How to hike the Pipeline Trail, Boquete, Panama
Boquete, in the west of Panama, is a hiker’s paradise. There’s plenty of rivers to be traced, forest to be explored, and wildlife to be spotted.
Boquete, naturally, has plenty of trails where you can experience all of these things. The Pipeline Trail is one such trail, and one of the most popular trails in the area.
On my visit to Boquete in April 2023, my friends wanted to see the quetzal, a beautiful, but reclusive, bird native to the area. The Pipeline Trail has a reputation for being the best hike to see the quetzal, so one morning, we went off in a taxi to see it!
About the Pipeline Trail
The Pipeline Trail is a trail which takes you through the forest. It’s located in the Bajo Mono area, to the north of Boquete.
The trail takes 2-3 hours to complete, and is an in-and-back trail; you have to return the way you came. There’s a slight uphill gradient, but overall the incline isn’t that great, and although the path is uneven, it is generally quite flat.
The trail ends at a waterfall, which other blogs describe as not that impressive compared to those seen on the Lost Waterfall hike (another hike in the Boquete area). However, I liked it! I didn’t do the Lost Waterfall hike so I don’t know how much more impressive these waterfalls are, but the one at the end of the Pipeline Trail isn’t exactly shabby.
Why is it called “Pipeline”? That’s because the trail, for much of its length, follows a set of pipelines along a river. These supply some of the water to Boquete town proper, and are a little bit ugly – but at least you always know you’re walking in the right direction!
The other reason hikers visit this trail is for its bird watching opportunities: namely, the quetzal. The quetzal has to be one of the prettiest birds I’ve ever seen! Aside from the quetzal, we saw a fair few birds on this trail, and although we didn’t know what they all were, it definitely feels like a good place to spot them.
Do you need a guide?
There are tour companies offering the Pipeline Trail as a tour in Boquete, so you can choose to take this trail with a guide.
The trail is fairly easy to follow. It’s one track and it’s quite difficult to get lost along it. Therefore, you don’t need a guide to follow it.
The one circumstance in which I’d recommend getting a guide is if you’re very keen to get in a spot of bird watching. When you’re walking through the forest on your own, although you can hear and see a lot, inevitably you will lose out on some of the biggest details. Plus, a guide will find and identify birds for you, and may bring equipment like a telescope or binoculars for you to use. We saw a group doing this when we visited the trail and it looked like they saw so much more than we did! If you’re into your birds, it’s a no-brainer.
That being said, we did the hike independently and (by chance) saw a quetzal – so it’s completely personal preference!
Looking for other hikes around Boquete? Check out my guide on how to visit the Pianista Trail!
How does the Pipeline Trail rate as a hike?
As part of this blog, I give every place I visit a rating so that you can easily compare destinations and decide whether they’re worth a visit. Those are the scores you see at the top of the page!
This is how Pipeline Trail rated:
- Accessibility: 3/5 – the Pipeline Trail is a bit out of the way of Boquete. The path is uneven (particularly at the end, right before the waterfall) and there is a general incline, so it wouldn’t be suitable for everyone.
- Safety: 4/5 – the trail felt generally safe. The only problem would be if you had a medical emergency, as evacuation along the trail wouldn’t be easy.
- Enjoyment: 5/5 – I really enjoyed the trail! The forest and end waterfall are gorgeous, and who doesn’t enjoy a bit of quetzal-watching?
- Value: 3/5 – there’s a $5 entry fee, plus costs to get there (probably around $5 per person), which didn’t make it feel like the best-value trail in the area.
Overall score: 3.75/5
If you’ve already visited, let me know if you agree with these ratings! Just to note, the ratings are my personal opinion based on my visit, so you might have a completely different experience.
More: how I rank destinations using the Everywhere Ratings system
How to get to the trailhead
The Pipeline Trail is relatively accessible from Boquete, taking around 15 to 20 minutes’ drive.
As it’d be a pretty long walk, the best options to get to the railhead are to take a taxi or public transport.
Taking a taxi
The first option is to take a taxi: the easiest and quickest option of the two you’ve got!
We took a taxi on the way there. There are normally a lot of taxis driving through Bajo Boquete, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding one. We were speaking to a driver within 30 seconds of stepping outside our hostel!
We paid paid $10 for the drive. Initially we were offered $3 per person for a car of four people, so don’t hesitate to bargain if you were offered a worse deal. Just ask to go to the trailhead for the Pipeline Trail.
Just to note, there were no taxis near the trailhead, so get a taxi’s number before you head up, or you’ll either be taking the colectivo or walking back!
Taking the colectivo
The second option is to reach the trailhead via colectivo. (A colectivo is a type of public transport common in Panama and other Latin American countries. It’s a minibus which runs a defined route, picking up and dropping off passengers at any point along it.)
The colectivo between Bajo Boquete and the trailhead costs $2.50 per person. I’m not sure what wait times you should expect. We only waited 10 minutes for it to arrive on the way back, but I suspect we may have been lucky!
To use the colectivo, head to the main plaza in Bajo Boquete to wait for the colectivo. Alternatively, wait on the side of the street for it to come past (if you’re staying north of the plaza). You should take the colectivo marked “Bajo Mono”, as this is the region in which the trail is located.
When taking the colectivo, wait until you reach a shelter by the junction of what appears to be four trails. On two tracks you’ll see signs for waterfalls and the Pipeline Trail. This is where you need to get off and where you should be picked up. You could tell the driver to stop here to make sure you don’t miss it.
When dropped off here, head to the trail on the left, which is marked by a sign as the entrance to the Pipeline Trail. If you head straight on (as the colectivo I took did), following the sign to the waterfalls, you’ll find the entrance to the Lost Waterfalls hike, so these two are easy to do in one day if you’d like.
Finding the trailhead of the Pipeline Trail
Once you’ve headed up the road noted as the entrance to the Pipeline Trail, after around 1 minute you will come to a junction. Both look like they head to houses, and there’s a hut in the middle.
When we arrived, there was no one about and the hut was closed. We weren’t exactly sure where to go as we knew we were supposed to pay a fee to enter the hike, plus the path to the left seemed to go to houses only, whilst the one to the right was marked as private property.
Fortunately, after a couple of minutes, a woman came out of the house to the right. We paid the entrance fee ($5 per person) to her directly, and she directed us along the path to the right – the one we had least expected to be correct! She informed us that the hike would take 1 hour each way.
Walking the first section of the hike
Once we’d paid and thanked the woman, we headed up the trail. From this point on, it was very obvious – there are no decisions to make, and it’s just a straight line to the waterfall.
The first section of the path is wide and open with gravel, until you reach a house around 10 mins’ walk along. After you pass the house, the path gets thinner. It’s at this point you’ll see the pipelines for which the trail was named.
Before this, I had been wondering whether the number and significance of the pipes had been exaggerated on other blogs. But no! There’s actually quite a lot of pipes and you’ll see them for the rest of the path.
The first pipes are seen at a bridge which you’ll need to use to cross the river. When we were there, the main pipe crossing the river had burst and was sending water out over the stream. For a pipe burst, it was actually pretty. The water, through the sunshine, made several rainbows in the droplets, which set itself nicely against the forest background.
After the bridge, the path gets a lot more forested. The trail heads through a pretty valley, and you’ll follow a stream for most of the route. There’s a lot of bamboo with crazy growth; several times, these fell across the path, forming natural arches – perfect for photos!
Quetzals
So far along the trail, we had heard a lot of bird calls, although we hadn’t seen an awful lot. However, the nature was so stunning that I wasn’t particularly dismayed, taking in the plants and scenery instead.
After around 20 minutes of walking, we saw two people looking at something up ahead. There was a quetzal on the branch above the path! We were all pretty excited – as we were here on our own, with not an ounce of bird watching expertise between us, I’d thought our chances were pretty slim. But no – here it was!
The quetzal was so pretty, with red and blue feathers and a long, elaborate tail. Because it was so high it didn’t care at all that we were all there, looking at it, and it just continued its grooming. Unfortunately the angle with the sun was really bad for photography, so we couldn’t get any good photos.
When we continued on some time later, I felt pretty chuffed – mission complete! Now all we had to do was visit the waterfall at the end of the path; we would tick off all the goals of the Pipeline Trail.
If I were going to do this trail in future, though, I would do a bit of research into what the quetzal looked and sounded like to improve my chances of spotting one. Maybe next time!
Continuing along the trail
Continuing along, we continued up the path, crossing several bridges (some made out of pipes). The pipeline pops up by the side of the path all the time and often follows it for long sections. It’s pretty slippery though, so don’t attempt to walk over the top of it.
At one point, we heard a loud noise. We had no idea what it was but it sounded quite ferocious – a jaguar was suggested. (By the way, you can find jaguars in Panama – how exciting!)
Looking onward, it turned out a pipe had just burst over the river: much better than the suggested jaguar scenario!
Around two thirds of the way along the path, there’s a densely wooded area with a crazy amount of mosquitos. You’ll see a really old tree with a massive tree trunk on the left, which looks like something out of a fairy tale. It’s super pretty and, as there’s a bench beside it, it provides a nice setting for a break (if you can put up with the mozzies for that long, that is).
Reaching the waterfall
At the end of the path, there’s a sign saying “no pase – prohibido” – i.e., telling you not to continue. We don’t know if that refers to the path, as it wasn’t placed that close to the trail. However, we decided to continue as we hadn’t reached the waterfall yet.
The path got more strenuous – you have to go over a few boulders and along a little stream – but not massively so. However, I imagine it would get worse if there’s rain, and have heard there can be landslides during the wet season, so judge it yourself when you’re there! If you decide not to continue, it’s still worth doing the hike up to this point, especially if you’re here for the bird spotting – you won’t see many of those at the waterfall.
The path ends at a tall waterfall. There’s a lot of water spilling across the moss-covered cliff face as well as the main flow, and with there being a lot of boulders at the bottom, it made a great rest stop to just look at the waterfall and chill.
Heading back to the trailhead
After around 15 mins, we headed back the way we came. It was quicker in this direction and overall took us 2 hours and 15 minutes – although I should say we rushed the end, as we needed to get back to Boquete town for a coffee tour! If you’re an avid bird watcher, you will probably need more time to make more stops. On the other hand, experienced hikers will probably be much faster.
We really enjoyed visiting Pipeline Trail during our trip to Boquete and were really glad we’d done it. The nature, plants and birds makes it a stunning hike, and we were pleased to see the quetzal as well.
Tips for the Pipeline Trail, Boquete
You don’t need much to do the Pipeline Trail; it’s not particularly long or strenuous and has more than enough to keep you occupied. However, to make your visit that much greater, I would suggest:
- Bring mosquito repellent. Mosquitos weren’t a problem for much of the hike. However, there were a lot towards the end, when we were deep in the forest. Everyone in my group got a couple of bites. One of my friends got a nasty bite on their forehead – these mozzies are vicious! I can only imagine what would happen if you saw a quetzal in this area without any insect repellent…
- Research the quetzal in advance. I didn’t do this and regretted it. I think it would be so useful to know what the quetzal sounds like in advance so you can recognise its bird song – it would make it much easier to spot it when it’s flying!
- Leave enough time to get back to Boquete afterward. We did not, and as we were heading back to go on a coffee tour, this created a lot of stress. You will either need to walk around 2 hours to get back to town or wait for the colectivo. Either option will probably take more time than you expect!
- Ask for a receipt. We know of people who were asked for payment as they left the trail, even though they’d paid at the start. We weren’t given one, so make sure you ask for a receipt when you’re paying the entrance fee to prevent this from happening.
Conclusion
Hiking the Pipeline Trail is a great thing to do, with pretty forest views and waterfalls, and the chance to see the elusive quetzal.
I hope, if you’re heading to Boquete, you get to visit the Pipeline Trail trail. If you do, let me know if you have any other thoughts or comments!
More information
- The Journey Era’s article on the Pipeline Trail is a great place to start if you aren’t sure you want to do this hike.
- Winging the World have a really informative article on the Pipeline Trail.
- Two Travel Turtles’ article on the Pipeline Trail is very much a photo guide and is great if you’re wondering what to expect.
