Chiriqui Region

The province of Chiriquí, in western Panama near the Costa Rican border, packs an unusual range of landscapes into a compact area. The highlands around Boquete and Cerro Punta sit above 1,500 meters in cloud forest, while the Gulf of Chiriquí opens onto a largely undeveloped Pacific archipelago. Lonely Planet named Chiriquí one of the world's top regions in its Best in Travel 2025. Boquete has become the epicenter of Panama's specialty coffee scene, producing the Geisha variety that regularly fetches record prices at international auctions. Higher up, Cerro Punta and the Quetzal Trail lead through mossy forests where the resplendent quetzal nests between January and May. On the coast, Coiba National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage site — protects one of the largest Pacific coral reefs in the Americas, with manta rays, whale sharks, and humpback whales passing through its waters seasonally. From pre-dawn summit hikes on Volcán Barú to quiet afternoons on deserted gulf islands, Chiriquí covers more ground than most travelers expect from a single province.