David and the Chiriquí Lowlands

David is the third largest city in Panama and the centre of the Chiriquí lowlands, an agricultural region that supplies much of the country's beef, rice and vegetables and whose highlands above produce the coffee. It is a working city rather than a pretty one, hot and flat, laid out around a central park, and its main event is the international fair each March, a fortnight of livestock, agriculture, trade and concerts that fills the city. It is the transport hub for the whole west: the airport, the buses to Boquete and Cerro Punta, and the road to the Costa Rican border an hour away.

What you actually see

• The international fair - a fortnight of agriculture and trade each March.
• The central park - the city's shaded heart.
• The lowland agriculture - rice, cattle and vegetables across the plain.
• The transport hub - buses and flights to the whole western region.

When to go

December to April is the dry season; David is hot and humid year-round and the dry months are merely less so. The fair is in March and fills the city's accommodation. Most visitors pass through on the way to Boquete.

Honest expectations

There is very little to see: it is a functional agricultural city with no historic core to speak of and considerable heat. Almost everyone uses it as a transit point for Boquete or the border. Accommodation is business-oriented. The fair is the only time it is worth a deliberate stop.

Nearby

Boquete is an hour north; the Costa Rican border is an hour west.