View as we walked up to El Explorador

Searching for things to do in Boquete? Once again Rebecca and I are trying to do things on the cheap. so we did a lot of walking in Boquete today, including a coffee tour! Here’s what we found.

If Your Guidebook mentions Paradise Gardens, Don’t Go

Paradise Gardens is a no go. There are some great photos and information about it online, and our guidebook talks about it. But I am sad to say that after walking up the hill to get to it, walking back and forth down a road, then a lovely conversation in Spanish with a local (woman had to repeat herself a couple of times while we figured out the words), we found out it has been closed for five years. And this was in a guidebook that had been printed recently. Oh well, on to the next thing.  

Actual Things to do in Boquete: Coffee Tour and Silliness

El Explorador Gardens: Completely silly and we loved it, but I wouldn’t say this is for everyone. Basically a bunch of silly scenes, flowers, some swings, a doll house, etc.   The walk up the streets to get there is great exercise so you might want to take a taxi, and gringos like us pay more to get in than the locals. I’d say this is a great place to bring the kids and relax. We enjoyed it because, well, we like silly.    

Light, medium, and dark roast – you get the most caffeine from the medium roast!

Coffee Tour: Best choice overall.  We signed up for the coffee tour through our hostel, Mamallena. For $25 we got a ride and a lot of interesting information about coffee.   I liked this tour not just because of the interesting information, but the gentlemen who runs it was very creative in how he built his machinery. And, great coffee!   Be in the Know: I’d suggest bringing cash if you want to purchase any coffee beans. I bought a couple of bags to bring home as gifts – and one for myself.  

Tomorrow we are on to Santa Catalina. Back to the beach!

Want to see more:
Day 17 Boquete, Panama
Day 18 Santa Catalina, Panama

I’m Sonja Dewing. I’m an award winning creative writer, a published author of Toy of the Gods, an adventure in the Amazon. If you’d like a free copy of the prequel, Ire of the Gods, sign up for my email list and you’ll get it right away.