Boquete Bees and Butterflies is a magical destination that serves as an ideal addition to your vacation in Boquete. Several booking options are available: the butterfly garden, a honey tasting, or the VIP experience—which includes both of the aforementioned activities, plus a tour of an apiary housing melipona (stingless) bees.
A visit to the Boquete butterfly garden lasts between 45 minutes and an hour and a half, though the experience is not strictly time-limited. It is said that in an indigenous language, “Panama” means an abundance of butterflies and fish. On this tour, you willcvisit the largest butterfly exhibit in Panama. Inside, you will find a lush tropical garden, carefully designed with the specific plants that each butterfly species needs for feeding and reproduction—which is why there is so much activity within. Visiting this space is not like going to a zoo; it is a spacious habitat where butterflies fly freely. Sometimes, they even land on visitors!
After exploring the garden, your guide will take you to the laboratory, which functions as a breeding center. Depending on when you visit, you may be able to observe various stages of the butterfly life cycle: eggs, caterpillars, or pupae undergoing metamorphosis. With a bit of luck, you might even witness a butterfly emerging!
The honey tasting in Boquete allows you to sample over 20 varieties of native and wild honeys—the most extensive selection in Panama. Boquete Bees and Butterflies was the first establishment in the country to offer honey tastings. This guided experience explores the origin of each honey, the flowers the bees visited to produce it, and the reasons behind its unique flavor, appearance, and aroma. You will discover the differences between a single-origin forest honey, a wildflower blend, and honey produced by stingless bees.
This honey-focused tour offers insight into sustainable beekeeping practices in the province of Chiriqui. Thanks to its unique altitude and microclimate, Boquete yields honeys with entirely distinct flavor profiles. The native wild forests of the Chiriqui highlands and seasonal tropical flowers contribute to the production of a truly special honey. You will also learn to distinguish between raw (natural) honey and processed honey.
The Melipona bee is a native, stingless species that produces an exceptional medicinal honey, which is entirely different from commercial honey. If you book the VIP tour, you will also be able to visit the facilities where Melipona honey is produced. There, you will have the opportunity to observe a fully active hive up close. Furthermore, using a microscope, you will be able to examine the structures of the honeycomb cells and focus on individual pollen grains.
Boquete Bees and Butterflies
Boquete Bees and Butterflies is a unique destination in Boquete, offering various experiences like a butterfly garden tour, honey tasting, and a VIP experience that combines both along with a tour of an apiary with melipona bees. The butterfly garden, the largest in Panama, showcases a tropical habitat where butterflies thrive freely, allowing visitors to observe different life cycle stages. The honey tasting features over 20 varieties of local honeys, highlighting sustainable beekeeping practices and the distinct flavors influenced by the region’s flora. The VIP tour includes close encounters with melipona bees and an opportunity to examine honeycomb structures under a microscope.
Trip Highlights
- Visit the largest butterfly exhibit in Panama!
- Sample over 20 varieties of native and wild honeys—the most extensive selection in Panama.
- Learn about the Melipona bee, a native stingless species that produces an exceptional medicinal honey.
