Boquete – Finca Lerida Hike

I got up around 8:00 today and after getting ready I ate a bowl of generic Coco Krispies for breakfast. Everyone seemed to be taking their time this morning so I went outside and read a few more chapters in my book. We got out the door sometime after 11:00 and headed back to Boquete to do a hike at a coffee plantation called Finca Lerida. Laurie had found the the hike on the All Trails app and several people had commented that this was their favorite hike in Boquete.

After paying our $12 plus tax/person we set out on the hike. It was an uphill climb, but slow and steady was key. With Linda having used a walking stick on the previous hike and finding it’s value, I found a stick along the trail that she was able to use. Using a stick going up hill makes a tough hike a little easier.

We got to the first intersection and Pete, Laurie, and I made the extra little jaunt to look at the view. I finally remembered to bring the gnome along and got it’s first picture in Panama. We hiked back to the intersection and Linda had already started going up a long steep hill. The trail we thought we were following would take us to a waterfall. This path was super steep and was made for cars to drive, but we kept climbing. We passed several workers treating the coffee plants. We had gained 600 feet in elevation when Laurie’s All Trails app asked her if she meant to go off course. It was then we realized we were not on the right trail at all. Pete and I went ahead a little further to see if it would cut back to the actual trail, but it definitely didn’t feel right and we felt the safer option was to go back the way we came. We realized that when we made the turn-off for the look-out point earlier, that the correct trail was just before the look-out point. So back down the hill we went.

Back on track, the actual hike to the waterfall trail was much shorter and not so steep. At the trail split to the waterfall Linda chose to stay and rest on a bench while we forged ahead. This trail was a nice little up and down path, with a pretty disappointing end. We could barely see the waterfall. The app said there was a another trail that went down closer to it, but it could be slippery. Laurie and I started to make the descent, but we soon realized we would be heading pretty far down, which meant we would eventually have to do the steep climb back. We bailed on the attempt. Linda had gotten cold while she was sitting so she had started back and we eventually caught back up with her.

All-in-all I can saw with full confidence that this was not my favorite hike in Boquete (even if we hadn’t gone off course). I think the first hike we did in the rain was my favorite. I would be curious to do that hike again on a clear day, but alas we have run out of time at this location.

Side Note: If you’re a birder (Leah) apparently Panama is the place to go. I downloaded a free trial of the app “Picture Bird” to help identify birds. Unfortunately I haven’t figured out how (or if I can) use it without the use of cell service, as every time I seem to want to use it I can’t connect. Then I also didn’t cancel my free trial in time, so now I have it for the next year for the low price of $31.76 (ugh . . . I wasn’t planning on becoming a bird watcher but maybe now I will). We have heard lots of birds chirping here, but they’ve been difficult to spot. The picture of the bird below was nice enough to pose for us after our hike.

After the hike we drove back into town where we found “Mike’s Global Grill” to eat. You could tell this restaurant was owned by an American from the items on the menu to the music playing (I was thoroughly enjoying the 90’s and 2000’s alternative playlist – Cranberries, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Incubus, etc). I had a pulled pork sandwich which was pretty good. I especially liked the coleslaw.

The restaurant was next to the Panama Barcade. We had passed this every time we had come to town, and I was curious to go in and check it out. On our last few vacations Tom has especially enjoyed checking out local barcades. It was as I expected . . . somewhat sparse with only 18 games, but they had Ms. Packman and Donkey Kong. Laurie played Ms. Packman and did pretty well. I played Donkey Kong and bombed out. I used to be so much better at that game as a kid.

Driving back to our house we felt like ice cream. I remembered that the guidebook had listed a gelato place in the city of David (close to where we are staying), so we plugged it into the GPS and headed there. I had a Black Forest gelato and it was pretty good, although the flavor was not super strong.

Back at home, I now felt full from the gelato so I took myself on a long loop around the neighborhood. It helped a little, but I probably didn’t need the gelato after all. I still feel full.

Tomorrow we leave to head to Bocas del Toro. On the Panama Travel Facebook groups people rave about this area, so I’m excited to check-it out.

Stats of the Day

Steps: 16,353
Extra Miles Hiked Due to Going Off-Course: 2.5 (estimated)
Days Left in Panama: 10