LOS QUETZALES CABIN

The month of November is filled with numerous Panamanian holidays, and this past week, Monica and Matt had another day off from school.  We decided to take advantage of the time off, and at the last minute, rented a cabin for a night and headed to Parque Internacional La Amistad, a two hour drive from Boquete. Little did we know that we were in for a fabulous adventure and a very special treat!

Upon arriving at Guadalupe, a small and remote farming town, we headed to Los Quetzales Lodge and Spa, where a nice man named Abel escorted us to our cabin.  We knew that the cabin was fairly secluded within the cloud forest, but had no idea that getting to the cabin would be such an adventure. In order to get there on a very rough and rocky road, one needs to cross several streams, and this would not have been possible in our 4 wheel drive vehicle.  Abel assured us that this was not a problem, and skillfully drove us in his tractor, towing us and our cooler of food in a trailer behind him.  The drive itself was a true adventure, as Abel reminded us to "hang on tight" while we navigated the narrow roads, crossed several streams and headed up into the cloud forest.  Upon arrival at our cabin, 7500' in altitude, Abel showed us how to light the wood burning stove, use the lanterns and the VHF radio provided if we need anything (no cel phone reception in this neck of the woods...).  As you can imagine, all of this added an unexpected and fun element of adventure since we truly were being "dropped" in the cloud forest.

During our short stay we enjoyed the wildlife seen right from the cabin, played card games, read books, went on 2 fabulous hikes (Las Quebradas de las Minas and El Sendero de Las Cascadas), and enjoyed the peaceful existence of being in a solar powered cabin with not much to do other than relax and enjoy the beauty of it all!  Our highlight of the evening was staying up late into the night, observing a cacomistle eating the fruit and sweets that we had put out on the cabin deck.  Cacomistles are quite rare and only found in areas that have intact primary forest, so this was quite exciting not only to see one, but to be able to observe it for more than just a few short minutes - super fun!  Our trip to Los Quetzales Cabin far exceeded our expectations, and our only regret is that we did not stay longer.  We'll just have to plan a trip for another time...

Abel skillfully maneuvered his tractor and towed us behind in a trailer as we headed up into the cloud forest to our cabin.

Passing spectacular scenery as we head up to our cabin

Walking past this beautiful pool of water on our way to the cabin

After being towed in a trailer behind Abel's tractor, we hiked a short distance on this trail in order to reach our cabin.

Yes, we finally arrive at our beautiful and cozy cabin!

Squirrels hung out on the cabin deck all day long.

We spent hours on the cabin deck observing the incredible birdlife.  This is a Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch.

Beautiful markings on this bird!

Yellow-thighed Finch

Hummingbirds were abundant on the property, and we saw many different types.

This bird truly lives up to its name, the Magnificent Hummingbird.

As hummingbirds move, their iridescent colors change.  It was fascinating to sit on the cabin deck and watch this process. 

Lush and dense cloud forest on our hikes right from our cabin

Our hike on the Sendero de las Cascadas in Parque Internacional la Amistad proved to be one of our most challenging thus far in Panama.  We needed to cross several streams and navigate through what seemed to be nonexistent trails.  It was all worth the effort, and certainly one of our most thrilling adventures!

The Sendero de las Cascadas (waterfall trail) is beautiful.

Colorful orange and yellow spiky flowers seen on our hike

Monica and Matt enjoyed resting up a bit at the tail end of a strenuous hike.

FINCA DRÁCULA

After a wonderful stay at our cabin in the cloud forest, it was time to head home, and we stopped in at Finca Drácula, an well-known orchid nursery in Guadalupe.  Finca Drácula has one of the largest  collections of orchids in Latin America, with over 2200 species of orchids, some of which are rare and endangered.  The grounds were beautiful, and it was fun to receive a quick tour of the property and see many beautiful orchids and other flowers as well.  Pictures of orchids and flowers from Finca Drácula are shown below.