Bocas del Toro (meaning “mouth of the bull”) is an archipelago of 9 main islands and 52 cays. The islands are found on the western tip of Panama, just below Costa Rica. Bocas del Toro is known for its pristine beaches, the water taxis that shuttle you from island to island, the lush rainforest, wild parties and the vibrant island culture.
It is a bit of a journey to get to Bocas del Toro. You can take a small plane from Panama City or a 10 hour bus ride. Or if you want you can go to San Jose Costa Rica and then make your way down to Bocas. I decided to take an overnight bus ride from Panama City. The bus was crammed and was uncomfortable for the long ride, but at least there were a few stops on the way. At one point during the middle of the night our bus was pulled over by police and all of our passports were checked. Fast forward 10 hours, and we arrived early morning to Almirante where we took a taxi to the docks. At the docks, I witnessed a large young Panamanian smack an old man with such force he was sent stumbling to the ground. Everyone waiting was in shock, and no one wanted to say anything for risk of retaliation from the hulking young menace who was full of rage. Even his girlfriend looked scared. This was all because the older gentleman took his seat while waiting for the water taxi to ferry us across to Bocas town (or Isla Colon). Almirante is an interesting town; old men being smacked down, run down buildings, and houses built on stilts in the water. The stilted houses were neat to see while we were all on edge due to the incident, but excited to get to the tropical paradise of Bocas.
The boat arrived at Bocas early and I had a bad feeling I wouldn’t be able to check into the guesthouse I was staying at. It was 7 am and the island was a ghost town. This isn’t a big city where everyone is off to work, this is Bocas del Toro, it functions on island time. I took a short $2 cab to the guesthouse and the gate was locked and there was no way to contact the hosts. What the hell am I going to do in this ghost town with a big suitcase at 7 am? I decided to go for a walk and found the only dive restaurant in town that was located in a dilapidated kiosk in a strip mall. I had breakfast, I didn’t get the shits so that was a bonus and it was surprisingly good. I proceeded to walk around a bit longer and finally around 9 am one of the tenants at the guest house woke up and let me in.
At this point it was after nine, and the island was finally starting to wake up. I wandered around, and set off on a long walk, the guesthouse was a far walk from the main stretch of the island. Later on, I learned that renting a bicycle is the thing to do in Bocas, and that’s what I did. It’s easy and convenient to bike around Bocas Town, and there were plenty of places to lock your bike. But make sure if you rent the bike, you actually remove the attachable mini light they give you…. or someone will steal it, I found out the hard way.
I spent most of my week on the island studying Spanish with Habla Ya, eating and drinking on patios overlooking the water, and getting away for a few excursions to the neighboring islands.
My first excursion was one of the highest rated adventures Bocas has to offer, it was the ATV rental with Flying Pirates. It was an excellent excursion; it was a lot of fun and a hell of an adventure. When you book with Flying Pirates in the main part of Bocas Town, you will get a time when one of the workers picks you up from town. I was picked up by a really cool and friendly guy, who takes you across the island to the location of Flying Pirates where they provide you with a barrage of information on where you can take the ATVs and where you cannot. There was a lot of information and I ended up getting lost, forgetting the code to get through a locked gate on the trail and ended up having to break the law and drive through the beach where the turtles lay their eggs. After a high paced ride through the beach, looking over my shoulder for the police, I eventually found my way back onto the trail… only to get stuck a few minutes later. At some point when the instructor provided the information, I think I heard that there were crocodiles at a certain area near the trail. Here I am stuck, hoping I'm not near the crocodile infested lagoon. I did everything I could to get out to no avail. Luckily, I had reception in the remote rainforest beach and called the company. A few minutes later the guy who picked me up earlier came on an ATV and pulled me out. It was a wild experience and a lot of fun. The ATVs were fast and well maintained and there was something majestic about riding through the rainforest along the beach with beautiful views of the Caribbean. With my bad timing, only after getting unstuck I met up with a few other riders and towards the end of the trails we found a secluded beach where we stopped and took a dip. It was a great excursion and there is no wonder it’s a top rated outdoor activity on TripAdvisor.
Other things to do are visit the number of islands and beaches of Bocas del Toro. There is Red Frog beach on Isla Bastimentos, Starfish beach on the other side of Isla Colon, Playa Bluff, and the Playita’s of Isla Carneros.
Since Bocas del Toro is an archipelago made up of a number of islands, the main way to get around is via boat taxi. Sometimes a short ride will cost you $1-$2 USD. To get to Red Frog you need to take a boat ride from Isla Colon to Isla Bastimentos. I arranged with one of the boat taxi drivers for a $20 round trip. He took me there, and when I arrived at Red Frog, there was a short hike through the jungle. The beach is known for its Red Frog’s, hence the name and you can even see monkeys and sloths. I didn’t see any wildlife, but the hike was nice regardless. The beach has warm water, big waves and is isolated and relatively untouched and left in pristine condition. There is a luxury resort there, which I’d assume would be a great location to stay. I soaked up the rays, swam and got lunch and a few drinks at the hotel bar on the beach. When leaving, I was waiting for my taxi driver which I prepaid, but he never showed up. I waited and waited on the dock until a group of Colombian guys told me to come in their boat. Typical Caribbean fashion, our boat ran out of gas in the middle of the water. A few minutes later another boat came and tossed us a jerry can to refuel. The Colombians who “rescued” me from the island were buen amigos and became lifelong friends and we partied the night away esa noche. And when we got back to Isla Colon, they came with me and we found the taxi driver; he returned my money and said he had a bigger job which he couldn’t refuse and that was why he never returned to the island for me.
I also went to Starfish beach which was beautiful. The water was clear, and you can see the starfish as you walk along the beach. Unfortunately, due to human activities, the starfish numbers are in decline. So, if you ever go there, please follow the signs and don’t pick up the starfish.
The other beaches I went to were the small beaches (Playitas) of Isla Caraneros. This was a short $2 ride from Bocas Town. I enjoyed ceviche and a drink with a view and had a short swim in the water.
Not only can you enjoy the beaches in Bocas, but you can also surf. Surfing is different there though. You don’t surf from the shore; you surf between the islands on a reef break. It can be challenging and tiring since you can’t take a break and stand up between attempts. Each time you attempt to ride the break you will have to swim back to your starting location with the board. Despite the challenge it was fun, the water was clear, beautiful and warm and the instructors were helpful and did a good job showing how to surf. I wasn’t great, but I’d say I was okay for my first time. The worst part was that on my best ride, some moron was just floating in the middle of the break. I had to jump off and abandon my board so I wouldn’t hit him in the head. Afterwards, the instructor told me I should have kept going because it was his fault for being where he shouldn’t have been.
And finally, the one thing Bocas is known for, even more than water sports and ATV rides through the jungle is nightlife and partying. I stayed on the other side of the island, so each night I’d bike to Selina hostel to have a few drinks and mingle with other tourists. I drank at a few other bars and hostels, but Selina was the place to be. On Bocas, there are a few bars but the main places to party are the hostels. The only downfall is, you’ll be surrounded with other tourists and only a few locals. But regardless, it's still a good time.
Then to put the icing on the cake of Bocas del Toro, my last night there was spent partying at Filthy Fridays. Filthy Fridays is an island crawl. Instead of going from pub to pub, at Filthy Fridays you start early at a waterfront bar in Bocas town, then travel to two other island by way of boat taxi to party, dance the night away and drunkenly dive in the water. The party is packed and a wild experience. The second stop is a floating bar and pool deck in the middle of the sea. The party was wild, but exhausting. Partying under the rays of the sun all day, drinking like a fish.... with minimal water intake, takes a lot out of you. The party ends early (around 11 pm) but started 12 hours earlier. The party is safe and there’s lots of security, so be careful what you choose to do there. I saw a girl being kicked out following a trip to the washroom, for what I can assume to be a few lines of Caribbean powder. Finally if you’re up for it you can close out the party at a packed Selina’s bar. One warning, you might want to bring your phone to capture the memories, but don’t. What happens at Filthy Fridays, stays at Filthy Fridays. Plus who wants to lose their phone or soak it when diving in?
And finally, like Panama City, Bocas del Toro had great food, but a different variety than the city. A lot of the food you can get will be of Caribbean and Creole variety. There is also tacos, burgers and all other types of good vacation food.
Bocas del Toro was one hell of a ride. It’s a bit of a grungy island and everything moves slower on the islands but that’s the beauty of going between Panama City and Bocas, you get two completely different experiences with a whole lot of memories.
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