Boquete neighbourhoods: where to live

Six official areas

Boquete district is split into six corregimientos (sub-districts): Bajo Boquete, the capital; Alto Boquete; Caldera; Jaramillo; Los Naranjos; and Palmira. The district had 23,562 people at the 2023 census.

• Alto Boquete: 6,290 people in 2010, 89.4 km².
• Los Naranjos: 4,596 people, 98.9 km².
• Bajo Boquete: 4,493 people, 18.2 km².
• Jaramillo: 2,655 people, 77.5 km².
• Palmira: 1,776 people, 57.5 km².
• Caldera: 1,560 people, about 147 km² — the most thinly populated.

Bajo Boquete: the town centre

Everything within walking distance: the supermarkets, the covered market by the central square, cafés, the library and the local vans that leave from outside Casa Bruña supermarket. It is the choice if you do not want to drive. Valle Escondido, a large gated community with a golf course, pools and a fitness centre, is on the edge of town.

Alto Boquete: along the road from David

Alto Boquete runs from just past Dolega up to the entrance of town, on a high plateau between the Caldera and Cochea rivers. Shops, restaurants and new housing have grown along the widened road, and most of Boquete’s gated developments are here, such as Boquete Country Club and Hacienda Los Molinos. Estate agency Casa Solution puts it at about 1,100 feet at the bottom, rising to about 3,500 feet at the edge of town.

Volcancito, Jaramillo and Palmira: the hillsides

Three hillside areas of homes on larger plots, coffee farms and long views. Estate agency Casa Solution describes them like this:

• Volcancito: on the loop road above town, about 4,000–5,500 feet, mostly 5 to 20 minutes from the centre. Santa Lucía, with its country club, is up here.
• Jaramillo: on the right of the valley as you come into town, with plots of one to two acres and views of the volcano and the Pacific. It is home to the Lucero golf club, 6 to 15 minutes from town.
• Palmira: just south of town, with large coffee farms and new homes, about 3,500 feet, mostly 10 to 20 minutes from the centre.

Los Naranjos and Caldera: the countryside

Los Naranjos is where many of Boquete’s trails, waterfalls and coffee farms are. Caldera, about 20 minutes back towards David, has the hot springs and horseback tours, and is the most thinly populated of the six. Both suit people who want space and are happy to drive.

Is one area drier or warmer?

People will tell you so, but no official weather station measures Boquete’s neighbourhoods, and Boquete Weather calls microclimate claims hearsay. Higher areas are cooler, and the dry-season mist (bajareque) mostly reaches the higher areas, Los Naranjos, Jaramillo and Bajo Boquete. Beyond that, visit in both seasons before you commit.