Chiriquí is Panama's highland province, centred on the country's highest peak — Volcán Barú at 3,475 metres — and home to some of the best coffee, coolest weather, and most spectacular scenery in Central America. While most visitors to Panama head for the beaches or the canal, Chiriquí offers a very different experience: cloud forests, whitewater rivers, hot springs, and highland towns where the pace of life is deliberately slow.
Boquete, nestled in a valley on the eastern slopes of Barú, is the main draw: a small town surrounded by coffee fincas, orchid gardens, and hiking trails that climb into the cloud forest. The Quetzal Trail, connecting Boquete to the village of Cerro Punta on the western side of the volcano, is one of the finest day hikes in Panama — and one of the best places in Central America to spot the resplendent quetzal. David, the provincial capital on the lowland plain, is the transport hub for the region.
The Pacific side of the province has a different character: dry forest sloping down to the Gulf of Chiriquí, with little-visited beaches and the islands of the Coiba archipelago offshore. Most travellers ignore this side completely, which is part of its appeal.
