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The Pipeline Trail In Boquete, Panama: Complete Guide

The Pipeline Trail In Boquete, Panama: Complete Guide

The Pipeline Trail is another great hike in the Bajo Mono region just outside of Boquete Town. Walk alongside a river through the jungle until you reach a massive yet slow-descending cascade at the end of the trail. On the way, you will discover a thousand-year-old trail and some unique wildlife. The trail takes about two hours and is a great way to spend a morning or afternoon when you are staying in Boquete town.

pipeline trail boquete hike

THE PIPELINE TRAIL IN BOQUETE

In this blog post, I will share everything you need to know about the Pipeline Trail in Boquete, Panama.

pipeline trail boquete hike

3 MOST POPULAR TOURS IN PANAMA

These are the three most popular activities for tourists in Panama. Personally, I love the San Blas Islands boat trip!

  • San Blas Islands Boat Trip: Explore the tropical paradise of the San Blas Islands, the most beautiful region in Panama. Easily the most amazing activity I did in Panama.
  • Taboga Island Catamaran Cruise: Admire Panama from the water on a sightseeing catamaran cruise to Taboga Island. Admire the city skyline, dive from the boat for a swim, relax on a beach in Taboga, and enjoy snacks and an open bar.
  • Half-Day City Tour & Panama Canal: Connect with the beautiful and modern Panama City on this shared or private city tour. Stroll the narrow streets of the Old Town and watch ships sail through the Panama Canal

HOW TO GET TO THE PIPELINE HIKE TRAILHEAD

We were staying at Mamallena Hostel in Boquete town. They have lots of offers for waterfall tours and guided excursions. Luckily, you can save yourself the money and make this a DIY adventure because it isn’t very hard at all to organize the logistics. These are the following steps for how to reach the Trailhead of the Pipeline Hike in Boquete.

  1. Catch a public bus, known as a ‘Colectivo’, which will come through the main street. They don’t come incredibly regularly and the fee is $3 one-way. An alternative is to catch a local taxi. Carlos, a local driver convinced us to come with him in his taxi for $8. There were three of us so it was actually cheaper than the bus. The advantage of the taxi is that they will drop you much closer to the trailhead than the bus.
  2. Once you arrive in the Bajo Mono area, you will drive past the Basalt climbing wall and the old castle. There will be a sign that says waterfall this way. Don’t go that way. Turn right at this sign and continue along the road.
  3. You will see a blue wooden waterfall sign. Stop here. (This is where the Colectivo will stop anyway and where you will wait to be picked up by the Colectivo)
  4. There is a wooden sign with the trail marked. Keep walking and there are a few houses. The locals will pop out and ask for the $3 Pipeline Trail entrance fee.
pipeline trail boquete hike

THE PIPELINE TRAIL

Once you arrive in Bajo Mono at the junction of hikes you begin to see just how many trail options you have. Signs point in all directions toward waterfall hikes and wildlife trails. We were heading out on the Pipeline Trail, which is a 2-3 hour out-and-back trail. The trail begins at the Cascada Escondida sign. However, ‘PIPELINE TRAIL‘ is also painted on the left pole of the sign as you can see above.

From here you can’t get lost at any point as there is only one defined path the whole way. About three minutes after the sign you will come across a few houses. A local lady and two kids came out to collect the $3 Pipeline Trail entrance fee.

pipeline trail boquete hike
pipeline trail boquete hike

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As we started the trail, we were alert and on the lookout for howler monkeys, snakes, the elusive Quetzal, and any cool signs of life after not finding much wildlife on the Lost Waterfalls Hike.

The path is flat with relatively no incline. This is a very relaxing stroll through the jungle suitable for all ages and hiking abilities.

The trail has lots of cool little bridge crossings, some of which are made from tree trunks while others are man-made. There is another key feature of this hike, which is man-made. It is, of course, the pipeline that runs from the waterfall all the way to the start of the trek. In some parts, it is hidden under the luscious greenery. However, it is often exposed and is a bit of an eyesore at times. There is nothing more enjoyable than feeling entirely immersed in nature and the pipeline is a bit of a reminder that you aren’t that far away from Boquete.

One thing I loved about Boquete was the jungle setting. In one scene you can have bamboo and small tropical plants and then looming in the background is a 1,000-year-old tree with an enormous trunk. You just get a huge variety and it swallows you as you make your journey along the trail. Watch out for the wildflowers of all different colors as you adventure in Boquete!

pipeline trail boquete hike
pipeline trail boquete hike
pipeline trail boquete hike
pipeline trail boquete hike
pipeline trail boquete hike

There is an awesome tree about halfway into the Pipeline Trail. The sign says it is approximately 1000 years old. This tree manages to make you feel insignificant twice. Once by dwarfing you and twice by being 50 times older than you. The roots were just twisted and intertwined in a way that only years of growth can create. Not that we would ever want it to happen but this would just be the most epic treehouse tree ever!

What are my favorite pieces of hiking gear?

There are four pieces of gear that I simply never forget when I go on a hike. These are four items that I using right now and this list gets updated every year! Here are my hiking essentials.

  • Arcteryx BETA AR Rain Jacket: This is my go-to rain jacket. It’s super light, folds down into a tiny ball, and protects brilliantly in a storm. This one never leaves my backpack.
  • Salomon X Ultra 3 Mid GTX Hiking Boots: For the best ankle support, waterproofing, and durable exterior I’m a fan of tough but light hiking boots like these Salomons for my adventures.
  • Black Diamond Head Torch: I can’t tell you how many times, I’ve arrived back from a hike unexpectedly late. I always keep this lightweight but strong headtorch in my bag for the unexpected.
  • Darn Tough Socks: These are the most comfortable hiking socks I’ve ever worn and last for years. They also have a lifetime warranty and you just send them in with a hole and they replace it no questions asked.
pipeline trail boquete hike

After about an hour of very slow-paced hiking (we take way too many photos and stare at caterpillars for 20 minutes), we made it to the open corridor that leads to the waterfall. It had been raining for many days before we did the Pipeline Trail so we thought the waterfall might have been flowing. If it was flowing hard it would have been insane. It tumbles over the edge of a cliff and there is a huge gap behind the fall. It would essentially, be the freefall of the cliff as if it were being poured out of a bottle. I’d love to see that!

pipeline trail boquete hike
pipeline trail boquete hike

The waterfall was flowing but it was just a light stream of water cascading down the cliff onto the ground, hardly making a pool of water at all! On our way back to the start of the hike we came across some wildlife. Finally, our Nat Geo moment had arrived. We found a sleek-looking black snake and a poisonous caterpillar. Panama has some awesome wildlife and we had seen sloths and vine snakes in Bocas Del Toro and now snakes and… caterpillars in Boquete. Hopefully, we will catch the Quetzal on our next hike!

pipeline trail boquete hike

pipeline trail boquete hike

Hope you guys enjoy the hike! Stay safe and leave the trail as it was. Take photos, not souvenirs. Lots of photos…

pipeline trail boquete hike

PIPELINE TRAIL MAP LOCATION

 

HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT MY OTHER PANAMA GUIDES

I hope you enjoy my guides and have a great time exploring Panama!

cerro picacho ola panama

Annie

Monday 16th of January 2023

Important to know this is not what we would have considered a level 1----mostly uneven, some boulder climbing right near the waterfall and was indeed an incline the entire way. If older or with balance concerns would recommend hiking stick. Giant tree was more like 3/4 of the way up. We were walking at a slow pace, took us about 2hrs 40min total. Beautiful hike but would never say it was a level 1. Also cool waterfall and haunted looking abandoned finca on the way there from Bouquete.

Annie

Monday 16th of January 2023

Also, if wanting to see wildlife, might consider getting a guide, we saw 2 monkeys but mostly.saw neat insects.

Jerry

Monday 10th of February 2020

The price is now $5.00 and they have a gate and a little both set up. It took us just under 2hrs to get to the top and about 75 minutes to get back down. We took our time, never saw any wildlife but the hike is well worth it. BTW It's all uphill to the top bring a snack and water.

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Stephanie

Monday 12th of November 2018

Thanks, Jackson! This was very helpful. I’m hoping to hike the Pipeline Trail myself. Wanted to do it today, but the heavy rains came in most of the day.