Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Luggage transport service
Backpackers wanting to hike the Sendero de los Quetzales one
way but not wanting to return and who don't want to be encumbered with their rucksack
should go to Transportes Ferguson (Boquete 720 1454, Volcán 771 4566; both Mon-Fri
8am-4pm, Sat 8am-noon). They have an office in C 1 Sur at Av 1 Oeste in Boquete, and
behind the petrol station in Volcán, and will charge $5-6 to courier your rucksack to the other
location.
ACCOMMODATION
Bunkhouses
Phone the ANAM office in David ( 775 3163).
You can arrange to sleep in
the bunkhouse at either of the ranger stations,
tho
ugh you'll need to take warm bedding and
food, and be prepared for cold-water showers.
$15
Camping
You can camp at either of the two ranger stations, though a far nicer location is
Mirador la Roca
, a picnic spot com
ple
te with tables, though no other facilities, about halfway
along the Sendero de los Quetzales.
$5
Volcán
Spreadeagled on the lower western slopes of Volcán Barú, at an altitude of 1700m, the
twelve-thousand-strong town of
VOLCÁN
(formally known as El Hato de Volcán) is little
more than a glorified road junction en route to the more appealing fertile valleys of Cerro
Punta and the cloud forests of the Parque International La Amistad, or the little used Costa
Rica border crossing at Río Sereno. That said, it does offer the most impressive views of Vol-
cán Barú, and as the retirement and real estate boom gradually seeps west of Boquete, tour-
ism is beginning to take root, offering a handful of diverting excursions, not least of which is
to scale the adjacent
volcano
. A couple of enjoyable days can easily be spent exploring the
area, though if you're short of time push on to Cerro Punta and Guadalupe. Even if you don't
overnight here, a clutch of good restaurants and relaxed ambience make Volcán a conveni-
ent pit stop and anyone set on self-catering up in the mountains should stock up on supplies
(leaving the fruit and vegetables to Cerro Punta) and visit a bank.
