtown Hotel is a quaint and charming 7-unit hotel located right downtown and is in walking distance to virtually everything, yet far enough from the main road to provide its guests the opportunity to relax in a tranquil and serene setting. The Downtown Hotel has been totally remodeled and updated and offers extremely comfortable beds and sofas, perfect for relaxing after a day of hiking in Boquete, birdwatching in Boquete, whitewater rafting in Boquete, Boquete coffee tours or simply strolling through town.

All of their rooms have:

King-sized beds with foam mattresses
High-end bedding
Down comforters
Hand-made hardwood furniture
Luxury sofa beds for extra guests
On-demand hot water
Wifi throughout the hotel
Flat screen TVs with many channels
Mini-fridges and coffee makers
Free welcome basket with local coffees
And of course, Boquete’s friendliest staff

Each room at The Downtown Hotel has a patio which overlooks a beautiful garden area with a gazebo set among an array of flowers, fruit trees, and landscape lighting. The price for a room at the Downtown Hotel is $119 per night.

The Bhote Koshi river originates in Tibet and slices through the mighty Himalayas, creating gorges as it flows into Nepal in a succession of World Class rapids. Long considered one of the best rivers in the world for whitewater rafting, the Bhote Koshi attracts thrill-seekers from all corners of the Earth. A surge in tourism since the end of a 10-year civil war in 2006 has made rafting a lucrative industry and an important contributor to tourism in the poor east Asian country. Unfortunately, many sections of Nepal’s best rivers could affected as the central government plans a large expansion in hydro power in the face of power shortages that can last up to sixteen hours a day.

Experts in the field of hydro-electric power generation say Nepal’s mountain rivers could be generating 83,000 megawatts of power, which doesn’t seem like much until one considers that the nation currently generates less than 700 megawatts. This major shortage in power has virtually crippled industry and dissuaded foreign investment, highlighted by the fact that vital infrastructure development ground to a halt following the Maoist insurgency that began in 1996.

Currently, Nepal has 23 hydro-power plants and 36 have been approved for construction or are already being built. One large plant currently under construction on the Bhote Koshi river will ultimately choke the fast flow of water for rafters. Many of the World’s best rafters and kayakers have expressed horror at the threat to their sport.

5 major resorts and 21 rafting companies are now operating along the banks of the Bhote Koshi and more than 100,000 tourists a year raft the river and hundreds of jobs are provided by these companies and resorts. Business leaders have asked the government consider the rafting industry when planning locations for hydro-power projects, but the hydroelectric industry insists power generation should take priority over tourism. The company behind the Bhote Koshi project claims it would lose nearly half of its capacity and all its profits if they were to construct the dams further away from rafting hotspots.

Whitewater rafting was initiated in Nepal in the mid 70s and was quickly embraced by tourism businesses who now offer vacation packages for up to 12 days in length. A large Indian developer is building a 900 megawatt hydro plant which many believe will severely curtail rafting on the Karnali, reducing its appeal to foreign tourists who may go elsewhere in search of rafting vacations.

How important is rafting to the economy in Nepal? Tourism contributes more than $1 billion to the economy and rafting attracts more than 20 percent of foreign tourists, counted at nearly 720,000 in 2011.

Photo by Ariel Rodriguez

The Volcan Baru, a dormant volcano is the tallest mountain in Panama and measures 11,398 feet above sea level (or 3,474 meters). It towers above the surrounding landscape and is one of the only places in the world where one can see both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea at the same time with the naked eye. Many people traveling to Boquete have atop their list of things to do, make it to the summit of the volcano. Dozens of people do it each day in Boquete, but making it all the way to the large cement cross at the top is no easy feat and many people try and ultimately fail to make it the entire way to the top. The post is intended as a guide for those who want to summit the Volcan Baru.

Volcan Baru history

The Volcan Baru is a dormant volcano which lies to the south of the Cordillera Central or Continental Divide. The villages of Volcan, Las Nubes, Cerro Punta and Guadalupe are located on the western side of the Volcano, while Boquete is on the eastern slope. The soil on the slopes of the volcano are famous for their fertility and the cool, wet climate of this area make it Panama’s most agriculturally productive.

The Volcan Baru is almost equidistant from both the Pacific and Caribbean, and less than 25 kilometers from the Costa Rican border. It is the height of the volcano and and Panama’s short width that makes it possible to see both oceans from it’s peak.

The last major eruption of the Volcan Baru was about 1,500 years ago, though there is evidence that there was a minor eruption less than 500 years ago. Geologic research also suggests that the Volcan Baru has erupted several times in the last 10,000 years and a cluster of seismic activity last century and a recent cluster in 2006 remind us that the Volcan Baru is still very much alive.

According to geologists specializing in volcanic activity, the Volcan Baru will probably erupt again in the future, and will follow some period of seismic activity that could last for days or months. They feel that future eruptions will probably be similar to past eruptions, making them dangerous to those living on the flanks of the volcano. The likelihood of this happening in our lifetimes is very remote so, for now, the volcano is ours to enjoy.

Hiking the Volcan Baru

The vast majority of the people who make it to the summit of the Volcan Baru, do so by hiking. The hike to the top of the volcano is not so much technically challenging as it is taxing physically. The hike takes from 4-6 hours and, as one could imagine is a series of steep and gentile inclines. Most people hiking the Volcan baru take a taxi from Boquete to the beginning of the trail. Most taxi’s will charge around $12 for a one-way trip to the trail head. The government agency charged with controlling and maintaining Panama’s national parks has a small office at the beginning of the trail. This agency charges a $5 per person fee to enter the park. The distance from the ranger station to the summit of the Volcan Baru is about 13km. There are some amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding mountainside along the way, but the best views are from the summit itself. At the 9km mark, one can begin to see the craters of the volcano. The weather at the summit of the volcano is very unpredictable and can be extremely cold. There have even been reports of snow and ice at the top during the dry season, so be prepared.

Most people that choose to hike the Volcan Baru start their hike at either midnight or very early in the morning, usually at 5am. The midnight hike is popular because it gives hikers the best chance of seeing both Oceans from the summit. The weather in Boquete is often most clear very early in the morning. It is not uncommon for it to be perfectly clear at sunrise and then completely overcast an hour later. This is why the majority of the people hiking to the top of the Volcan Baru do so at night. Another advantage of hiking at night is that hikers do not get discouraged at seeing another long ascent in front of them.

Hiking Alone vs. Guided Hikes

Hiking the Volcan Baru without an experienced guide is certainly possible and many people make the ascent each day in Boquete. We recommend hiking alone only if you are an experienced hiker and have the skills necessary to survive in the wild should something happen during the hike. There are two alternatives to hiking alone. The first is to hike in a group. Many of the hostels in Boquete arrange group hikes and these hikes are generally safer and more fun than hiking alone. The other option is contracting a local, experienced guide to lead the hike. Guided hikes to the Volcan Baru are the safest and most rewarding way to summit the volcano. First, an experienced local guide knows how to make a successful ascent. He will know when to rest, when to eat and when to drink water. Most first time hikers drink water when they are thirsty and eat when they are hungry. This is not the most efficient way to consume food and water during the Volcan Baru hike however. There are certain times and ways one should eat and drink and local guides with hundreds of volcano hikes under their belt know this information. moreover, should an accident or fall occur, the most local guides are well-trained to handle these unfortunate situation. Secondly, there are many interesting plants and wildlife species along the trail that are often missed by people hiking on their own.

You can visit our Volcan Baru Guided Hike page for more info on making the hike with an experienced local guide.

Alternatives to Hiking the Volcan Baru

For those of you who are not keen on the idea of a 12 hour round-trip hike, there are jeep tours to the Volcan Baru as well as ATV tours to the Volcan Baru.

4X4 Jeep Tours to the Volcan Baru

Sumitting the Volcan Baru by Jeep is probably the best alternative for those who are not physically fit enough to hike to the top. The hiking trail is essentially a jeep trail, but only specially-equipped vehicles can make it to the summit. There are many large boulders blocking large parts of the road so the ride is bumpy but fun. Normally the Jeep tour to the Volcan Baru starts at 3am and the ascent takes about 3 hours. Drinks and snacks are provided as well as free hotel pick-up and drop-off.

Visit this page to learn more about the Volcan Baru Jeep Tour.

ATV Tour to the Volcan Baru

For those interested in an extreme adventure, there is a Volcan Baru ATV Tour. This tour is very difficult and should only be attempted by those people with vast experience riding all-terrain vehicles. Depending on skill level, this tour takes about 90 minutes to reach the top of the volcano and just as long to complete the descent. The trail is rough and uneven and there are some areas where the rider must dismount the ATV to pass over lerge objects blocking the road. It is difficult, but there is no more extreme activity in Panama than the ATV tour to the Volcan Baru.

For more information, or to book this tour, visit our Volcan Baru ATV Tour page.

A doctor and his colleagues at the Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts formed their results by completing an analysis of data from a long-range study to help in the investigation of those factors that influence women’s health and a similar study for men.

Of the over one hundred thousand participants that participated in the study, over twenty-two thousand developed the carcinoma, nearly two thousand developed squamous cell carcinoma and and over seven hundred developed melanoma during more than twenty years of follow-up of the two studies. An inverse association was shown between coffee consumption and the risk of basal-cell carcinoma. In addition, another inverse association was shown between consumption of caffeine from many sources, including tea, coffee, cola and chocolate and risk of basal cell carcinoma. Interestingly, there was no association between the drinking of decaf coffee with a decreased risk of basal cell carcinoma.

According to the lead Doctor of the study, the results suggest that it’s the caffeine in coffee that is primarily responsible for the decreased risk of basal-cell carcinoma and that this would be consistent with data published from previous studies done on mice which showed that caffeine can prevent skin tumor formation. He did admit though that more studies will need to be done before anything definitive conclusions can be drawn.

Unfortunately, the study showed no relationship between caffeine consumption and incidents of squamous- cell carcinoma and melanoma, the two most deadly forms of the disease.

Normlly, there is a quite small area of altitude in which the climate and environment is suitable for the development of a cloud forest. Most people confuse the rain forest with the cloud forest, where the majority of the precipitation is caused, notby rainfall but rather by a fog drip, where condensation on tree leaves ultimately drips forest floor.

Although legitimate cloud forests in Boquete abound, only one percent of the forests in the world can be classified as a cloud forest. Outside of Boquete, other areas of the world with real cloud forests are in other countries in Central and South America, Central and Eastern Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia and in parts of the Caribbean.

In Boquete, the areas of Bajo Mono, Alto Chiquero, Horqueta and the slopes leading to the Volcan Baru are all considered cloud forests. And, although it can be sunny at times in legitimate cloud forests, you will find all of the characteristics of a cloud forest in these areas.

We offer several tours into the cloud forests of Boquete including hiking tours, ATV tours and our famous Yellow Jeep Cloud Forest Safari.

World famous health guru Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D. thinks they might be on to something. He says that much of the current research being completed on the health benefits of hot springs comes from Russia and Eastern Europe but very few studies have been translated into English. In many parts of the world though, hot spring therapy is an accepted and popular treatment for muscular problems and for high blood pressure, eczema and many other ailments.

He says that the many minerals present in hot springs have been credited with specific benefits on health. For instance, sulfur can relieve nasal congestion, and both calcium and sodium bicarbonate can help aid circulation and salt water is supposed to improve digestion and help with the healing process. A few studies have even suggested that soaking in a hot mineral spring can lessen the symptoms of arthritis. A Israeli study published way back in 1995 demonstrated that arthritis sufferers who bathed in Dead Sea salt enjoyed an improvement in knee pain. And results of another study by the same group in 2001 reported that hot sulfur baths helped to relieve pain and fatigue associated with fibromyalgia.

He admits that there are some hot mineral springs in Europe that have developed into major clinics. These hot springs are no doubt luxurious but often treat the water with chemicals. He therefore recommends undeveloped hot springs in natural outdoor settings where the water hasn’t been treated (like those found in Caldera).

More research needs to be done but our belief is that the indigenous Panamanians as well as those from the far east and Europe are on to something truly interesting.

It is great to see that main stream America is finally coming to realize what most of us who live in Boquete (especially those of us who work in the coffee business) have known for years: coffee and its variant flavors and roasts is quickly becoming as interesting as wine.

Nowadays, specialty coffee roasters are working directly with coffee growers from around the globe to produce coffees that have as many varying flavors as tastes as wine. The roasters are bringing a time-tested tasting process once reserved for coffee insiders and enthusiasts to the average coffee drinker.

When NPR wanted to catch on the coffee cupping trend, they went to a newly-opened cafe in Maryland. It was started by a young man who is purchasing his coffee from small farmers who are dedicated to both sustainability and quality.

If you watch the video above, you will hear about a cafe is serving Counter-Culture Coffee. This North Carolina-based coffee roaster has formed relationships with growers all over the world. For example, it is working with the Recinos brothers, long-time farmers who run one of the first fully-organic coffee farms in Central America. Word has it that this same cafe is exploring options right here in Boquete and, on the top of their list is Cafe Don Tito where we do our Boquete coffee tour.

What is driving this trend is that coffee drinkers today are demanding premium coffee wherever its served and the new wave of coffee is spreading like wildfire. Baristas now try to help their new clients discern the subtle differences in flavor and characteristics of different coffees.

This new approach is changing the way people think about coffee and I for one could not be happier.

Coffee contains caffeine which has been shown to enhance brain health and coffee has also been shown to lower insulin and estrogen levels, which is could be why a study from 2011 showed a lower risk of endometrial cancer in women who drink coffee regularly. Insulin also plays a big role in prostate cancer, yet another deadly disease that coffee may help to prevent.

There is fairly strong evidence for coffee preventing Parkinson’s and type II diabetes, and coffee can also be good for antidepressant effects as well according to doctors.

Several new studies have been published over the last few months indicating other possible health benefits of coffee. Those who drink 2 small cups of coffee per day have been shown to have an eleven percent lower risk of developing heart failure, compared to those who do not consume coffee regularly, according to a study published in June by the American Heart Association.

Moreover, regular coffee drinkers may also be protected against basal-cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer, according to the medical journal, Cancer Research. Other drinks containing caffeine also reduce the risk of this cancer, but scientists do not know why this was observed.

Remember, coffee and caffeine only show these health benefits if consumed in small amounts. Abuse or overuse of any substance is obviously not healthy. To learn more about coffee, take a coffee tour in Boquete, or stay tuned for more blog posts.

Add $20 and make take the Best of Boquete tour on your own ATV!

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Tour leaves at 8am and 1:30pm.


Tours fill up quickly so be sure to reserve in advance.