Volcan Baru, Chiriqui, Panama, Central America
Tours & Attractions

Recommended Restaurants:

Restaurante Acropolis:  Wonderful Authentic Greek restaurant in Volcan. The owner Gorge Babos and his wife Elizabeth use family recipes that have been handed down for over 150 years. The house special is "Stifatho de Conejo" which is rabbit with spices in a secret house sauce. My favorite was the "Mousaka" with a bechamel sauce to die for. The "Souvlaki" is a fresh pita sandwich stuffed to overflowing with roasted chicken, tomatoes, onions and lettuce in a cool tzatziki sauce. You can contact the owner at 771-5184 or cell phone: 6624-9687  Click to read review of Restaurant Acropolis

Restaurant Polineth: Thai food along with rotisserie chicken and breakfast all day. Paul uses his own home grown herbs and fresh locally grown vegetables. Each dish is cooked to order so it takes a bit of time but is well worth it. He has specials that are not on the menu and will talk you through all the ingredients, manner of cooking and preparation time, if you like.  for true Thai afficionados like
us, he makes a home-made Sriracha sauce with Thai, habanero and jalapeno peppers which is killer — and he should bottle it!! Really, really good if you want to kick it up a notch. He does not serve alcohol but welcomes you if you bring your own. 
Click to read restaurant review

The Valley of the Moon BeyondOrganic Restaurant & Internet Cafe:  Specializing in the highest quality of locally grown organic produce. Open from 7:30 AM to 9 PM every day except Tuesdays and offer compete breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as ala cart.  We are Wi Fi enabled! Outdoor dining in our thatch-roofed Water Wall Patio is a delightful experience while our beautiful Art Gallery Dining Room offers elegant indoor dining. All ingredients are Organic or better, including spices and other minor ingredients. We proudly serve our own Friendly Food Certified (TM) Valley of the Moon (TM) Toxin Free coffee, grown on our own Valley of the Moon Coffee Finca in Santa Clara and appreciated world-wide as the purest, finest coffee available anywhere. At each meal, vegan/vegetarian, raw, gluten-free and unrestricted Organic choices are available. Reservations at 6618 0395. Please drop by for an outstanding culinary experience!

Tours & Local Attractions

 Sitio Barriles is an open window to the past, a place in the Volcán highlands where, during the last 100 years archaeological artifacts have been discovered that are helping to uncover the mysteries of old cultures that inhabited the Volcán Baru area. Located only 6 kms out of the town of Volcán, Sitio Barriles is a thematic garden, where you will find old paintings and engravings on the rocks, ceramic artifacts; some still lying intact in a three sided excavation. What makes this particular site so interesting to archaeologists is the mix of artifacts that show influences of Indian, Oriental and African cultures. The people living there are direct descendants of the family who discovered the first of the artifacts and are more than willing to share their special insights of the history and mysteries of the region with guests.
(2 hrs.) Click For More Information & Photos

Parque Internacional de La Amistad (Friendship Park): Established jointly by Panama & Costa Rica it is the largest highland forest in Central America (407,000-hectares). The park is mostly mountainous, and because of the elevation changes, a great diversity of life zones are found there. La Amistad is made up of protected areas of exceptional biological diversity and beauty. This pristine forest is home to over 90 mammal species including jaguars and pumas. Among the more than 400 recorded bird species found there are the resplendent quetzals and harpy eagles (The harpy eagle has claws as big as a Grizzly bear’s and legs as thick as a man’s wrist!). It is also home to the Teribe, Bribri and the Ngöbe-Buglí Indian tribes.

There are 3 main trails that originate at the Las Nubes ranger station:

Mirador la Nevera (1.4 km) trail which leads to a lookout point at 2500 meters.

Sendero La Cascada (1.7 km) trail which leads to a 45-meter high waterfall with refreshing swimming pools. This is a fairly steep climb with many breathtaking views of the cloud forest. (3 hrs)

Sendero El Retoño (Rebirth Trail) is a 2.1 km loop trail through secondary forest along winding mountain streams. A fairly easy hike through the cloud forest. (3 hrs)

The Las Nubes ranger station has dormitory sleeping quarters for $5 per person. Park fees are $3 per person (reservations highly recommended). There is a community kitchen guests are welcome to use. You can stock up on provisions in Volcán or Cerro Punta. A local women’s co-op restaurant near the entrance to the park is open from 9am to 4pm Monday thru Saturday. Be sure to bring warm clothing as temperatures can range from 75ºF to 40ºF at night.
(Day tour: 6 hrs.)


Parque Nacional Volcán Baru: founded in 1976 covers 14,325 hectares (35,000 acres) and has 3 types of life zones. Volcán Baru is no longer active. Its summit at 3475 meters (11,000 feet) is the highest point in Panama. In this park you will find tropical rainforest landscapes with highland species and the remains of the eruption that happened millions of years ago. Upon the summit on a clear morning you can see both the Pacific and the Caribbean oceans. There are several trails leading to different craters of the volcano. An exceptional bird watching area, many species can only be seen in this region. The average temperature ranges from 50ºF to 65ºF.
(Tour duration: 12 hours round trip or 2 days with overnight at the summit.)




Lagunas de Volcán (1240m) are the highest lake system in Panama, with lush virgin forest at their edges and Volcán Baru rising majestically in the background. The two lakes and surrounding forest are excellent sites for bird watching. The lake has excellent large mouth bass fishing. (3 hrs.)





Finca Dracula Orchid Sanctuary is one of Latin America's finest and most varied orchid collections with more than 2,000 species.  (4-5 hrs.)





Sendero Los Quetzales'...a birdwatcher's dream, over 225 species have been recorded. The Quetzales Trail is a 10 kilometer trail from Cerro Punta to Boquete through the national park crossing back and forth over the Rio Caldera.
(4 hrs. birdwatching) (Alizanza: hike Cerro Punta to Boquete 6 hrs.)




Highland Agricultural Tour: At an altitude of 5,904 feet terrace vegetable fields line the steep mountainsides. With its cool misty climate and rich volcanic soil it produces 80% of Panama's cool weather vegetables. Walk through meticulously tended organic and traditional vegetable farms, flower gardens, racehorse ranches, dairy farms, trout farms, botanical gardens and enjoy the beauty of the surroundings.
(3 Farms, 5 hrs.)



Town tour of Volcán: (5 hrs.)

La Fuente: Volcan community park with a spring and pond
San Benito: Catholic agricultural & craft school with a nice showroom of wood carvings and handicrafts
Sitio Barriles: Indian culture & history.
Arte Cruz Volcán: Jose de la Cruz Gonzalez, a local artist trained in fine arts in Italy and Honduras, creates sculptures and furniture out of wood and etchings on crystal and glass.
Janson Family Coffee: watch how coffee is processed and enjoy a delicious cup of coffee
Vino Don Coba: natural tropical fruit wine
Finca Guardia: horse ranch


Sendero del Tapir: Explore the Tapir Trail looking for these shy animals and many more.
(5-6 hrs.)

Sendero Las Tres Rocas: a beautiful hike to three big rock formations and a lookout platform. A camping site is available nearby. (6-7 hrs. - Overnight camping )

Visit Rio Macho de Monte Waterfall:
(4 hrs.)

Visit the natural hot springs, Los Pozos de Aguas Termales.
(5 hrs.)

Visit the natural spa at the head of the Rio Gariche:
(2 hrs.)

Visit a thoroughbred racehorse ranch:
(4 hrs.)

Visit a Sugar Cane processing plant.
(4 hrs.)

Horseback riding:  

Recommended Hotels and Cabinas:

Finca La Providencia:  Charming fully furnished cabins for rent in a rainforest setting.  Lush tropical landscaping, flower gardens, nature trails and bird watching in a 5 hectare park like location.  Peaceful, private accommodations for 2 to 10 guest per cabin. For prices and availability contact Gorge Babos. Email: laprovi@hotmail.com, Telephone: 011-507-771-5484 * 771-4162 * 6624-9687 * 6651-4777

Click For More Photos of Finca La Providencia, Cabaña Zafiro

Getting There:
Drive westward out of David on the Inter-Americana Highway to the town of Concepción. Turn right at the highway sign that reads Volcán, Guadalupe, Cerro Punta (Also a billboard that points the way to Hotel Bambito). The drive is approximately 20 minutes to Volcán. 

English/Spanish speaking guide: 
Claudia Flores - Telephone: 6457-6080