Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mirador Alan-Her Main road, after the village of Cuesta de Piedra. The Mirador Alan-Her
lives up to its promised view, and is one of the best places in Chiriquí to pick up sweet delic-
acies, from local mozzarella and ricotta to bienmesabe - a slow-cooked dessert of rice, milk
and panela - and their other Chiricano speciality, sopa borracha (“drunken soup”), sponge
cake soaked in cinnamon-flavoured rum. Daily 6.30am-7.30pm.
East to the Costa Rican border
From Volcán, a well-paved road snakes its way 32km to the small border town of Río Sereno .
Unless you're bound for Costa Rica, the only reason to make this glorious drive is to vis-
it Finca Hartmann , a birding hotspot and charming coffee estate a 30km spectacular drive
from Volcán. Heading out through open pastures scattered with dairy cattle, the journey in-
tensifies as the road swoops round tight bends across cascading rivers and through coffee and
banana plantations.
CROSSING THE BORDER AT RÍO SERENO
A 35km drive west from Volcán along a spectacular winding mountain road brings you
to the somnolent frontier town of RÍO SERENO and the least-used border crossing
with Costa Rica. It is easily reached by bus from David, via Volcán (every 45min-1hr,
5am-5pm; 2hr 30min). The last return bus to David leaves Río Sereno at 5pm, passing
through Volcán after 1hr 10min. Buses leave Río Sereno from close to the T-junction at
the entrance to the town. Panamanian immigration (daily 8am-5pm; 722 8054) is 400m
from the bus stop, by the police station (look for the flag). The Costa Rican immigration
office (same hours) is next door. Don't forget that whether entering Panama or Costa Rica
you'll need to get an exit stamp from immigration in the country you are leaving and an
entry stamp from immigration in the country you are entering; you will also need to show
proof of onward travel and financial solvency. Should you get stranded here for the night,
the town's lone accommodation, the Posada Los Andes ( 722 8112) on the main square
can provide you with a rudimentary room in a fairly rickety building for $20.
Finca Hartmann
Santa Clara • Coffee tours, in Spanish or English, last 1hr 15min ($15); trail access for day visitors $15 •
6450 1853, fincahartmann.com
A family-run, eco-friendly coffee estate whose biodiversity acts as a magnet to birdwatchers
and biologists, Finca Hartmann has recorded over 280 species, and is considered the best
place in Panama to see the dazzling turquoise cotinga and fiery-billed aracari, as well as 62
different mammals. Birds are more easily spotted round the main farm at Palo Verde, where
the coffee roasting and other operations take place. Taking a coffee tour (best during the
harvesting season, Oct-March) also allows you to stroll the five trails on the estate, one of
which leads up to Amistad national park.
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