Information for visitors of the Boquete Jazz & Blues Festival

Everything you want to know about a trip to Boquete, Chiriqui, and Panama just a click away. Check it out! Just click on the links below.

Sure, everybody who is coming to Panama wants to see the canal, maybe the old city   (Casco Viejo), or the remains of the even older first Spanish settlement which was ransacked by Cpt. Morgan in the 17th century. It's good to spend a day or two of your vacation on this.

But there's much, much more to see and do:
Interested in deep-sea fishing in Boca Chica or Santa Catalina, snorkling or scuba diving in the marine reserve of Coiba island or in Bocas del Toro, surfing the waves, watching dolphins or whales, mountain hiking on Volcan Baru, bird watching, hiking the Quetzal-trail, river rafting, canopy zip-lining, ATV rides, rock climbing, horseback riding....or just having a great time at one of our endless pacific beaches at Las Lajas or Playa la Barqueta / Las Olas or the crystal-clear turquoise waters of the Caribbean?
Panama, and especially Chiriqui province has it all! Turn your festival visit into a great vacation, and you won't regret it. Promise!

Travel Panama by rental car
Click on this link for some useful information if you want to travel Panama by rental car.

Travel packages
You're planning to see more of Panama when coming here for the festival? For this purpose we highly recommend to check out Panama's fastest growing travel agency, the Panama Travel Group. They offer all kinds of side trips to exciting destinations including our festival which you can book individually at very competitive prizes. Check them out!
In addition, here's a link to two excellent 8 or 9 nights tours we have worked out together with our friends from the Haven Hotel&Spa in Boquete. Just click here to see the details. And the icing of the cake is that admission to the festival will be included in the price if you'd come here at the right time!

A quick word about the Boquete weather:
March is in the middle of the dry season which lasts from late December until late April. Still, occasional light rain (the famous Boquete "Bajareque", a very fine mist which often produces wonderful rainbows) cannot be excluded. Temperatures in the Boquete area usually stay in the 70's all year round with highs in the lower 80's. Late evenings can get a bit chilly sometimes. It gets much hotter in the lowlands near the oceans, of course. After all, we're in the tropics here, right?

Some quick facts about Panama:
➢ Panama is a very small country with just 3.5 Million people, 1.3 Mio. of whom
     are living in the greater Panama City area.
➢ National language is Spanish but a lot of people in Panama City and the more
     touristic areas speak at least some English (after all, there were thousands of
    US-citizens living here in the canal zone and elsewhere for more than 100 years!)
➢ Panamanians generally are very friendly, helpful, welcoming people. They don't
     avoid eye contact with strangers and reward  any friendly "Buenos dias" or
     "Buenas tardes" with a wave and a big smile.
➢ The national currency is the Balboa but all banknotes are US$. Balboas exist
     only as coins, side by side with US $ coins. No currency risk for US citizens,
     and great bargains for European visitors from the Euro-zone!
➢ General cost of living (except for luxury goods or technical equipment) is about
     30-40% lower than in the US or Europe.
➢  Credit or debit cards are widely accepted in touristic areas. In smaller places
      and rural areas you need cash (which is called 'effectivo' here). ATM's can be
      found at all banks, airports and some shopping centers. Don't bring traveler cheques.
➢  Violent crime is generally quite rare in Panama, with the exception of some
      areas in Panama City and Colon. Petty crime like theft of valuables is more
      common (after all, this is a poor country). So, please use common sense and
      be cautious not to flash your cash or expensive jewelry, cameras etc. in front of
      people you don't know.
➢  And here's the icing on the cake: Panama grants 30 days of free health and accident
     insurance to all visitors! No other country in the world is offering anything like this!

  Here are some useful links with tons of information for you: