Things to do in Tierras Altas de Chiriqui, Panama
Tierras Altas de Chiriqui, is a great place to visit during your visit to Panama. It has a wide range of gastronomic offer, places to stay, agro-tourism, orchids and nature. Of course, dont forget to visit Finca Dracula, a botanical garden with the most beautiful gardens in Panama and a large orchid collection.
Index
Hiking Trails
The Tierras Altas de Chiriqui region has a great selection of hiking trails. It is also home to some of the most biodiverse regions in the word with its cloud forests, home to thousands of rare plant and animal species. Therefore, going hiking, is one of the best things to do in Tierras Altas de Chiriqui. In the following list we'll show you all the trails available and we are constantly adding new articles with videos about these trails.
We recommend to begin the trails early in the morning because it tends to rain in the afternoons. Some may require a guide, check the description in the articles.
Swimming Places
The higher the altitude, the colder the water gets. The water in these places can reach 14 Celsius (57,2 Fahrenheit), so don't expect to swim everywhere. You should be careful with the flash floods. Do not go to rivers in rainy season, even if it looks like there's no rain where you are, in the top of the mountains it could be a different story ...
Attractions
The Tierras Altas District has the most fertile soils in Panama and the best weather to grow plants. That's why it is Panama's vegetable and flower basket. For that reason most of its tourist attractions, particularly focused on local tourism showcases its agriculture.
The amazing plant growing conditions and love for plants of its residents is also reflected on the beautiful gardens kept in the houses in this area and of course in Finca Dracula.
This is the list of the main tourist attractions in Tierras Altas de Chiriqui.
Many of the tourist attractions of Tierras Altas have different schedules and aren't open every day. We'd recommend to call to make sure that they are open the day you want to visit.
Haras Cerro Punta
Racing horses - Guadalupe, Cerro Punta More info here
Finca Dracula
Botanical Garden and Orchid Collection, Guadalupe, Cerro Punta More info here
Sitio Barriles
Archeological Site with lots of pre-Columbian History - Volcán More info here
Anef
Agricultural tour - Cerro Punta Pueblo, Cerro Punta
Finca Janson
Coffee tour and coffeeshop - Volcán More info here
Finca Guardia
Pony, buffalo and donkeys hatchery - Volcán
Finca Ceriana
Geisha Coffee Tour More info here
Hotel Bambito
Trout Farm and Fishing - Bambito
Hotel Casa Grande
Tubing and Ziplining - Bambito
Museo de Volcán
Memorabilia e historia de la zona - Volcán
Cerro Punta SA
Vegetables, strawberries and flowers growing - Cerro Punta More info here
Guadalupe Town
Walk through the town and explore its houses full of flowers and gardens - Cerro Punta
Flowers Parade
Vegetables, strawberries and flowers growing - Volcán More info here
Gastronomy
Having fresh ingredients close by allows restaurants and cafeterias to offer delicious food with affordable prices and it's something we recommend you to try out.
Panamanians love to eat strawberries and cream with a local coffee or a hot chocolate when visiting Tierras Altas de Chiriqui. You can also find the creamy Chiriqui chicheme, strawberry and blackberry ice cream, and huevitos de leche.
Location and District
District
The name "Distrito de Tierras Altas" is relatively new since it was officially recognized in 2017.
This causes confusion on Panamenians because "Tierras Altas" is colloquially used to describe the mountainous region of Chiriquí that includes a Boquete, Cerro Punta and Volcán which is a bit different than the district. When it was constituted, it did not included Boquete, one of the most known towns of the province that is located in the mountains too.
What does the Tierras Altas District cover?
The region covers from Cuesta de Piedra to Cerro Punta.
Other names:
Panamanians also use the names of some towns located in this district interchangeably to call the entire zone. Mainly they call the area: Volcán, Bambito, and Cerro Punta
The Zones or Towns
The towns that cover the district of Tierras Altas and its names are also a confusion source.
The visitors divide the zones in Cuesta de Piedra, Volcan, Bambito and Cerro Punta but when you speak with a local he or she will use the most specific name of the neighborhood or area where something is located. For example they might say Finca Dracula is in Guadalupe, instead of Cerro Punta. So its best to look at the location in Google Maps.
When you are looking for a place to go and stay, all of these zones are very close one to one another and most of the streets are in good condition so don't worry of the actual location.
Cerro Punta
Cerro Punta is known for being the place where most of the vegetables that are consumed in the country are produced. It has beautiful vegetables landscapes, cold weather, strawberry farming, race horses, gardens full of flowers and Finca Dracula (Botanical Garden).
Its zones are: Guadalupe, Cerro Punta Pueblo, Las Nubes, Entre Ríos, Las Cumbres, Alto Pineda, and La Garita.
Volcán
It's known for the lakes, the flowers parade, restaurants and hotels.
Its zones:
- Volcan
- California
- Dos Rios
- Coquito
Bambito
It's famous thanks to the Bambito Hotel, tout farming, the sight to the Chiriquí Viejo River and the vegetable distributors.
Its zones:
- Paso Ancho
- Bambito
- Nueva Suiza
Cuesta de Piedra
It's the lowest elevation region in the district (~800 mts), known because of "El Mirador" where people stop over on the way up to try the Chichema, the dairy farms and the Macho de Monte (gorges).
Its zones are: Las Tumbas and Bijao