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The Chiriqui Highlands surrounding Boquete, Panama are full of family-run coffee plantations, famous for the high quality coffee products they make and export all over the world.

In the shadow of the nearby Volcano Baru, the soil is full of rich nutrients that make a special flavor of coffee that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Finca Lerida is one of those very special places, just 15 minutes outside of Boquete.

We drove up there to go bird-watching, but we found so much more than we expected. The scenery was stunning and the coffee beans were so colorful, my camera was shooting non-stop, even though the darn birds kept hiding from us.

Come along as we share some of the surprising sights we saw at Finca Lerida.

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A Big Welcome at Finca Lerida

When you first arrive, you are welcomed with open arms. The Welcome sign tells you which way to go, and the staff at the Reception building offer you coffee and a treat before you begin your explorations. You can also stay on the property if you want to wake up in this beautiful paradise.

Stunning Scenery at Finca Lerida

As we hiked the paths at Finca Lerida, we climbed higher and higher up into the mountains. Every time we turned a corner, the scenery just took my breath away.

The Coffee Making Process at Finca Lerida

Finca Lerida offers tours of the coffee plantation where they will show you the process they use to grow, harvest and produce several varieties of coffee. Tasting, of course, is offered at the end of the tour!

The Coffee Beans

As we hiked around the property (still looking for the birds that we could hear, but could not see), we passed thousands and thousands of coffee bean plants, many heavily ladened with colorful beans.

Look at all those colorful, beautiful beans! #Sigh

Bird Watching at Finca Lerida

As I said, our main reason to go to Finca Lerida was for bird-watching. It’s well known as a birding destination and according to eBird, tons of species can be found on the property, including the Resplendent Quetzal.

But because we didn’t hire a guide to take us around, the birds proved very elusive to find. I could hear several of the Three-wattle Bellbird calling to each other, but for the life of me, I couldn’t find them.

So don’t be like us – hire a guide if you want to go bird-watching at Finca Lerida.

The only bird I found out on the trails was the Yellow-faced Grassquit.

The Yellow-faced Grassquit sits daintily on a tree branch.

This small bird shows off the bright yellow parts of his face, above and below his gray bill.

When we finally got back to Reception after 2-1/2 hours on the trails, THEN we found a few more birds, including the Flame-colored Tanagers who were hanging around the Cafe, hoping to get some crumbs or food left behind.

The flame-colored Tanager shows off his bright orange head and body with this black and white wings.

The orange tanager sits on a tree branch, look at the surrounding area.

We also saw the Lesser Violetear Hummingbird, the teeny-tiny Ochraceous Wren and the Rufous-collared Sparrow.

This green and purple hummingbird perches on a thick tree branch in the sunshine. — Lesser Violetear

A tiny Ochraceous Wren pokes its head out of a hole in the tree to gather more nest-building materials. — Lesser Violetear

Is Finca Lerida worth visiting?

In my opinion, YES! If you can afford to stay there, do it! I’d love to wake up to those glorious views every morning. Breakfast is included and some rooms come with a hammock. The restaurant is supposed to be really good too.

We highly recommend taking the Coffee Tour to learn about the family-owned enterprise and how they create world-famous coffee in the shadow of Volcano Baru.

And if you want to find some amazing birds such as the Resplendent Quetzal and the Three-wattled Bellbird, I firmly recommend you hire a guide. They are available either through the property or you can hire an independent guide such as Raul Velasquez (WhatsApp +507 6247-4455) or Jason Lara (WhatsApp +507 6718-6279). Both come highly recommended!

More Info on Panama

Here are some more posts about Panama, including some that I’m still working on. If you’d like to receive emails when I’ve posted new content to the site, please complete the short form with the Cheetah image above.

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