Boquete » Keteka

May 16, 2014

Boquete

Written by Kyle Wiggins

A view of me getting close to the top of our hike – Cerro Artilleria.

I traveled from Santa Fe to Boquete where I would meet my friend Ray for the weekend. Transportation is simple, in the sense that it’s easy to figure out, but can take some time to get from one place to another. I traveled from Santa Fe to Santiago in the late afternoon, took a 4pm bus to David and stayed there for a night before catching another hour-long bus to Boquete. Most buses in Panama stop running around 7pm – although there are certain exceptions for the long haul buses – so it was easier to spend the night in David instead of trying to get to the Boquete bus before it was too late. The bus to Boquete is a festive school bus and is a pretty drive up the mountains.

Enjoying the top of Cerro Artilleria.

Because Boquete is a much-traveled ex-pat stomping ground with plenty of available travel info already, I’ll keep this post short and just include photos. Ray and I went on a hike with a local guide and took a tour of a Boquete coffee finca (farm).

Hike up La Artilleria with Filiciano

Our tour guide, Filiciano, picking fruit in his yard before we head to the trail for our hike.

Ray and I loaded up on delicious fresh picked fruit from Filiciano’s yard. My favorite was the guava (the yellow one with pink insides).

A large tree guards the path on our way up to Cerro Artilleria.

I made it to the top!

We watched the clouds roll by from our perch at the top of Cerro Artilleria.

Coffee Tour at Finca La Milagrosa

We toured Finca Milagros and learned about the long process coffee goes through before we drink it in the morning.

We toured the finca (the plantation) and learned about the long process coffee goes through before we drink it in the morning. Here, pealed coffee beans are drying in the shade.