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Chiriqui, Province of Panama

Chiriqui in Panama is famous for its water rafting adventures. Look at that waterfall!

With an extremely proud sense of heritage and some of the most impressive vistas in the country, the province of Chiriquí is widely regarded as a place with autonomy of its own… and for a while, that assumption might’ve been a reality. With its capital in David, the province of Chiriquí is divided into 13 districts: Alanje, Barú, Boquerón, Boquete, Bugaba, David, Dolega, Gualaca, Remedios, Renacimiento, San Félix, San Lorenzo, and Tolé. It’s located on the west side of the republic of Panama, limiting north with the province of Bocas del Toro and the Ngobe-Buglé native reserve, west with the republic of Costa Rica, east with the province of Veraguas and south with the Pacific Ocean. Discovered in 1519 by Spanish conquistador Gaspar de Espinoza, it was officially proclaimed a province of the Panama republic on May 26th, 1849 during Panama’s time under Colombia’s umbrella. Chiriquí, as you can probably imagine, due to the time of its discovery and foundation that Chiriquí is very much important in Panama’s national scope of things, and as the country’s welcoming committee for all travelers coming in from Central and North America, there is no better way to introduce tourists to this breathtaking country.

There are always comparisons of certain parts of Chiriquí with Switzerland due to their mild climate, peculiar geography and architecture of farms and houses throughout the province. This is probably one of the main reasons why Chiriquí (especially Boquete) has in recent years become a hotspot for tourism and expats looking to retire somewhere quiet, mild and peaceful. In comparison with Panama City, where peak temperatures hit 88 degrees Fahrenheit on any given day, your average day in Chiriquí can be a chilly 60 degrees Fahrenheit without a sweat. With temperatures that low (for a tropical country) it’s a relief the coffee grown there is so good; Chiriquí is known worldwide for its coffee plantations, as well as its orange and strawberry production.

The highest points of Chiriquí are, coincidentally, the highest points of the republic. The Barú Volcano, 3,474 meters high, is dormant and located south of the continental divide in the west side of Chiriquí, surrounded by fertile highlands that are drained by the Caldera and Chiriquí rivers. It’s around this area where you can find the three favored locations in Chiriquí to live and retire: Volcán, Boquete and Cerro Punta. There has reportedly been snowfall at the peak of the volcano, and due to the country’s slim figure coupled with the volcano’s height, the lucky people brave enough to hike all the way up to the peak will be able to see both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans on a clear sky.

In terms of culture, there is a strong Catholic and Christian movement all throughout the province and the influx of foreigners that have come to call Chiriquí “home” has certainly made its stand all throughout the territory. Natives from Chiriquí, those who have been borned and bred there, must constantly fight the preconceived notion that they are all pompous and too proud for their own good. There are legends that speak of intents from the Chiriquí governor’s office to have the province break free from the Republic of Panama and stand on its own as the Republic of Chiriquí. Adding fuel to the fire that is this situation, an easy way to measure Chiriquí’s sense of pride (compared to the other provinces that make up Panama, mind you) is to ask any person from any province what the flags of fellow provinces look like. Outside of the national flag (and probably their own province’s), they won’t know what to tell you. Ask them what the Chiriquí flag looks like, and they’ll be quick to tell you exactly what it looks like. This is because Chiriquí’s flag is the most predominant and the one natives seem to be the mos proud about, as you will most likely never see a flag from the province of Herrera or Bocas del Toro, for example, but you will have pretty good chances of running into Chiriqui’s red, green and white-starred flag on license plates, bumper stickers, balconies, t-shirts… you name it, and they go their flag stamped on it.

This goes to show that, outside of people from Chiriquí of course, regional patriotism is not something that can be considered big or important across the country. National pride is huge, and Panamanians are very proud of their heritage but it seems that many opt to generalize their patriotism by mentioning their country whenever they want to show their stripes in a provincial scale. And because Chiriquí is such a proud province, the recent influx of foreigners into the province hasn’t sat well with them; most notably, Boquete has been on the news several times due to the resilience by natives that, according to them, are being shunned out both economically and culturally by the influx of foreigners. In lamest terms, the demand of workers in the service industry to be bilingual is not being met and the workers are protesting because no businesses want people who are not bilingual. Still, Boquete marches on as one of the real estate darlings of Panama.

One of the beautiful developments going on around the Boquete area of Chiriqui, in Panama.

Boquete is one of Chiriquí´s most famous districts, located up north of the province and west of Panama. With almost 20,000 residents, Boquete is popular amongst the tourist and expat communities mostly because of its template weather, a huge contrast to the rest of the country which enjoys the best in tropical climate. This is due, in large part, to the fact that Boquete is located in Panama’s central mountain range. Bajo Boquete city is the district capital, and the area gets its name from its topography; the capital’s entrance is a great opening, or “boquete” in Spanish, that gives way to a large valley surrounded by mountains.
Boquete is an old lady. A very old lady, if archeologist studies are to be believed; neighboring areas surrounding the Barú Volcano are believed to be the stomping grounds of some of the world’s first agricultural and societies and tribes, populations that date back to 300 B.C – 600 A.D! How about them apples? As a testament to this, several petro glyphs left behind by the ages-old communities have been left behind in the region. Thousands of years later, with Spain’s discovery of the occidental side of the world and their eventual colonization, indigenous tribes found Boquete and the other high grounds as the perfect refuge against the white devils due to the region’s topography but alas, all good things must come to an end; the latter half of the XIX century saw Boquete´s colonization mostly by people from Gualaca, Bugaba, David and a small community of European and American immigrants that, as luck would have it, heavily influenced the architecture seen in the district today. Boquete did not become the district’s capital until 1941, even though it had been proclaimed as such by the populace years prior.

Aside from the great deal of ecotourism that is practiced in the area, stuff I will get to later in this piece, one of the most important festivals in the country takes place in Boquete during the month of January. First celebrated in 1950, Coffee and Flora Fair, otherwise known as “La Feria de Las Flores y el Café,” is an event visited by thousands of tourists both from Panama and abroad every year. The fair showcases the beauty of the region as well as the high grade coffee manufactured there, as some of the finest coffee beans in the continent come from Chiriquí. Originally focused only on coffee, there was a great flood that took place on April 9th, 1970, that affected one in every three residents with heavy material losses, as well as 8 deaths. As a sign of respect to those who perished as well as the thousands of residents that lost their homes and possessions, the fair was postponed the following year; the fair returned in 1973 with its current name.

In case you’re still wondering about how in the world can a province like Chiriquí be one of the world’s most sought-after destinations while being under the radar from the mainstream media (because it is), the secret is one that’s maintained Panama as one of the best kept secrets of the travel world for ages. Chiriquí has become a focal point in recent years, especially after the year 2000, because of various reasons that stem from both a tourist and economical standpoint. Like many other areas across the Republic of Panama, Chiriquí is now part of an elite list of destination that have been catapulted into the limelight by as many travel agencies as real estate brokers, specially gearing towards expats looking to retire. A few inquiries on the subject reveal that the reasons for this are, as you might expect, the perfect template climate for people over 60 to spend their golden years in peace and quiet after a lifetime of honest living, sweat on their brows day in and day out with the hope that someday they will find a quiet place where they can live the latter years of their lives in peace and harmony, within a community of their peers that respect and appreciate them. These areas are also popular amongst the military types, as you will often see retired U.S. Army, NAVY, and Air Force officials buy property in Panama (Chiriquí included) because of the many tax exemptions and other benefits foreigners attain when they choose to invest in Panama, be it with something as humble as a home or as huge as the founding of a company. And how could anyone turn down landscapes like the ones found in Chiriquí? Boquete alone is like a little piece of Sweden gently placed within the very heart of the tropics. You will not believe that areas like Boquete actually exist in a country like Panama: arriving to Panama City via de Tocumen International Airport, you will notice the humid, hectic living all developing metropolis are known for, will drive this point home even further once you arrive to the province of Chiriquí.

Chiriquí is not only famous for its mild weather and excellent living conditions, but for its contributions to sports as well. The province holds one of the top spots in regards to basketball, volleyball, soccer and baseball on junior and mayor leagues. Most notably, Chiriquí has garnered several championships in Panama’s national baseball league, earning the respect of its peers from across the country. Aside from their proficiency in sports, the capital city of David is the third largest city in Panama and home of the San José International Fair, one organized by the governor’s office to showcase all the great tourist attractions, produce and real estate opportunities Chiriquí has to offer as well as a glimpse into the province’s culture. Another bookmark every tourist should have on their itinerary while visiting the province of Chiriquí is Moon Valley or “Valle de la Luna,” an area that offers a diversity of tourist attractions to one and all visitors.

The province also has several beaches, most notably Las Lajas Beach where you can swim in the mild waters of the Pacific Ocean. Of course, there are many other hidden traveler’s treasure waiting to be discovered in Chiriquí and this is why many hikers tend to prefer Chiriquí’s hiking trails over those found in other countries across Central America. Ask any hiker (or tourist, for that matter) and they’ll tell you they prefer Chiriquí because it brings all of the great benefits template climates bring without having to spend as much money as you would planning a vacation to, say, the Swiss Alps. Even getting to the Alps in Argentina is more expensive than planning a vacation to Panama, with the added bonus of having a lush rainforest as a landscape for all of your potential hiking adventures.

Not only is Chiriquí a tourist’s dream in terms of the amount (and diversity) of stuff one can do, but it’s also a place where anyone with aspirations of living a peaceful, quiet life can call it home. Thousands of foreigners visit Chiriquí on a yearly basis and many of them have fallen in love with it… there’s a chance you will do so, too.

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