What's on in Boquete (Chiriquí), Panama through the year

Busy — Feria de las Flores y del Cafe, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Feria de las Flores y del Cafe

  7–18 JanMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Ten days of gardens, bands and coffee from the fincas above town, on the fairground by the Caldera river. Rooms in Boquete go months out and the road up from David crawls at weekends. Source ↗

Still on: Coffee harvest (1 Oct – 28 Feb (usually)), Volcan Baru summit season (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — Carnaval

• Nature

  Quetzal nesting season

  1 Feb – 30 Jun · usuallyBirdlife season

  Resplendent quetzals nest along the Sendero Los Quetzales and the flanks of Baru through these months, when the males hold territory near the cavities and a guide can usually put you on one before breakfast.

• Festival

  Carnaval

  14–18 FebCarnivalCrowdedBook early

  Carnaval runs from Saturday to Ash Wednesday, with Monday and Tuesday as public holidays: Panamanians leave the city in large numbers, highways jam, and hotels in holiday towns book out at higher rates. Source ↗

Still on: Coffee harvest (1 Oct – 28 Feb (usually)), Volcan Baru summit season (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Holiday

  Semana Santa

  3–5 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedClosures

  Good Friday is a public holiday and many Panamanians take the whole of Holy Week off: churches hold processions, some businesses close, and hotels in beach and mountain towns fill with city families. Source ↗

• Festival

  Expo Orquideas

  25 Mar – 10 Apr · usuallyMajor festival

  The town's second flower fair, ten days at the turn of March and April: several hundred orchid varieties under cover on the fairground, with folk music on the stage beside them. Source ↗

Still on: Quetzal nesting season (1 Feb – 30 Jun (usually)), Carnaval (14–18 Feb), Volcan Baru summit season (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — Semana Santa

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Quetzal nesting season (1 Feb – 30 Jun (usually)), Semana Santa (3–5 Apr), Expo Orquideas (25 Mar – 10 Apr (usually)), Volcan Baru summit season (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

• Season

  Green season

  1 May – 30 Nov · usuallyMonsoon

  Rain arrives in the afternoon and the bajareque mist sits on the ridges most mornings. Rates drop, the gardens are at their best, and the overnight Baru summit walk turns into a gamble on cloud.

Still on: Quetzal nesting season (1 Feb – 30 Jun (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Quetzal nesting season (1 Feb – 30 Jun (usually)), Green season (1 May – 30 Nov (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Green season (1 May – 30 Nov (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Green season (1 May – 30 Nov (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Green season (1 May – 30 Nov (usually))

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

• Season

  Coffee harvest

  1 Oct – 28 Feb · usually

  Pickers come down from the comarca and the fincas run mill and cupping tours through the harvest. The geisha lots are picked last, and the mountain roads are full of trucks before dawn.

Still on: Green season (1 May – 30 Nov (usually))

Busy — November patriotic holidays

• Holiday

  November patriotic holidays

  2–10 NovNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  3, 4, 5 and 10 November are national holidays for independence and flag days. Schools' marching bands parade through every town, offices close, and many Panamanians travel for the long weekends. Source ↗

Still on: Green season (1 May – 30 Nov (usually)), Coffee harvest (1 Oct – 28 Feb (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Volcan Baru summit season

  15 Dec – 15 Apr · usuallyDry seasonBook early

  The overnight climb for a sunrise with both oceans in it only really pays in the dry months. Guides run it year round, but outside this window the summit is inside cloud more often than not.

Still on: Coffee harvest (1 Oct – 28 Feb (usually))