Boquete: A must-visit place in Panama

By Raffaelle Capamolla, intern

Have you already been to Boquete? If you are in Panama, this is a place you must visit! Boquete is the town, where Panama’s greatest coffee comes from. The many Coffee farmers produce and export one of the world’s best coffee. Of course, the small town is not a producer of big Volume, but definitely of great quality, such as the Geisha coffee.

river rafting in boquete

gone hiking

horseback riding in the highlands

Surrounded by the central mountain range and the Barú Volcano, it is also the place in Panama, where you’ll find cooler temperatures, compared to the rest of the country.  It is in fact an ideal place for people escaping the hot and humid weather in the lowlands.

You will even find fresh strawberries and savor many different types of honey! Boquete is just different to the rest of Panama. Nationals and Travelers from all around the world also come every year to assist to its main attraction, the Festival of Flowers and Coffee.

Not only the great fresh climate, the flowers, finest coffee, fruits and beautiful surrounding make this town unique, but especially the friendliness of the people living in this charming place. The people will let you feel at home and are very helpful!

If you plan to hike the Quetzal Trail and admire the resplendent Quetzal bird, or to hike to the top of Volcan Barú, Panama’s highest point, where you’ll have an amazing view over the pacific and the Atlantic Ocean, Boquete is a great hub to overnight. You can stay in Hotels, hostels, ecolodges, or even in a coffee farm. Imagine waking up to a cup of locally grown, roasted and ground coffee!

Boquete is a great spot for Adventurers from all ages: You practice do Zip Line, Biking, White Water Rafting, horse back riding, rock climbing, trekking, camping and much more! Of course Boquete is great for taking it easy too, and just let your traveling companions do the adventuring.

EcoCircuitos is your local expert when it comes to real experiences in Boquete. We’ve been exploring the area for many years, so whether coffee tours, guided hikings, birdwatching or tailor-made tours, we would love to organize an unforgettable trip for you!

Contact annie@ecocircuitos.com and visit our website http://www.ecocircuitos.com

 

 

 

A day in the Tropical Rainforest

By Raffaele Capomolla

Yesterday the EcoCircuitos team had the great pleasure to offer a morning rainforest tour to a group of travelers from Australia.  This group has been exploring different sights of Panama and yesterday  they have a wonderful day in the Rainforest.  We want to share with you some of the pictures of this trip.   Our guests enjoyed a delicious lunch with a stunning view over the rainforest and having some very beautiful Hummingbirds to bear company.

Our guests enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Rainforest Discovery Center, an environmental facility that focus on birds habitats.  They learn about the efforts in Panama to support conservation throughout the tourism industry.   The place offers stunning views over the rainforest and having some very beautiful Hummingbirds to bear company and to practice Photography.

Our naturalist guide Kenny Weeks was explaining the group about how Panama is the Isthmus that changes the world by becoming a bridge between continents and offering different interpretations of the tropical rainforest.

As  Tony Coates  mention in an interview “All the animals of South America would be unique marsupials, like in Australia, very different to today because they would never have been invaded and overtaken by all the species that colonized from North America. The Caribbean and the East Pacific would be one ocean with similar species; today they are very different with corals reefs abundant in the Caribbean but without large supplies of commercial fish, whereas the Pacific has few small coral reefs and large important commercial fisheries. Humans from Asia might not have reached South America via the Bering Land Bridge from the north so different kinds of humans might have arrived, say, from Polynesia. Columbus might have sailed on to Asia! The Ice Age would have been different and Europe’s ports might freeze every winter like the Saint Laurence seaway does. El Niño and climates in other parts of the world might have been different in ways that we still do not fully understand.”

After lunch the group went for a nice hike through the trails surrounding the Rainforest Discovery Center at the core of the Soberania National park, more precisely the Pipeline Road called ‘Camino del oleoducto’, and went up to the top of the tower which has an incredible view over the tree tops. With a little bit of luck, you can see Monkeys, Sloths and beautiful birds in this amazing National Park.

For more information on this tour and others please click here

New Coffee Farm: Finca Ceriana

Strategically located between the highlands and lowlands of Chiriquí, Finca Ceriana forms part of a privately protected area for the conservation of flora and fauna in the region.

One of Finca Ceriana’s 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. Apart from being an important migration zone for birds, the biological corridor of the lagoons and Finca Ceriana is vital for the wellbeing of the protected areas of La Amistad International Park and Baru Volcano National Park. 

The farm offers its visitors easy nature trails for outdoor activities and particularly bird watching, a unique canopy tower, gourmet picnic, sugar cane mill and much more. The total area counts 10 hectares of protected land and nearly 3 kilometers of nature trails, in addition to one of the most beautiful views to Costa Rica’s Golfo Dulce and Osa peninsula as well as to Punta Burica in Panama.

 

Panama Canal Transits schedule 2019 – 2020

Please note that Canal Transits both partial and full are regulated by the Panamanian Canal Authority. They are in charge of the Panama Canal and all of its functions. Also the direction (southbound or northbound) can change and they decide the transit times. We have no control over this.  Transit times are determined one day in advance and can change.  It is important that clients remain flexible, if you have clients that are not flexible and not patient, this may not be the tour for them.

 

Duration of the Transits also very, this depends on the traffic in the Canal. Once clients are on the boat they cannot get off. The includes a bilingual guide/narrator not a private guide.

 

After the Transits end, clients will return to the pier by motor coach with the rest of people who are on the Transit.  If you would like for your clients to have a private transfer back to the pier, this will have an extra cost and should be pre-arranged.

 

For more information please contact us info@ecocircuitos.com or click the  description of the transit here.

 

For full description on Partial Canal Transit, please click here.

 

 

	Partial Northbound Transit. Check in starts at 7:00 am and the tour departs at 7:30 am			Partial and Full Northbound Transit. Check in starts at 7:00 am and the tour departs at 7:30 am
	Partial Southbound Transit Check in time will be confirmed on the day before of the tour.			Full Northbound Transit. Check in starts at 7:00 am and the tour departs at 7:30 am
The duration of the tour is subject to the Panama Canal Schedule.                                 Panama Canal Transits 2019 & 2020

 

2020

10 Ways to be a Greener Traveler

We all enjoy traveling and discovering new cultures, meeting new people and trying new food.  But we do forget about the impact that our travels and adventures can leave to the world.  Take a look of our 10 recommendations to be a greener traveler, so you can explore the world and keep it for the future generations.

Hiking in marked trails

local gastronomy

non-stop flights

explore the city by bike

Walking tours

Locally owned lodges

Local hotels

1.  Bring your own water bottle:  instead of purchasing plastic bottles of water, bring your own bottle.  Panama’s water from the tap is good to drink, you will also can fill the water at the hotel, restaurant or tour company.   Check TAP (Travelers Against Plastic).
2. Use e-tickets instead of printing vouchers: From flights, vouchers, itineraries,  online confirmations, and e-tickets.  You can have it in your phone when traveling (less consumption of paper and more trees) by choosing e-tickets.
3. Conserve water and energy: Be mindful of the local communities water needs and energy costs by keeping showers short and reusing linens and towels in a hotel, hang your laundry to dry, brush your teeth, and do dishes without running the water.  And also, turn off the lights and TV when you leave the room.
4.  Use biodegradable products instead of plastics: If a product is biodegradable, it simply means it can be broken down in the natural world into raw materials.
5. Use local business and buy local products:  Tourism support local economies and alleviate poverty. But only if you’re actually spending the money locally.  Do your research ahead of time, and find nice locally-run business and hotels instead of big chains.
6. Stay away from animals in captivity:  If you see an attraction or a hotel that advertises interaction with wild animals, be very wary.   We suggest to avoid any attraction based around animals in captivity.  Explore our national parks and try seeing them in the wild.
7. Hike marked trails:  Don´t go off marked trails when hiking and maintain a safe distance from any animals you encounter.  Take your trash with you when you leave the trail.
8. Recycle your Trash:  Make sure to ask the hotel and your tour operator about their recycling program.  If traveling to San Blas Islands make sure to bring the trash with you.
9. Book non-stop flights whenever possible:   A significant percentage of a plane’s carbon emission come from takeoff and landing.
10. Book a biking or walking tour:  those are low impact and help you get to know the area in a better way.  A good option is our walking tour Casco Antiguo and Cinta Costera.