Los Quetzales/Cerro Punta altitude sickness?
 

Has anyone who has been to Los Quetzales Lodge near Cerro Punta/Guadalupe had any altitude sickness? The elevation is 6800 feet.

Thanks for your help.

Hi there. We were just up there a few weeks ago and were worried about the same thing. We stayed overnight in Boquete first which was around 4000 feet. That way the altitude to 6800 feet wasn't quite as dramatic. We were fine although hiking was rather labored for us 40-somethings. Take it slow and drink a lot of water. You will enjoy the cool weather up there and the scenery is beautiful!

Joni

Thanks for the information Joni. If you hiked the Sendero Los Quetzales, is the first half of the trail, going from the Cerro Punta side, was it worth it? Four of us are thinking of doing the walk to Boquete. Did you happen to stay at the Los Quetzales Chalets in the park? If so, any comments?

I remember being in the 40's...about 20 years ago!

I appreciate your response to my original post.

Beaker, I think you would enjoy Los Quetzales Lodge, very nice. You might want to take a look at the last month's issue of Conde Nast Traveler which gives some suggestions for the area.

We ended up not hiking the quetzale trail from one town to the other as we were really worried we would never make it and you cannot simply stop when you get tired. Once you start out you are committed. We were really glad we recognized our limitations because the hike was very difficult. It is not so much a "trail" as it is a boulder and rock path. The rocks were large and hard to navigate without twisting an ankle. So we just hiked up that for about a mile (Cerro Punta entrance) and then turned around and went back. Imagine trying to do all this as you are panting for air in the high altitude. I think a 20-something could do it no problem but if you are the least bit out of shape, you are better off not going all the way across. Despite this, I really enjoyed the area and highly recommend seeing it. The landscape is beautiful and we saw tons of birds (didn't see the quetzale though until we went to the guide's father-in-laws farm down the road!). Our guide was David from Highland Adventures and he was just great. He taught himself english and knew birds like you wouldn't believe! (Don't know if you are into birding but I know that most people who stay at the Quetzale Lodge tend to be into that sort of thing as there are many birds on the property.)

We stayed at Hotel Panamonte in Boquete which was nice but we had wished we had stayed on the other side of the mountain around Volcan as it was so much prettier. I did not go to the Los Quetzales Lodge but we did stop at a little B&B called Cielito Sur in Cerro Punta and it looked wonderful. We will stay there next time. The owner was really nice and the rooms were pretty and they overlooked a nice outdoor area near the river. They had a lot of hummingbird feeders around the property to attract the different species who frequent the area.

Good luck with your trip. You will have a fabulous time!

Joni

JoniC,

Thanks for the good information on this area. A few other posters have also indicated the Cerro Punta side is prettier than Boquete. Actually I have experienced the humiliation of being carried off a mountain trail due to a busted ankle...and once is enough. Great info on the trail.