Boquete, Panama

We headed for the hills of Boquete where high in the mountains the air is fresh and the city is surrounded by the elusive quetzal birds! We hiked the infamous Quetzal Trail, which had a grueling 300 meter accent up a natural staircase and a few river crossings. In the cloud forest we enjoyed a full serenade of bird calls.

Among many other hikes in the area we enjoyed our trip to Cangilones de Gualaca where the river carved out a gorge creating a perfect spot for practicing rock climbing over deep water and swimming against the current in a natural fresh water flume.

Boquete has the perfect climate and altitude for growing coffee and is famous for its many coffee farms (finca de café). We paid a visit to Finca Dos Jefes which is now owned by a fellow ex-Berkeley resident. On our tour we learned a whole lot about growing and harvesting the cherries according to the lunar cycle.