Travel Guide Santa Fé

This small mountain town, populated by campesinos and Ngäbe Buglé Indians, lives to the rhythm of the crops and the seasons. The only sound that disturbs the silence is the music coming from the few cantinas in the area... Santa Fe lies at an altitude of almost 500 m, which is enough to make the atmosphere totally different from that of Santiago. Here, the traveler is surrounded by mountains, rivers and greenery. Long excursions and encounters with wildlife, and above all with the local population, punctuate the days. A refreshing and invigorating stay!You'll surely feel that there's something special about this little town. A certain solidarity unites the inhabitants. No doubt due to the influence of Father Héctor Gallego, who came to lend a hand to the peasants in the late 1960s, when they rebelled against the rich Italians who owned all the land in the area. On July 9, 1971, the priest mysteriously disappeared, probably murdered, and every year the people of Santa Fe pay him a heartfelt tribute. Today, some 1,300 people make up the La Esperanza cooperative. The proud campesinos work together and sell their wares in various branches. They buy the products they need, such as salt, in their own supermarket. Since 1977, all the food produced has been organic. Two festivals are held in Santa Fe every year: , theFeria Agropecuaria de la Candelaria (AgriculturalFair of Candelaria) at the end of January, and the Feriade las Orquídeas (OrchidFair) in mid-August.