Boquete essentials
Emergency numbers, hospitals, utilities, and the services you need in your first week. Save these where you can reach them offline.
Confirm current numbers before you rely on them, especially in an emergency. Operators may speak Spanish only. Guía Boquete is not an emergency dispatcher.
Emergency
Ambulance and medical transport
Hospitals and clinics
Utilities
Internet and mobile
Satellite internet, available in Panama and a strong option in the highlands where cable does not reach. Standard kit about US$349; monthly roughly US$50 to 120 by tier. A 2026 MasMovil partnership is expanding mobile coverage in Panama. Hardware sold locally at PanaPhoto. Confirm address-specific price at starlink.com.
Several local wireless internet providers serve the highlands; ask neighbors for the one with line-of-sight to your area.
Government and newcomer admin
Permits, trash, local administration. Phone confirming.
Consumer protection. File pensionado discount refusals and similar complaints here. Phone confirming.
Outreach visits to David and Boquete every 3 to 4 months, by appointment. Dates post short-notice on pa.usembassy.gov. Payment by Panamanian banker's cashier check only.
Typical monthly costs
Starting points only. Bills and plans change and vary by home, provider, and location. Confirm current rates.
Good to know
Panama uses the country code +507 and has no area codes. The currency is the US dollar (the balboa circulates alongside it). Save these numbers in your phone now, while you have signal.