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The Pipeline Trail in Boquete is a gorgeous hike through a moist, green, mystical cloud forest, leading to a hidden waterfall inside a towering canyon.
It was one of our favourite hikes to do around Boquete. It was much less busy than The Lost Waterfalls Trail, and despite not having any spectacular mountain views or a thundering waterfall, the forest was so beautiful here.
It takes its name from the water pipeline that runs adjacent to the trail, which was covered in mosses and greenery. There is a good chance of seeing the iconic resplendent quetzal bird as well as a huge and impressive 1,000-year-old tree.
In this hiking guide, I’ll share everything you need to know about hiking the Pipeline Trail in Boquete, including how to get to the trailhead from town, the entrance fees, trail stats, wildlife to keep your eyes out for, and what to wear and pack.
Pipeline Trail Boquete quick facts
- ↔️ Trail type: out-and-back
- 🗺️ Trail map: AllTrails
- 📏 Distance: 6.1 km (3.8 mi)
- 📈 Elevation gain: 468 m (1,535 ft)
- 🥵 Difficulty: easy – moderate
- ⏰ Duration: 2 – 3 hours with stops
- 💰 Entrance fee: $5 per person
About the Pipeline Trail
The Pipeline Trail is one of the most popular hikes around Boquete. It’s easily accessible from town via colectivo or car and is one of the least strenuous trails in the area.
It does incline, but it’s a slow and gradual incline the entire way up to the waterfall, coming down on the return leg. The trail on AllTrails lists it as a 468 m (1,535 ft) elevation gain, but our Garmin watch recorded it as much less than that, and personally, we didn’t find it too challenging.
The trail is also referred to as Sendero Cascada Escondida (Hidden Waterfall Trail) for the waterfall you’ll find at the end. Spoiler alert: the waterfall is nothing special. Although very tall, it’s a weak flow of water without any pool at the bottom.
We’ve seen a lot of reviews saying people were so disappointed in the waterfall. If you want to see waterfalls, The Lost Waterfalls Trail just up the road is a much better option.
The Pipeline Trail isn’t really about the waterfall.
It’s not about scenic mountain views, or necessarily even wildlife either.
What it is, is a fantastic display of the moist, cloud forest around Boquete. We felt totally immersed in the dense greenery, with all kinds of mosses, ferns, bromeliads and huge, towering trees.
As you might guess from the name, the trail follows a pipeline that channels water for use in Boquete. The pipeline wasn’t exactly natural, but we loved seeing how nature had reclaimed the intrusion, with moss and greenery growing all over the pipe.
How to get to the trailhead
The Pipeline Trail is located in the Bajo Mono region, about 20 minutes drive from Boquete. It’s very close to The Lost Waterfalls Trail, another popular trail in the area.
There are a couple of ways to get to the trailhead from Boquete:
- 🚐 By colectivo: colectivos run from the parada de buses pequeños in the centre of town to Bajo Mono, and will drop you off at a small pink bus shelter near the entrance to the trail. It’s $2.50 per person, one-way. There’s no fixed timetable, but there are usually vans hanging around, you may just have to wait until the driver thinks the van is sufficiently full before taking off!
- 🚕 By taxi: if there isn’t a colectivo leaving anytime soon, there are plentiful taxis in Boquete, all offering to drive you to the trailheads around town. I’ve read prices from $8 – $12 for a taxi to the Pipeline Trail trailhead.
- 🚗 By car: if you’ve got a rental car, it’s an easy 20-minute drive from Boquete. There is a small parking area just as you pull off the main road.
Cost and opening hours
The Pipeline Trail is located on private property, and the landowners charge a $5 fee.
Make sure you go into the little hut to pay and sign in and out of their guest book, which they use to make sure no one gets lost on the trail.
According to Google Maps, the trail is open from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm, but we didn’t see any official hours at the trailhead. We arrived at 8:20 am and couldn’t find anyone to pay.
It takes at least 2 – 3 hours to complete the trail at a leisurely pace, so you definitely wouldn’t want to start later than 3:00 pm anyway.
There is a very eerie feeling when hiking in Boquete due to the Dutch girls who went missing on the Pianista Trail in 2014. It’s still unclear exactly what happened to them, and I’m not trying to scare you off. If anything, hiking around Boquete is probably safer than it has ever been in response to this tragic story. It’s a sad and mysterious case that was interesting to learn about after being in Boquete. We can highly recommend the podcast Lost in Panama.
Do you need a guide to hike the Pipeline Trail?
No, a guide is not mandatory for the Pipeline Trail. The trail is clearly marked and easy to follow and we enjoyed hiking solo.
The reason you may like to get a guide is if you’re hoping to spot wildlife.
Depending on the time of year, there is a very good chance of seeing a resplendent quetzal bird on the trail, and a guide will increase your chances 10 fold. They’re experts in the area, know the calls, and where the birds like to hang out and will usually have a scope you can look through.
This tour includes transport from Boquete and the entrance fee.
What to expect hiking the Pipeline Trail
No matter how you arrive at the trailhead, you’ll end up on a narrow gravel road where you can see a wooden sign with ‘Pipeline Trail’ and ‘Cascada Escondida’ on it.
Walk up the road for a few hundred metres until you reach a junction. Off to your left, you’ll see a little hut which is the ticket booth. There should be a local landowner who comes out to collect your entry fee ($5) and will ask you to sign the guest book.
We arrived quite early at 8:20 am and couldn’t find anyone to pay, so we decided to continue walking and pay on the way out, which turned out to be fine.
There is a bathroom you can use with permission from the owners. BYO toilet paper!
The first part of the trail was along a gravel road that passes open farmland and a few small local houses.
It didn’t take too long to reach the proper forest, and we were soon under a blanket of thick greenery. We heard the water before we saw it, but eventually, we reached the first river crossing and the pipeline.
There were a series of bridges across the river. One was quite a solid, pretty bridge, but the others were just simple pipes with some rickety hand railings.
The trail was a mix of mud and small rocks. It’s a very moist forest so it’s always slightly damp and soggy, but I imagine it would be quite slippery after rain.
About ¾ of the way up the trail, we passed a sign indicating that we were entering quetzal habitat. There’s a chance of seeing these elusive, colourful birds anywhere along the trail, but I was particularly focused from here on out!
We soon passed the 1,000-year-old tree, which was truly spectacular. It was an enormous Ulmus Mexicana or Mexican Elm Tree, which is very common in high altitude and cloud forest areas.
We spent a while admiring the spectacular tree and pondering on how incredible and everlasting nature is. A thousand years is a very long time!
It was only another 10 – 15 minutes further along the trail to reach the waterfall. We broke out of the forest into a rocky field of boulders. There were signs pointing to the waterfall, but it required a bit of wayfinding, hopping over rocks and using fallen trees to get across little streams.
We soon got a glimpse of the waterfall. It’s not strong, but it is mighty tall and we felt dwarfed inside the tall canyon. It was dripping with mosses and vines, it was beautiful.
We found a comfy rock with a clear view of the waterfall to enjoy our snacks and rest before we started the walk back.
It was quicker and easier on the return leg, as we were going downhill the entire way and had already taken all our photos and stops on the way up. Although I was still intently looking for quetzals. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any. Some feathers were as close as we got!
As we were on the fringe of the forest coming back out into the farmland Brayden spotted a black snake slithering on the edge of the trail into some tall grasses. We had read there were often snakes so we were on the lookout. He seemed more scared of us than we were of him.
We made it back out to the main road and had been sitting at the bus stop for no less than 5 minutes when a colectivo passed heading back to Boquete.
Wildlife to see on the Pipeline Trail
As with all experiences in nature, there is no guarantee of seeing any wildlife. However, these animals have commonly been spotted on the Pipeline Trail before:
- 🦜 Resplendent quetzals: these vibrant and elusive birds live in the cloud forests around Boquete, and if you’re very lucky, you will see one on the Pipeline Trail. They’re usually around the section of trail near the 1,000-year-old tree, and you’ll see the quetzal habitat sign to remind you to keep your eyes out. Listen to the quetzal call, so you know if they’re around.
- 🐒 Howler monkeys: you will definitely hear howler monkeys if they’re around, they have a very noisy call.
- 🦥 Sloths: sloths are very hard to spot because they rarely move and don’t make any noise, but they have been sighted on the trail. You would be most likely to find them with a guide.
- 🐍 Snakes: black snakes (apologies, I’m not entirely sure of the species!) are often seen along the Pipeline Trail. Just keep your eyes peeled and watch your step.
What to wear and bring to the Pipeline Trail
Boquete has a cool climate that can change quickly, so my best advice is to wear layers.
The Pipeline Trail is shaded and moist, being in the cloud forest, so it can feel a little cooler, however, it is uphill on the first leg, so you’ll no doubt be peeling layers off!
Hiking shoes aren’t necessary, but sturdy runners would be ideal. The trail is slippery and loose in places.
In terms of what to pack:
- 💦 Water
- 🥪 Snacks or picnic lunch
- 💰 Cash
- ☔️ Rain protection (for yourself and your bag/electronics)
- 📷 Camera or charged phone
Combining with The Lost Waterfalls
The Pipeline Trail is quite near to another popular trail in Boquete, The Lost Waterfalls.
Some people combine both hikes into one day, adding about 1.6 km (1 mi) of extra walking to get between the two trails.
I think you could easily fit both hikes into one day, as each takes about 2 – 3 hours.
We split them over consecutive days as we had plenty of time in Boquete, and were happy to do one hike in the morning and go back to town for a nice lunch and relaxing afternoon.
If we were to do both, I’d probably do The Lost Waterfalls first, as it is a bit busier and a tougher hike than the Pipeline. Plus, you’d be walking downhill to get to the trailhead for the Pipeline Trail!
Planning a trip to Boquete
If you’re planning a trip to Boquete, don’t forget to check out our Boquete travel guide. It covers all the important info you need to know, like getting there, getting around, where to stay and other handy tips to get your bearings.
Final thoughts: Pipeline Trail Boquete
We had a beautiful morning hiking the Pipeline Trail in Boquete.
We passed only a handful of other hikers and felt almost alone in the thick and lush forest. The hike wasn’t too hard and felt super peaceful.
We were blown away by all the greenery, the huge leaves, ornate ferns, mosses and lichens. Brayden always asks me how old I think big trees are, and to see a tree that was one thousand years old was insane. Nature is so impressive.
I hope this guide has helped you plan your hike to the Pipeline Trail. Don’t forget to check out our other Boquete posts for more handy info and hiking guides.
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