Live Your Dream On An Organic Estate in Panama

by Pat and Susan Farrell

When we lived in Houston, Texas, my husband Pat and I would talk about finding a place where we could live our dreams of owning land where we could grow our own organic vegetables, raise chickens and turkeys, and live a sustainable lifestyle.

We also decided that we wanted to live this now and not later.  We wanted to downsize our Texas lifestyle, live a simpler life, but still have the comforts and luxuries that we enjoy.
Before making this move, we did extensive research on US expats living in foreign countries.

Our quest brought us to Boquete, Panama.  Located in the tropical highlands of Panama, Boquete, boasts year round temperatures of the 80’s during the day and low 60’s in the evening.  The green and lush landscape, filled with the daily sweet songs from the abundant bird life, was just the canvas we were looking for in our new life.

We chose property located in the upper area of Volcancito, a preferred area of Boquete with coffee farms, established estates and fabulous new houses.  Our property is set on the edge of the refreshing bajareque zone, and has a bird’s eye view of the world-famous Boquete double rainbows as well as the constantly changing moods of towering Volcan Baru, Panama’s tallest peak, and the enchanting Boquete valley.

With Pat’s engineering background in design and construction, we set about building a main house that included features that we desired in a home.  Built to USA standards and designed to be in harmony with the landscape, along with comforting, luxury amenities.  Amenities that we said if we ever got the chance to build our dream house that we’d include.  And we did just that.  Breathtaking panoramic views , a 2000 square feet outside living space with four sitting areas, a double Jacuzzi whirlpool located next to a very large window to watch the clouds and rainbows, to name a few.  We included those features that simplified our lives but kept many of luxury comforts that we desired.

With our dream house underway, we set about designing the “farm” section of our property.  We knew that we wanted to have more control over our food sources.  With the help of local expert, we built a 3000 square foot commercial greenhouse.  We added a fenced outside growing area as well. This was our new playground.  We again did our research and met with local farmers, and read about permaculture and sustainable lifestyles.  In the beginning we had growing hiccups but the challenge of organic growing fueled our desires to succeed.  We discovered new flavors in familiar foods.  Tomatoes tasting like tomatoes should taste, fresh off the vine.  Sweet carrots, watermelons and pumpkins.

We also built two one-bedroom houses on our properties.  The larger of these houses may be used for guests or an income producing rental.  During our time in Panama, this has turned into one of the most desired rental properties in Boquete.  The second, smaller house is where our Ngäbe farm manager and his family live.

Our lives keep evolving here on our farm.  We get to play out any scenario that we dream up.  We’ve grown vegetables that people said we could never grow in Panama, we grow the sweetest cherry tomatoes that taste like candy, we’ve sold our produce in the local farmer’s market, we grow or make most of the foods we eat and  we added hydroponic and aquaponic systems with trout and tilapia,  we raise egg laying and broiler chickens along with turkeys, we grow, harvest, process and roast our own organic coffee and whenever we wish, we step outside our front door and pick fresh fruits from the trees and bushes.  We pinch ourselves when think about the lives we created here in Boquete.

Our health has improved with our new lifestyle.  We take leisurely walks along the scenic roads, hike through some of the most beautiful rainforests that we’ve seen, and most important, we control the quality of the food we consume.  We recently started growing Moringa and we have experienced our own health benefits from this miracle food.  We now sell Moringa capsules to the public.

We’ve made good friends in both the Panamanian and expat communities.  We are so fortunate to have Federico and his family live on our property  and our lives are enriched from this Ngäbe family.

However, the wanderlust that brought us to Panama is now calling us again.  We’ve decided to put our luxury farm estate on the market and move on to our next adventure.

We take great pride and satisfaction when look back on all we’ve accomplished here in Boquete.  With a lot of hard work, we’ve realized our dreams here in Boquete.  We’ve laid the groundwork for someone else to live their own similar dreams.

Finca Tierra Pura is being offered for $925,000.

For more details visit Finca Tierra Pura website