El Salto

Th, 29.06. Almirante - Bocas del Toro
In the morning I first had to take a $1 taxi to the harbour in Almirante and then a $6 water taxi passing the Chiquita banana port to the Caribbean jewel Bocas del Toro - a unique natural paradise consisting of 9 islands and 251 untouched coral islands with white sandy beaches and high palm trees. It is a very relaxed Caribbean flair and Panama's Nr 1 holiday vacation with awesome flora such as green fields and banana trees and fauna such as slots, monkeys, parrots, iguanas and turtles. The most popular place is Bocas on the main island Isla Colón but you can also head to other islands such as Isla Bastimentos with the same named national park - the islands are surrounded by turquoise-blue water, corals, starfishes, palm trees etc and perfect for snorkeling, diving, surfing and fishing or just to relax and stroll along the beaches. In comparison to San Blas it is way more touristy and among backpackers also pretty famous as a party place. I found a super central and with $10 also again cheap hostel incl delicious pancake breakfast and then had again 2 days of relaxation and chilly island life in the Caribbean :)
As I arrived quite early I directly went to Bocas del Drago located north of the main island and there after a nice 20min walk along eucalyptus and mangrove trees to Playa Estrella, the starfish beach. The name is more than appropriate as you will indeed find big orange and yellow coloured starfishes in the shallow water - a new experience :)

Fr, 30.06. Bocas del Toro
The next morning I went to a relatively close beach to relax. There are many beaches and islands but most of them are often only accessible with expensive tours and after 2 weeks Caribbean coast in Colombia and 5 days Caribbean in San Blas I have already seen a lot and kind of had a bit enough of beaches. I thus continued to my element with fresh air for hiking and treking in the Chiquirí Highlands and Boquete.
That literally meant taking a water taxi passing the Chiquita banana port back to Almirante. There I met the German family Sören Oxana and 5y old Julian being so incredibly nice to give me a ride to David, very friendly ;) It was also quite nice to travel in a private car and to have a good and easy conversation in the mother tongue, without any thinking and restraints. The 3h journey was also quite spectacular and rollercoaster-like with many holes and super curvy via beautiful lush green forests and mountain regions through Chiriquí NP and even crossing a dam.
David itself was again super humid and hot and I had my first cool chicken bus, a yellow old US school bus taking me 1h north to Boquete for $1.75. However, it did not have Jesus sticks, additional seats or Reggaeton music, the big bag could stay with me and there were also no livestock - but still a better experience than taking the touristy Tica Bus :P

Sa, 01.07. Boquete: Sendero de los Quetzales
Boquete is a small village located at an altitude of 1,200m, being in particular popular for its spring-alike fresh mountain climate and as land of fertility, flowers, coffee and birds. Thanks to its high location, volcanic soil and tropical highland climate it is perfect for the cultivation of coffee and strawberries, especially the well-known Fresas con Crema. It also has Panama's highest mountain with Volcán Barú at an altitude of 3,475m.
The day started with pure sunshine - perfect for my hike Sendero de los Quetzales in Volcán Barú NP, a not that easy and demanding hike but perfect to see the rainforest as well as both villages of Boquete and Cerro Puntas. Thanks to its fertile soil the latter is famous for the cultivation of vegetables, potatoes, onions, flowers and fruits, especially strawberries as well as breeding thoroughbreds. With 2,200m altitude it is the highest village in Panama, known as place of eternal spring and very close to the with Costa Rica international La Amistad NP, one of the most biodiverse reserves in Central America.
I first had to take a bus to Bajo Mono where my 5h/10km hike to Cerro Puntas started; but unfortunately i did not see monkeys or quetzals. I went through super nice green hilly landscapes mostly in the shade through forests with palm trees, lianas and many birds. In principle the path was good but due to rain and storm a bit slippery with broken trees. Despite having good signs I managed to get lost 3 times :P (The first time I was so distracted by my thoughts that I missed the sign; the second time I did not quite get that I have to cross a river; the third time I wasn't paying attention and just took a really steep unofficial way with a dead end :P But the hike was quite nice, as usual I was a bit quicker and only the last half h before the Mirador was exhausting due to very steep and knee and hip high stairs - but the view afterwards was worth every effort ;) After that I walked for another 2h through authentic Panamian countryside passing many locals dressed in typical clothes until Cerro Puntas but I got a nice lift from a local family a bit before. From there I took another 3h chicken bus with me being the only Gringa via the Chiriquí Region and villages such as Las Nubes, Guadeloupe and Volcán back to super humid David and from there again 1h with the yellow US school bus back to Boquete where it got quite chilly and rainy half way ;)

Su, 02.07. Boquete: Volcán Barú
Volcán Barú in the same named NP is an active volcano and Panama's highest mountain at an altitude of 3,475m. It lies only 35km away from Costa Rica and thanks to its altitude and the narrow isthmus you might get the chance to see both the Pacific and Caribbean coastline, good weather provided. With 10/10 the hike up to the summit counts amongst the hardest and it was indeed not that easy.
I started at 11:30pm on Saturday evening and were first brought to the entrance with a 30min bus ride. From there it was a 5 or for me 4h pretty steep hike in the complete dark well equipped with flashlight via volcanic stones and sand, aiming to reach the summit for sunrise. I could see the illuminated village and there was a nice sky full of stars at the beginning which was then more and more covered by lightnings and thunders. It was already quite chilly here but nothing in comparison to the incredible cold at the summit. The indication of the altitude was also quite interesting (1:30am 3km 2,260m 10km left; 2:30am 7,5km 2,870m 6km left; 3:30am 10km 3,096m 3,5km left; 4:00am 11km 3,122m 2,5km left). Other than some very steep paths it was not as bad as I thought it would be, with even some flat and descending parts. Unfortunately it started raining around 3:30am so that there was neither a sunrise nor a view upon arrival at 05:35am after 13,5km and at an altitude of 3,475m. However, it was pretty cold and I was wearing all my altitude clothes incl Chilenean Alpaca sweater, fleece, rain jacket, gloves and hat - well, unfortunately you can't change the weather :O The hike itself was still nice and the 4h back quite interesting to see the way with daylight and its volcanic landscapes, red black sands and plants.
I was also already back around noon, first had a really nice shower (well deserved after a total of 42km within 30h) and then a super relaxed orga day, getting ready for the border crossing to Costa Rica the next morning.

After a lot of Caribbean beaches the Chiriquí Highlands were a welcome change and a natural paradise for any animal lovers. There are many rivers and waterfalls and it is one of the last regions of the Quetzal bird, Guatemala's national bird. Apart from that Boquete is also Panama's adventure capital with many possibilities for rafting, ziplining, climbing etc.

Panama was really nice - unfortunately due to the USD currency more expensive than Colombia or many other South American countries and blew my daily budget of 33€ to almost 68€/d on an average 10d due to the San Blas trip in particular :( - but it was worth every penny and fortunately I still have some money; which I will need for the super expensive, also known as Switzerland in Central America, Costa Rica :PRead more