CERRO PUNTA
Cerro Punta is a small and beautiful town located in the mountains of the Chiriqui province, the newest tourism destination, due to the aboundance of natural resources and astonishing views.
Set almost 2000m above sea level in a bowl-shaped valley surrounded by densely forested mountains, Cerro Punta is the highest village in Panama, and often covered by clouds. In the eighty or so years since it was settled, agriculture has expanded so rapidly that the town now produces some 80 percent of all the vegetables consumed in Panama. This agricultural boom has been at the expense of the surrounding forests, however, and the local population is just beginning to face up to the consequences of deforestation, trying to conserve the remain of the natural resources, heading up to the tourism as the alternative to improve the future of the region.
The village and surrounding fields are undeniably beautiful, filled with abundant flowers and buzzing with hummingbirds. The spectacular scenery, together with the cool, crisp mountain air makes Cerro Punta a perfect start point for hiking, and the pristine cloud forests of La Amistad and Volcon Baru are both within easy reach. These parks are perhaps the best places in all Central America to catch a glimpse of the elusive quetzal, particularly in the dry season between January and April.
In Cerro Punta it is possible to find tourism services (hotels, inns, cabins, lodges, restaurants, bars, tour operators) and, if you want to stay for a long time, beautiful properties.