Retiring in Volcán and Tierras Altas
Volcán is the seat of Tierras Altas, a mountain district at the foot of the Barú Volcano created in 2013. The tourism board puts temperatures between 12 and 25 °C (53 and 77 °F), the coolest in the country.
It is about 1.5 hours by road from David, where the airport and the regional hospital are.
Living in Volcán and Tierras Altas
Tierras Altas is nicknamed “Little Switzerland”. Much of the Geisha coffee grows here, and Cerro Punta, at about 1,800 m, is called the pantry of Panama for its farms. The district gives access to the Barú Volcano National Park, with the Los Llanos trail near Volcán, and to La Amistad International Park, a World Heritage site. Near town are the Macho de Monte canyon and the Barriles archaeological site.
Population
Tierras Altas counted 23,525 people in the 2023 census, 7,077 of them in Volcán.
Climate
There is no official temperature series for Volcán itself; the range of 12 to 25 °C (53 to 77 °F) is the tourism board’s figure. Rain is measured: the Nueva California station, at 1,400 m, recorded about 2,900 mm a year and Cerro Punta, at 1,830 m, about 2,100 mm. December to March is dry and the rain peaks in September and October.
| IMHPA station | Altitude | Average | Months under 100 mm of rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nueva California (102-002) | 1,400 m | 2,909 mm of rain a year | Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar |
| Cerro Punta (102-001) | 1,830 m | 2,116 mm of rain a year | Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr |
Getting there
By road it is about 6 hours from Panama City to David and about 1.5 hours more to Cerro Punta; Volcán comes first on the same road. The usual route is a flight to David and the drive up. The tourism board gives 1.5 hours to Boquete on one page and 2 hours on another.
Health care nearby
Volcán has a Ministry of Health primary care center and a Social Security primary care unit. Hospital care is in David, at the Rafael Hernández regional hospital.
- MINSA-CAPSI Volcán
- ULAPS Volcán (CSS)
- Hospital Regional Dr. Rafael Hernández (CSS), David
Cost of living
There is no official cost of living figure for Tierras Altas: the district is not part of the Ministry of Economy and Finance food basket.
Festivals and seasons
Your residency, wherever you live
The Pensionado visa is the same in every province: the US$1,000 monthly pension, or US$750 with a property of more than US$100,000, and the same documents, wherever you plan to live. The discounts of the retiree law apply all over the country.
Choosing where to live before you apply? Tell us the town and we will check what changes for your case, if anything.
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