Discovering Bocas del Toro

Are you looking for a tropical destination with jungle adventure, and starfish on the beach?  If so, you need to discover Bocas del Toro in Panama.

You may ask why Panama? And even more, why Bocas del Toro? I loved our time in this tropical paradise, so let me paint the full picture for you.

Step 1 to discovering Bocas del Toro.

First, the nuts and bolts. Bocas del Toro is both an archipelago (a group of islands) and a region in northern Panama. The particular Bocas island we stayed on is Isla Colon, which has the honor of being home to the region’s capital Bocas Town.

Don’t let the description fool you. Bocas Town is typical of many quasi-third world capital towns. The city isn’t huge, but it has all the required amenities, including the region’s airport, grocery stores, adult establishment and entertainment venues, plenty of restaurants, and tour operators. In other words, everything a tourist needs for their visit.

Step 2 – get out of Bocas Town and explore the region.

Now, that is where the fun comes in! Our time on Bocas was spent in a rental home, and we took advantage of our time there to explore Bocas Town, the nearby jungle, and as many beaches as we could.  So, if you are ready, let’s jump into the soul of Bocas del Toro.

Our transportation for the week was a 4×4 quad, courtesy of Flying Pirates and Scully’s.  The most fun we had on the 4×4 quad was exploring the jungle.  This is a private tour.  You can pay for a guide or take off on the well-marked path on your own.

Explore Bocas del Toro on a Jungle Adventure.

I’m sure it is no surprise we took off on our own for our jungle adventure.  Highlights of our jungle adventure were Pablo Escobar’s ruins from his drug trafficking days, lush tropical greenery, lots of rivers and mud to play in, and seeing monkeys and sloths in their natural habitat.

We even found a private beach to have lunch on during our jungle adventure – our only companions were the crabs.  I mean, check out the beach in these pictures – it was a crazy great place for lunch!

I have to give a huge shout out here to Flying Pirates and Scully’s. Not only were they crazy helpful with our 4×4 quad rental, but they also have a beachside bar and restaurant plus lots of comfy places to relax.

Other amenities included a dipping pool for adults and kids alike, a surf shop, and a hostel. I mean, they have this business figured out. The only problem is everything is cash basis, they weren’t set up for credit cards.

This is a great spot in the story for our Discovering Bocas del Toro video.

Sometimes a picture is worth 1000 +1 words.

Water sports are a serious business in Bocas del Toro.

Life on any Caribbean island centers around water sports and Bocas was no exception. The busiest portion of Bocas Town was along the harbor, and water taxis were a common way to visit different regions of Isla Colon or travel to other nearby islands.

Excursions often featured water activities. Common water excursions included visits to Dolphin Bay, snorkeling, surfing, and scuba. The video above showcases some of our dolphin experiences. Really, the video was alot of fun and demonstrates how much fun we had discovering Bocas del Toro.

Ok, Let’s talk about snorkeling first.

Step 3 of discovering Bocas del Toro – get in the water!

One of the major reasons we decided to visit Panama was for snorkeling.  The region’s coral is not the brightly colored coral you may expect to see snorkeling, but the abundance of fish to see and how easy the area was to swim in more than made up for it.  One of our snorkel-mates ventured further away from the boat and dove into deeper waters. She reported the coral was in much better condition in the deeper waters and thought it was pretty great. Me, I’m not a very strong swimmer, so I had to take her word for it.

You can see these colors aren’t crazy bright – but there are a couple of items to note. First, it rained on us the entire time we were snorkeling. There is no way the colors are going to pop without the sun. So, if they are this pretty without sun, what would the colors be on a sunny day? Inquiring minds want to know. Secondly, the fish we saw snorkeling more than made up for the coral colors. I mean, look at them!

On that note though, one of the things Panama and the Bocas del Toro region is known for is scuba diving. There were several dive shops in Bocas Town, and many of the tourists we encountered were there for the scuba experience. My advice here, if you snorkel, scuba, or just love getting in the water, Bocas del Toro may be a destination for you.

What else did we do in our Panama tropical destination?

Our day with the dolphins and snorkeling ended up with a visit to Zapatillas National Park.  Now, seriously, I am going to share our beach photos here, and I have lots of them. I mean, we visited Playa Bluff, Playa Boca del Drago, Starfish Beach, La Piscina, Rock Beach, Playa Tortuga, Sand Dollar Beach, Red Frog Beach, and Zapatillas Beach. And we didn’t make it to all the beaches on Isla Colon… forget about beaches on other islands in the archipelago.

I’m not kidding, as a tropical destination, Bocas del Toro is a winner all the way!

There were starfish galore!

Not only is there a Starfish Beach, but there is also a Starfish Island. Check out the video for great footage shot from our boat along Starfish Island – there aren’t any docks to go onto the island. Here is a sneak peek – the water is really clear enough to get these great photos of starfish from our boat!

Can you believe it started raining right after this? I was amazed at how clear the water was, to be able to see this great on a cloudy day and to have the starfish so close together. It was just really cool.

You have to experience Starfish Beach. 

This beach was just plain amazing. I intentionally have not edited the photos for Starfish Beach. This is REALLY what it looks like. Starfish Beach is easy to get to. If you choose to take a 4×4 quad, the trip will take around 45 minutes from Bocas Town, just follow the signs to Playa Boca del Drago. A boat will shuttle you to Starfish Beach for $4. Easy peasy.

The water was as clear on Starfish Beach as it was on Starfish Island. Papa Joe had a blast watching his baby sharks just offshore, and found a huge starfish a few feet away from the shoreline.

I have comparison photos here for the huge starfish. See him in the photo on the left, and then again in the next photo with my feet over him? He really is as big as he looks.

Almost as amazing as the starfish on Starfish Beach, was how well set up the area was for visitors. There were activities for guests, plenty of seating both in the water and in the shade, and several vendors with food and beverages.

I have a lesson learned here for Starfish Beach. Papa Joe and I didn’t stay nearly long enough. Be prepared to spend at least an afternoon here, bring cash for the vendors, and bring plenty of tanning protection.

The rest of our Bocas del Toro adventure.

You are shocked right – there can’t be more. But there is!

Papa Joe and I scheduled this trip to coincide with our 10th wedding anniversary. We planned a quiet vow renewal ceremony while visiting this tropical paradise, and decided Villa Paraiso was the perfect spot. You can find a tropical paradise location like this for yourself.

The tropical destination deserves a shout-out too.

Have you ever wondered where a society’s artwork influences come from? One look around Panama and Bocas del Toro, and Panama’s influences became obvious to us. The colors that surround people in this tropical paradise are echoed in their homes and clothes. Seriously. Here are just a couple of examples from Isla Colon.

Whew – I’m ready to wrap up our Bocas del Toro adventure.

Are you? Hopefully, you are ready to discover Bocas del Toro for yourself. Here are a few things to keep in mind for your dream Bocas vacation.

Transportation to the island isn’t a piece of cake. Visitors either need to fly to Bocas, and there are only a couple of airports in Panama and Costa Rica that fly there. From Panama City, tourists tend to arrive through the international airport, and the flight to Bocas is on a regional airline, which means transportation between airports. This is an easy feat to accomplish, it just takes a little bit of coordination.

There aren’t a significant amount of safety precautions tourists need for Panama in general, but some regions require more safety precautions than others. Some precautions are for physical safety – we didn’t feel any physical threat in Bocas. What we did experience is the fact that Bocas del Toro is one of the few regions in Panama where the water isn’t drinkable. In itself, that isn’t a problem – drinking water is easily available. People with sensitive GI systems may want to take precautions, but do not need anything out of the ordinary.

What else?

Research the area. Exploring Bocas del Toro was a blast. We loved our jungle adventure and the features that are available in many tropical destinations. But we wouldn’t have enjoyed this tropical destination nearly as much if I hadn’t done a significant amount of research on the area first.

I recommend a couple of things. First, read my Amazing Panama Activities post, I have shared many of our lessons learned there. Secondly, buy some books or research online. My Lonely Planet Panama book was almost worn out before we traveled to this amazing tropical destination, and I was thankful for every minute spent reading up on this incredible country. Frankly, I wouldn’t have found Bocas del Toro without it.

Last piece of advice – and this is a thorn in my side. Learn to snorkel or scuba before going here if you are interested in the activity.

Learning to scuba is on my bucket list. I can’t count how many great experiences we have missed out on by not knowing how to scuba. If you need a refresher on snorkeling, my Learn the Basics of Snorkeling story may help.

Then… Take the plunge and do it! Panama is an incredible country and Bocas del Toro is a really special area. Try out the beaches or a jungle adventure. You won’t regret it!