pipeline trail

I walked the pipeline trail twice. First with a guide, we went to the quetzal habitat about 2Km from the trail start, and saw 4 or 5 of them. Without a guide to find and point them out it would be very hard to see a quetzal. They're not large (about magpie size - hope that helps) and they sit quietly in the shade in mid-canopy. Unless the sun is on them you don't really see the splendour.Second time I went on my own and hiked much farther to the waterfall - maybe 3 Km each way. As a birder I loved it. But birds are hard to see, hard enough on your own home turf, but in new habitats it's extra tough. Still I saw about 20 species (no quetzals). The botany & geomorphology are both endlessly interesting - to me anyway. My Bird Of The Day has a diary entries about the quetzals and other birds of this trail - worth a search.

We heard the Waterfall hike was incredibly muddy so we did this one instead. $3/pp to enter. Trail is very easy to follow. Slow, gradual ascent to waterfall at the end. Not muddy at all. We saw beautiful vegetation, flowers, bromeliads and epiphytes along the way but no quetzals or animals. We did not have a guide. Other than a very few plaques on some trees identifying their genus only, there was no information given about anything. We happened upon a minibus about to leave going up there all the way to the Quetzal trail. Not quite sure what their schedule is. I think it's basically when they show up, they are there. $2/pp each way. After our 2 1/2 hour hike, our luck held and a minibus showed up right when we finished.

This hike was perfect for our family of four. We are a family of hikers, but I hiked this trail 8 months pregnant, and it was perfect. I felt like it was long enough but not too strenuous. The scenery was beautiful, and we saw a quetzel! Though we didn't have a guide, someone else did, which is how we saw the bird. The guide was Oscar, and I would go back and hire him!

Jon from Boquette Outdoor Adventures was our guide on this trail. He grew up in Boquete and knows everything there is to know!He made the beautiful trail come to life by explaining how the different aspects contribute to nature. He helped us use a plant to make a straw and drink from the super clean fresh water.

A pleasant walk. We saw very little unfortunately. The birds must have been hiding for our tour. However, when we arrived, a troup of howler monkeys were agitated and howling up a storm. That made the day in itself.

Definitely walk this trail with a guide who can see birds and monkeys where you see only leaves. Some of the animals included a wild pig, sloth, three types of monkeys, agoutis etc. I can't even name the many different birds, but do have pictures of them.

The trail is beautiful and not terribly difficult. There is always something different blooming there. I've seen quetzals, trogons, and many other lovely birds. Towards the end there is some tricky footing which is worth it to see the waterfall.

You can walk through a forest and cross over bridges. We were lucky to spot quetzal with a professional guide.

Our group consisted of 5 adults. John was our guide. The trail is really nice- a moderate walk- to a waterfall. Along the way John managed to spot, I believe, 5 quetzals. We would have never seen them if not for John. It is truly amazing how he can spot them high in the trees. Depending on your camera lens, John can take a picture of the quetzal by holding your camera to his scope. What a souvenir to take home! If you go on this trail, make sure you seek out John to be your guide. We reserved through Boquete Outdoor Adventure but I understand he can also be booked through Boquete Custom Tours. His English is flawless and his knowledge is vast.

I enjoyed it with my 2 college aged sons together with an excellent guide-Jason. It rained lightly part of the time but the guide had much to say about birds, plants and fauna. I highly recommend him. The whole walk and stopping to view took 3 hours. The nice thing is that afterwards he took us on a long drive that looped arround the sorrounding mountains to return to Boquete. Jason's email is jthunder12@hotmail.com

This was a relatively easy hike on a dedicated trail. You follow the river and a pipeline- hence the name - to a nice waterfall. If you are patient you will see the beautiful Quetzal bird. What a lovely creature. When you get to the huge tree just off the left of the trail as you ascend stop for awhile and look at both sides of the trail for this beautiful bird. We saw three of them on the opposite side of the trail from the tree. You can't miss this large beautiful birds if they are around. The cost for the trail is $3 because you are on private property but well with it. The hike will take about 3 hours round trip. Take a light rain coat and water. Shorts are fine but no sandals or flip flops please Enjoy

I expect in a few years time this hike will be overrun with tourists, but we were the only ones on the trail. It was a bit rainy but that didn't matter much. the waterfall at the top is lovely and the wildlife on the way makes the walk interesting.

This is a nice trail but I´ll recommend you to used a guide, they know what to look for. we hire one and saw a sloth, many Quetzals, and snake.

Pipeline Trail is THE birding trail though I have to say, it's difficult to get to (there is signage but it is poor) and I didn't have much luck finding any of the wonderful birds that it's meant to have. Possibly just bad luck on my part..

THIS is the THE trail to take in Boquete. It does cost $3 but is worth it. The trail is not to difficult and the views and time it takes to hike it is great. The waterfall at the end of the trail is worth the extra effort. Lots of birds to see including the Quetzales.