Finca Hartmann

This family-owned coffee farm (tel./fax 775-5223, cell 6450-1833, www.fincahartmann.com [1]) is a great favorite with birders—more than 280 species have been identified—but even if that’s not your thing you may want to consider visiting for its away-from-it-all natural beauty, for a tour of its coffee operation, or just for a cup of coffee with some friendly folks.

The Hartmanns have two remote cabins, one of them surprisingly comfortable, for guests who want to stay overnight. The finca (country house) is in the community of Santa Clara, 27 kilometers from Volcán [2] on the road to Río Sereno [3].

The Hartmanns offer tours of their small coffee mill. The coffee here, not surprisingly, is excellent, and there’s a small coffee shop with an attractive wooden rancho where you can buy a cup or pick up some souvenir packs to take home. A tour of the coffee operation and/or access to the grounds for birding or hiking is US$15 per person.

The patriarch of the clan is the friendly and gregarious Ratibor “Chicho” Hartmann, now in his 80s but in fantastic shape. He’s an entomology enthusiast who worked for years in the Canal Zone at Gorgas Hospital, an important center for tropical medicine. Ask him about it; he’s got interesting stories.

Research scientists have been studying the farm’s rich flora and fauna for years. Their gratitude has included naming two new beetles species and a new species of cloud-forest bee after Hartmann.

Reflecting his hobby, he has built a tiny museum in the compound that contains an impressive insect collection from the area and around the world. There’s an incredible array of bizarre specimens. There’s also a small collection of pre-Columbian pottery and stone figures, mostly from Chiriquí.

The real treasure of the place is the fragmented primary cloud forest 3.7 kilometers up from the main finca on a brutal road that requires a four-wheel drive with high clearance. It’s called Ojo de Agua (eye of water) for the spring that runs between the two cabins in a clearing at the end of the road.

Besides the incredible array of birds, the lucky might encounter a few of the 62 species of mammals that have so far been identified on the finca, including red brocket (a kind of deer), peccaries, armadillos, porcupines, opossums, and close to 20 species of mice, as well as white-faced capuchin, red spider, and howler monkeys.

Ojo de Agua borders Parque Internacional La Amistad [4] (PILA). To the west one can see clear to Costa Rica [5]. Five trails start from near the cabin: a one-kilometer uphill one that connects with the road, a three-kilometer trail that leads up a hill and that skirts PILA, another three-kilometer one that leads to a small river, a 350-meter walk to a 50-meter waterfall, and a 500-meter trail that leads to an enormous ficus tree.

The two cabins are quite different. The larger one is a two-story building that’s been used as a research station, so creature comforts have not been a main concern. It’s a basic place with a concrete floor, kitchen with gas stove, dining/sitting area, fireplace, and five bedrooms. There’s no electricity, just kerosene lamps, but it does have hot-water showers. The smaller cabin is quite a bit nicer. It’s still rustic, but it features finished wood, a snug bedroom, a kitchenette, and hot-water bathroom. Electricity is on the way; expect prices to go up when it arrives.

Rates run from US$20–35 for a bunk bed to US$70 for a cabaña for two. Optional food service is available. If you need transportation from the finca to the cabins, the Hartmanns will take you there for US$20 round-trip.

Getting to Finca Hartmann

To drive to Finca Hartmann from Volcán [2], continue straight at the crossroads rather than turning right toward Cerro Punta [6]. The drive takes about a half hour. You’ll see a sign on the left side of the road; make a quick right onto the gravel road. The 42 kilometers from Volcán all the way to Río Sereno [3] takes about 45 minutes by car. Just stay straight on the main road.

Buses run between Volcán and Río Sereno about once an hour, 5 a.m.–5 p.m. daily. The fare is US$2.65. The bus will stop at Finca Hartmann if requested.