CHIRIQUI CLOUD FOREST EXPLORER

ITINERARY

DAY 1        Panama City – Chiriqui Highlands – Finca Ceriana & Sugar Cane Mill

Early morning transfer to Albrook domestic airport to catch a 35-minute flight to David. Continue to the Western side of Baru Volcano where you meet your local guide at Finca Ceriana. Strategically located between the highlands and lowlands of Chiriqui, Finca Ceriana forms part of a privately protected area for the conservation of flora and fauna in the region. One of its unique characteristics is the number of bird species and other animals from the upper and lower mountain areas. The property is part of the biological corridor that hosts the famous volcano lagoons and a large variety of animal and plant species. The total area counts 10 hectares of protected land and nearly 2 kilometers of nature trails, in addition to one of the most beautiful views to Costa Rica's Golfo Dulce, or sweet golf, and Osa peninsula as well as to Punta Burica in Panama. Once at Finca Ceriana this morning, you will walk through 3 km of beautiful trails while your expert guide explains what you see, particularly, beautiful and rare birds of the 180+ species that live in this forest. Midway your tour, you will go up a nice Canopy Tower, where you will enjoy our great Janson Family coffee and savor our famous local butter cookies, while you admire the cloud forest and relax for as long as you wish. When you are ready, your tour continues through the trails up a hill where you will get to see a magnificent view of the low lands of Chiriquí, and weather permitting, The Pacific Ocean and Punta burica in Panama in addition to the Ossa peninsula and Golfo Dulce in Costa Rica. By noon you will start your descent to the lower part of the farm, where we will be expecting you for a gourmet picnic under beautiful Cedar trees. You will enjoy your homemade lunch with a nice glass of wine and, again, relax and enjoy the view for as long as you desire. When you are ready, we walk some meters towards the sugar cane mill, where your guide will explain the sugar cane process and you will get to taste fresh sugar cane juice and other sugar cane products. 

Drop off at your hotel late afternoon.

Night at CASA GRANDE BAMBITO, Garden Suite (L) 


DAY 2        Agricultural Farms -  Woodcrafter Arte Cruz - Honey & Bees & Butterflies Boquete

Midmorning scenic drive through the small highlands towns of Cerro Punta and Guadalupe to learn more about the agriculture and local farming of this area which is the main provider of vegetables in Panama. Continue to Volcan to visit a local wood crafter at his workshop Arte Cruz and observe the artist's handmade products and works. Then you continue to the Eastern side of Baru Volcano to the quaint town of Boquete with its countryside dotted with flower, fruit, and produce farms, coffee plantations, and lush tropical cloud forests. 

After lunch, you will have a very special experience that will give you a new and different perspective on nature, butterflies, and the importance of bees in the lives of men. You will get receive an introduction to the honey and coffee production and then continue to the Ralph Dessau Butterfly House, which is a 200-square meter exhibit showcasing around 35 butterfly species from Chiriqui. 

Afterward, you will be guided on a nature walk through the beautiful garden and organic farm with a large variety of plants, fruits, and vegetables. Boquete Bees’ honey is unique considering its production of 40 different flavor profiles of natural honey. This is possible because of the huge biodiversity around Volcan Baru. This afternoon experience ends with a honey tasting of the farm’s homemade production.

Night at LA SERRANIA, Standard Room (BL)


DAY 3        Cloud Forest Waterfall Nature Walk  - Coffee Tour at Finca La Milagrosa in Boquete 

La Amistad is a bi-national park that stretches from Costa Rica into Panama, a small portion of which extends into the Chiriqui province encompassing mostly cloud forests. Here, the land rises in excess of 1,500m, and warm air ascends the mountains where it meets with cooler air and condenses into a persistent cloud cover. Cloud forests exhibit a unique ecosystem with an astonishing diversity of flora and fauna. Towering trees reach towards the sun to form a canopy that creates a cool, shadowed, misty underworld on the forest floor.  It is noisy with the sounds of numerous insects, birds, and frogs but it is difficult to see them because of the ferns, tree ferns, and epiphytes that crowd the lower and middle strata of the forest. During the 4-5-kilometer nature walk, you will reach up to 1,700m (approx. 200m elevation gain) where you can take a refreshing swim in the waterfall.  

After lunch, visit Sr. Tito´s Finca La Milagrosa in the Jaramillo region, one of the most respected and 100% organic coffee producers in the country. This small farm is not meant for large productions, and Mr. Tito's specialty coffee is only destined for exportation to Europe and the United States. When Mr. Tito took over this farm from his father 30 years ago, he started without any machines or even coffee plants, and produced his first roasting machines with used pieces of his old Mitsubishi car, and even some computer pieces! His rather small 5-hectare coffee farm La Milagrosa (which means the miracle, in English), situated at 1500 meters above sea level, has been given its name because many people in this region did not believe that Sr. Tito could transform this land into a lucrative coffee plantation when he started 30 years ago, and today he produces one of the best coffees of Panama and has won many prizes. The world-famous Geisha coffee is one of the eight different types of coffee that Tito produces, which is one of the most expensive delicacy coffees in the world (sold for over $100 per pound in Japan for example). You will get to roast some beans on your own, and will taste a few cups of excellent coffee during your visit! Moreover, Sr Tito is a great economic help to the indigenous community, as he employs 22 Ngöbe Buglé Indians on his farm to help him collect and process the coffee beans. As you may know, the Ngobe Buglé Indians are responsible for handpicking the coffee grown in the coffee farms of Chiriqui. If you visit Boquete between December and April you will be able to see them in their colorful dresses harvesting coffee in Ruiz's plantations and if you visit Boquete between October and March you will be able to see the coffee being processed.

Night at LA SERRANIA, Standard Room (BL)


DAY 4        Boquete – Panama City 

You have most of the day to yourself to visit Boquete or join optional tours (see below). Late afternoon you will be taken to David Airport for your flight back to Panama City. Drop off at your hotel. (B)


B (Breakfast), L (Lunch) – meals included

DETAILS

TRIP CLASSIFICATION

• Moderate hiking 2-6 hours per day with rolling, slippery hills.
• Lodge accommodations are comfortable.

DEPARTURE DATES

Daily available (subject to hotel and flight availability)

OPTIONAL TOURS ON DAY 4 (including round trip transfer to/from your hotel)

• Cloud Forest Canopy Zipline Tour, 4 hours, US$120 per person plus 7% tax

• Hanging Bridges Tour, 4 hours, US$65 per person plus 7% tax 

• Hot Springs, 3 hours, US$95 per person plus 7% tax 

• Horseback Riding, 3 hours, US$95 per person plus 7% tax 

• Chiriqui River Rafting (Mon-Fri, not on holidays), 5-6 hours, US$150 per person plus 7% tax

AIR PANAMA BAGGAGE REGULATIONS

• For domestic flights, each passenger is allowed 1 bag of up to 50 lbs (23 kg)
• Carry-on luggage is limited to 8.8 lbs passenger (4 kg).
• Passengers are responsible for excess baggage fees: US$5.00 per extra kilo (max. 3 kg extra allowed on 1st checked bag). 2nd checked bag at US$35.00 extra cost of up to 50 lbs (23 kg).
• Name or date changes on flight tickets are subject to a penalty of US$25 plus 7% tax (per change, per route.
• Ticket cancellations with more than 30 days before your trip are subject to a service fee of US$25 per ticket (taxes included). Within 30 days from your arrival, our regular cancellation policies apply.
• The penalty for no show is 100% of all applicable fares, taxes, and surcharges.
• Surcharge for transportation of a pet or a surfboard is US$30 per item per route.

WHAT TO BRING

• Binoculars (preferably 7x35 or bigger, also available for rent at Ancon Expeditions of Panama)
• Camera with extra batteries & film
• Flashlight with extra bulb & batteries
• Insect repellant, Sunscreen
• Hat, Day pack/dry sack
• Water bottle
• Lightweight/quick-dry cotton clothes
• Sandals, sneakers, good walking shoes/hiking boots for the Los Quetzales Trail
• Rain gear, Windbreaker
• Warmer clothes for night time (cooler temperatures); especially if Hike to Volcán Baru is chosen on last day (gloves, hat)
• Money in small denominations
• Toiletries & personal medications

TIPPING

Ancon Expeditions is Panama’s top eco-tourism operator. Our Natural & Cultural History Guides are the country's finest. Due to frequently asked questions from our clients about suggested guide & staff gratuities, we would like to provide you with the following universal tipping guidelines:

• Naturalist guide/Tour leader: US$10.00-US$20.00 per person/day
• Day tour guide: US$10.00 per person/day
• Transfer driver: US$2.00 per person
• Tour driver: US$5.00 per person/day
• Tour boat driver: US$5.00 per person/day
• Hotel bellman: US$1.00 per person per suitcase
• International airport bellmen (red caps): US$1.00 per piece of suitcase

LODGING

CASA GRANDE BAMBITO

This small mountain boutique hotel is located approximately 90 minutes driving from David Airport, and about 15 minutes after the small town of Volcán en route to Cerro Punta, at an elevation of 1,900 meters. The fresh mountain air and temperatures are a nice change from the hot and humid Panama City and low lands. Nestled in the Chiriqui highland´s cloud forest along with the small river and near mountain road, Casa Grande Bambito a great place to relax, explore the outdoors and enjoy bird watching around the area. The nicely appointed hotel suites offer a comfortable overnight stay with local ambiance and woodworks. The property also features a small outdoor swimming pool, a spa with hot springs and different relaxation and beauty treatments, the “Blue Garden” restaurant, and a lush green outdoor garden area.

Address: Volcán, vía Cerro Punta, Chiriqui, Panama
Website: www.casagrandebambito.com
Phone: +(507) 771-5126
Check in: 14:00 hrs
Check out: 13:00 hrs

LA SERRANIA BOQUETE
This small family-owned hotel is located close to the center of Boquete on the Eastern side of Baru volcano. The hotel offers a great location to explore the nearby cloud forest, honeybees and butterflies tours, and local attractions of this charming mountain town. The hotel's restaurant invites you to enjoy daily breakfast.

Address: Boquete, Panama
Phone: +(507) 730-8693
Check in: 15:00 hrs
Check out: 12:00 hrs 

REVIEWS

"The entire experience of our trip has been wonderful. You and your staff were helpful and efficient as we planned the trip and provided good information. We appreciated your patience as we organized our plans, especially the dates. We felt like we were in good hands and felt like we had reliable and helpful people to call on should we need it. The drivers for the transfers were on time and very helpful.

The trip itself was outstanding. Raul was a wonderful guide. We can't say enough about his professionalism, and his ability to share information in an informative and interesting way. His knowledge of the area and his relationships with the various hosts (at the fincas and bee/butterfly site) made the tours feel very personal and almost like we were extended family.

The very nice surprise was Raul's extensive knowledge of birding. We all enjoy birding and had our binoculars and bird book at the ready. Raul was able to spot various birds and helped us to see them, and we all felt like this was a very special part of the trip. We enjoyed our hike on the coffee estate and the delicious lunch there. The hike into the Park National Volcan Baru was perfect and we even saw the famous quetzal.

Thank you again for your help with our trip."

Diane Grace, USA

"Traveling into Chiriqui province was definitely a great scenic experience trekking and exploring a lovely region and seeing another side of Panama outside the city. Being able to travel this region with both friendly drivers and guides who were caring, fun, and knowledgeable ensuring my time was memorable was the best."

David Lebowitz, USA

“We love our Deibys and had a great time with him and the other members of our group.”

Hannah Boulton and Arthur Wills, USA

“We enjoyed the local restaurant meals we had with the guides and drivers, too. The food was very good. The cars, drivers, and guides were great. We were surprised and delighted that we weren't on a tour bus! The tour guides were great and the drivers were, too.
The Ruiz coffee tour was simply the best. We had a great time on the
Chiriqui Cloud Forest Explorer and we look forward to taking some more of
Ancon Expeditions of Panama's tours that we missed!”

Nancy Wagner, USA

GALLERY

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