3 Best Sights in Chiriqui Province, Panama

The combination of forest and shaded coffee bushes at this gourmet coffee farm 27 km (16 miles) west of Volcán makes it one of the country's best bird-watching spots. The farm borders Parque Internacional La Amistad, so it's home to an array of wildlife ranging from hummingbirds to collared peccaries. To date, 282 avian species have been identified here, including the brown-hooded parrot, collared trogon, golden-browed chlorophonia, and king vulture. You can take a coffee tour during the October to March harvest season. Two rustic cabins without electricity are available for overnight guests. Getting here is half the fun, since the road winds through amazing scenery.

This large coffee farm near the Lagunas de Volcán gives a tour of the farming and processing of their high-quality beans that ends with a tasting. Do the tour during the December to March harvest. They also offer bird-watching and horseback-riding tours of the farm and nearby lakes. The coffee shop serving homemade brownies and warm drinks is a great place to relax and soak in the view.

One of Panama's most important archaeological sites and its most visitor-friendly by far, Sitio Barriles is a collection of abandoned digs and pre-Columbian artifacts on a private farm 6 km (3½ miles) south of Volcán. The site was discovered in 1947 by the farm's owner, who found cylindrical stone carvings resembling barrels. Subsequent digs unearthed hundreds of artifacts, the most important of which have been taken to other museums, although many are displayed in the small on-site museum. Sitio Barriles was the main town of an agricultural society that farmed the surrounding plains from AD 300 to 600. Current theories suggest the site was abandoned following a 7th century earthquake. The farm's current owners manage it under an agreement with the National Culture Institute. Edna Landau, who speaks some English, leads visitors on a 45-minute tour with advance notice. The turnoff for Sitio Barriles is west of the road to Bambito, on the left one block after the road to the airstrip, and is marked Cazán.