When to Go

The December-to-May dry season is the most popular time to visit Chiriquí since days tend to be sunny in the lowlands. From December to March the valleys of Cerro Punta and Boquete can be cool and windy and may get light rain.

Here trade winds push clouds over the mountains creating a misty condition known as bajareque.

In March and April the mountain valleys are warm and sunny, whereas the lowlands become increasingly dry and brown. It rains just about every day from May to mid-July and from mid-September to mid-December, but from mid-July to mid-September you can get several sunny days in a row.

Boquete's Feria de Flores, the annual flower festival, is the third week of January and includes folk dancing and indigenous handicrafts but also excessive drinking and blasting music. You'll find the town's Expo Orquideas in mid-April is more pleasant.

The water in the Golfo de Chiriquí is clearest for scuba diving and snorkeling from December to July, whereas the surf is best from July to December.