Things to do in Bocas del Toro, Panama

Bocas del Toro is a popular backpackers haunt well known for its laid-back vibe, its turquoise waters, its mangrove-covered coves, and its pretty white-sand beaches. The archipelago consists of forested islands, scores of uninhabited islets and the Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos—Panama’s oldest marine park. With its plentiful attractions and diverse wildlife, Panama’s tourism hub attracts divers and sun-seekers from around the world.

The town of Bocas del Toro oozes chill. Known lovingly as Bocas, the jumble of Caribbean-style clapboard houses is the perfect launching-off point for excursions into the surrounding archipelago.

TOP ATTRACTIONS IN BOCAS DEL TORO

Bocas del Toro is one of Panama’s premier tourist attractions and undoubtedly the country’s backpacking mecca.

As Panama’s largest tourist draw, Bocas offers everything travelers might want in terms of accommodation, food, entertainment and sightseeing. Little shops line the streets of Bocas Town, touting tourists excursions ranging from snorkeling to dolphin viewing to visiting chocolate plantations.

During our three days in Bocas del Toro, Dan and I made the most of our itinerary. We snorkeled, we swam, we lounged on the beach, and we kept our eyes peeled for sloths.

• STARFISH BEACH

Dan and I arrived in Bocas del Toro following a long overnight bus ride from Panama City. By the time we arrived in town, most boat excursions had already left the docks. So, instead of joining an organized tour to the surrounding islands, we decided to take a local bus to Starfish Beach.

Starfish Beach is known for its long strip of sand and the bright orange starfish that dot its turquoise waters.

Our visit coincided with a yearly boat-racing festival that brought hundreds of Panamanians to the islands. Due to the influx of weekend party-goers in Bocas, it took Dan and I a while to find a patch of beach away from the hoards of people. The beach was crowded with young couples lounging in the sand. Music blared from boom boxes on the shore and families splashed around in the waters.

Starfish Beach didn’t exactly have the relaxed beach vibe that we were craving (and would later find in Cayo Zapatillo and the San Blas Islands), but it constituted a worthwhile day trip nonetheless.

• DOLPHIN BAY

Our second day in Bocas del Toro was the highlight of our venture into Panama’s northern reaches. We tagged onto a boat trip that offered the possibility of snorkeling, dolphin spotting, beach-lounging and sloth-viewing.

Our boat trip began at Dolphin Bay, where we saw numerous pods of bottle-nose dolphins darting around. The bay has a semi-permanent population of dolphins that are drawn to its waters due to an abundance of small fish and squid.

We watched the playful dolphins for about twenty minutes, before continuing on to Crawl Cay for lunch and a swim among colorful fish and coral.

• CRAWL CAY

Admittedly, the snorkeling at Crawl Cay lacks the pristine reef found in other parts of the world. And those who have explored the underwater coral gardens of places like Palau and Indonesia, will likely be sorely disappointed in the underwater world surrounding Crawl Cay.

Much of the coral around Crawl Cay is dying, perhaps largely due to an influx of tourists keen on breaking pieces off as souvenirs.

• THE CAYOS ZAPATILLAS

After eating lunch, snorkeling and sleeping for a bit on the hammocks at Crawl Cay, we got back in the boat for and headed to Cayo Zapatilla—the most memorable destination in our excursion.

The Cayos Zapatillas are twin islands that are often referred to as the pearls of Bocas Bay. And visiting the pristine islands is, without a doubt, the top thing to do in Bocas del Toro.

During our day tour of the Bocas del Toro archipelago, we went to the greater of the two islands for a few hours of beach time and relished the tranquility of our picture-perfect surroundings.

Gone were the hoards of tourists with their boom boxes and beers. Gone were the boats dropping people off and picking them up. It was just us and the sand and the sea and the beautiful blue sky.

Cayo Zapatilla is where Panama’s Survivor series was filmed. To us, the island felt wild and untouched, yet its waters were welcoming and warm. Visiting Cayo Zapatilla was the first time—among many in Panama—that Dan and I would feel as though we were stranded in paradise.

• RED FROG BEACH

Before leaving on an overnight bus back to Panama City, Dan and I managed to squeeze in a swim at Red Frog Beach.

From Bocas town, water taxis (US$7) head to a public dock on the south side of the Islas Bastimentos Marine Park. From the small dock, the windswept shores of Red Frog Beach are a short ten-minute walk.

Red Frog Beach is named after the tiny poison dart frogs that inhabit the jungles of the island’s interior. Yet, as hard as we looked, Dan and I had failed to spot any of the little red frogs.

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It was a bit reluctantly that Dan and I packed our bags, left our lovely hostel in Bocas Town and headed South for part two of our Panamanian vacation.

But it was best that we left when we did, because we left Bocas in the nick of time—just as the clouds started to thicken and cast the skies in an ominous shield of grey. And as the boat taking us back to the mainland pulled away from the dock, the rain started to drizzle. Then it began to pour.

We counted ourselves lucky for the three beautiful days of sunshine we experienced, crossing our fingers that the rain was just a fluke and that the luck we had experienced in Bocas would continue throughout the rest of our stay.