Other Posts by Michael Boase

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• Wildlife as a living and business interest
• Looking? Look at real images not computer generated ones

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What is it like in Chiriqui, Panama

By Michael Boase

I was recently asked about topographic and climatic details in and around the Montanas de Caldera site in Chiriqui, Panama and I thought I would broaden the scope a little and also offer some observations and opinions on the region. I think it will help you in your information gathering exercises, your due diligence.

I must however, firstly say a big thank you for those readers who have written to me thanking me for my efforts.

Writing these Newsletters is not an easy task and getting the balance right can be problematic but, I think you all deserve honest and researched information because anyone considering relocating, retiring or investing here in Panama and especially here at MdC really does need to know what’s happening. So a big thank you to you all.

For those of you who have visited the MdC site most [I presume] will have approached from the Boquete or David area and I really must encourage everyone to venture further out while they are here.

Visitors to the region seem to think that David and Boquete are the be all and end all but they most certainly are not.

So, what is in this region? What can you expect to see and where can you go?

Volcan is a beautiful area [once you get off the main street] and the countryside is stunning. There are some good spots out there where you can see ancient remnants at Sitio Barriles ~ http://volcantourism.com/sitio_barriles/index.htm ~ for instance, or make contact with some of the areas gardeners and plants-people who really know their onions from their leeks ?. There are some very good restaurants there too. However, Volcan has a similar climate to Boquete in that it can be cold and wet or damp so choose your timing well or bring your waterproofs and a ‘brolly’ as we say in the UK.

Caldera is a nice place to see as well with its ‘Hot Springs’ and its strange prehistoric Petroglyphs. The road through Caldera takes you through some nice rolling countryside and over some bridges spanning clear rushing rivers. The last time I tried though I had to turn around and come back the same way. It is worth the journey though.

Also, from the MdC site, if you go down the road towards Caldera but turn right at the bottom of the hill before the hairpin bend….. just follow that road. This takes you through some gorgeous countryside and in to a small town called Gualaca. I have driven down this road nearly every day and the wildlife my wife and I have seen has been fantastic. Apart from the birdlife we have seen Janguarundi, Coati, Jackals, snakes, turtles, tarantulas, all crossing the road and wonderful to see. From Gualaca you can either continue straight on and drive up in to the mountains towards Fortuna and further towards Bocas del Torro. There are pristine Cloud Forests to explore up there and waterfalls and much, much more. My wife and I had the honour of releasing an Oncila, a form of small wild cat with gorgeous markings, up at the Lost and Found Lodge for backpackers. It was fantastic to see this little cat scurry off in to the forests.

Or, back in Gualaca, you can turn right which will bring you down on to the Plains of Chiriqui through agricultural lands and down to the small town of Chiriqui at the PanAmerican Highway junction.

Everyone who visits the area will visit Boquete, the land of Eternal Rainbows [which should tell you how wet it can be].

Boquete being the central point in the area has lots of physical and recreational activities of which you can avail yourself so don’t forget, all these things are yours for the seeing and the taking part when you eventually move down here to MdC.

The region of Chiriqui is truly a stunning place in which to live and explore. For those of you who have an interest in wildlife…. this is certainly the area for you. Panama is right up there at the top of the tree for wildlife diversity and it’s never too far from you. Get in touch if you want to know more.

Recreational tourist attractions are also wonderful experiences and details of those can be found in reception at MdC or, again, get in touch and I will provide you with some contact details.

Moving swiftly on to our themed subjects for this month.

Elevation of the Montanas de Caldera site is around 500 meters. You can check this out by going on Google Earth ~ http://earth.google.com/ ~ if you haven’t already got this stunning little programme you can download it for free from this address. The co-ordinates for MDC are 8 degrees 39' 32.13N and 82 degrees 24' 43.75W. I put a tag on the area and the new version of Google Earth shows a very clear image of the site pre-construction. Google Earth has not done a pass over for the last 3 years but I expect the images to change soon. Google say they try to renew images every 3 to 4 years. One thing I did find incorrect [and I have reported this to Google Earth] is that if you search for Caldera say, it brings up “Caldera, Pedregal, Panama” and when you select this it then proceeds to show you something on the outskirts of Panama City. Hopefully, during next few days they will amend their programme accordingly.

Let me give you a little more geographic information whilst I’m on the subject.

The Province of Chiriqui is positioned just below Bocas del Toro and runs adjacent to the Costa Rica border to it's west and along the Pacific Ocean to it's south.

The largest community in the area is David, which is actually situated below sea level.

David is a short distance from the Pacific coast and is very hot and humid, perhaps even more so than in Panama City. Yes, it can feel like a cooker sometimes!

However, just to the north lies the "Cordillera Central" mountain range, where you can find the popular tourist areas of Boquete and Baru Volcano.

This portion of Chiriqui has the country's coolest temperatures, and its climatic patterns differ from anywhere else in Panama.

Up in the Volcan or the Boquete areas communities settled at 2,000 meters plus above sea level, where the evenings in particular are very cool and damp; temperatures can drop as low as 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit), or cooler. It’s in this region that coffee is grown, milk and cheese are processed, and ornamental plants are grown for export.

Panama is an unusual country because it has so many ‘micro-climates’ all of which have helped create favorable conditions in which to enjoy outdoor touristic activities.

Whether you’re interested in sun bathing, diving, hiking, or bird watching, Panama's climate provides ample opportunity to enjoy them all.

Rainfall in the area is more difficult to give precise information. During the dry season – it’s dry. During the rainy season; in the early months we see sunshine in the mornings and rain in the late afternoons and evenings. These rain showers can be heavy at times but relatively short lived. As the year wears on the rains get more concentrated and frequent. Remember though, this is a ‘tropical’ country so rainfall has to be taken in to consideration. The nice thing about it is, even when it rains, its warm.

The rainy season takes place between October and November, and so the best months to visit are mid-December to late March [if you like warm dry weather]

Regarding the MdC area in particular….the rainfall is a lot less than Boquete, Dolega, Potrerillos and Volcan. Historically, places like Caldera and Gualaca [a little further away] have much less rainfall than the other popular areas in an around Boquete.

On a personal note, I come from the UK and when I chose Panama it was because I wanted somewhere warmer and dryer. I really cannot see the sense in choosing to come 8000 miles for the same cold and wet climate.

In any event, cold and wet means damp and in which mould flourishes which is another factor to consider when considering the higher elevations.

The area around MdC is as I’ve said, a few degrees warmer [and therefore more pleasant for me] than Boquete and Volcan et al and certainly dryer. Last year however, we saw some very unusual rainfall patterns as did a lot of places around the world. You may have read about the floods which affected areas like Boquete late last year. Much work has been done to repair the damage but the track of the flood can still be seen through the Boquete valley.

One of the benefits of the site at MdC is that the ground itself is very free draining which is an excellent point if the rains are heavy ~ and they can be during the rainy season.

Before I leave these subjects there are 2 other things you need to know about this area in particular. Fog/mists and wind.

You will all know and appreciate that when you have warm and wet air meeting cooler air you get fog or mists and the area around MdC can be prone to having them at certain times of the year. It usually occurs in the evenings but clears as the night progresses.

Also, the proximity of the Caldera Mountain range and the prevailing winds ~ the Bajareque ~ can mean some strong winds at times but again, these only appear at specific times of the year and then calm down.

The climate here is as good as it gets and I for one enjoy it.

So, I hope all of this is helpful in your due diligence but remember, if you have any concerns or questions, just get in touch.

Hope to speak to you all next month.

Michael

michael@esprtiliving.com

www.choosechiriqui.com

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