Bocas del Toro

We arrived in Bocas Town, on Isla Colon, that forms a collection of islands called Bocas Del Toro, just off mainland Panama. There are around 170 islands, some of which are inhabited, but most consisting purely of thick jungle and  mangrove forests. We arrived at high speed by boat, thankful to have arrived in one piece after a hairy journey, as the throttle was clearly stuck on maximum and we were relieved not to have taken-off 😳. 

Our first visions of Bocas Town were of colourful wooden shacks raised above the water on stilts, with clear blue waters filled  of brightly coloured fish, manta ray, oh and a massive human poo 😂….we better not snorkel here then! The town was a touristy hub filled with restaurants, bars, boutiquey shops and the usual Chinese-tat shops that seem to be everywhere in Central America. Apparently the town in usually packed from January to April but in May, and with the protests, we virtually had the place to ourselves . 

Tristan’s enthusiasm for nature on this trip has absolutely astounded us and our visit to Bocas, was largely due to his brilliant detective work talking to other travellers. He was able to tell us exactly where the best snorkelling spots were, where we could see Starfish, poison dart frogs, dolphins etc, so each day we largely followed his directions.

Our first day was in an area called Bocas del Drago, to a beach called Playa Estrella, named because of the hundreds of starfish in this area. As cheapskate backpackers, we decided not to take the $6 water taxi to the beach, instead enjoying a slow meander along the beach (this also avoided the BF American tourists crammed on the water taxis taking pictures from the comfort of their seats). Boy-oh-boy what a good decision this was as the walk was incredible…a palm-lined / jungle beach, with pristine white sand, crystal clear warm azul blue waters with hundreds of colourful starfish, fish and rays just a metre from the shore. We also had a glimpse of a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins swimming about 100 metres out in the lagoon. 

Although this area wasn’t known for its snorkelling, we thought we’d give it a go and OMG, this was a great decision. Beautiful, beautiful coral, marine plants, anemone, starfish, tropical fish, two types of moray eel, rays, etc… and Tris can name every last detail about each one and got Seb super excited too. What we saw was incredible and I must say a great relief to see such healthy coral after our experience in Belize. 

The next day…we were hungry for more snorkelling so we took a short water taxi and a quick walk in the jungle, to Isla Solarte (hospital point), where the small white sandy beach, coral and marine life was absolutely spectacular, this time the coral was very shallow, with a very intimate view of the marine world. I won’t bore you all with what it looked like…but it was magical. To finish off our day very nicely, we found ourselves in a lovely wooden-shack of a bar, listening to Caribbean vibes, drinking 2 for 1 cocktails, and eating massive burgers over the water ❤️. 

Could things get any better….well how about a day on a boat to see bottle-nosed dolphins, a marine reserve with more beautiful beaches (Cayo Zapatillo) and the best snorkelling spots in Bocas (Coral Caye). The snorkelling was once again out of this world, and although we had planned to do a dive with the boys, there really was no need at all. The coral was so shallow, and with such calm, clear waters, we were able to snorkel-and-talk, pottering around swimming in the most magnificent coral I’d ever seen, with a whole array of marine life. 

Our ‘guide’ also had Isla Bastimentos on the itinerary and in particular an area of the island called Red Frog Beach famed for a type of red and black poison dart frog that was in abundance (once again, he can tell you every incy-bit about them!).  So off we went on a boat trip to the island to find the frogs.  To avoid the park entrance fee and more expensive taxi boat, we decided to take the 45 minute walk along the beach to get there. Well, when the taxi boat guy dropped us off, he must have been chuckling to himself all the way back as the 45 minute walk was more like 2 hours in what seemed like 99% humidity, with no clear path marked, just dense jungle, thick with mud (we were all wearing flip-flops), and animal homes that resembled Jaguar properties! I honestly thought we were going to be reported missing and we were going to get eaten by snakes or large cats 😳, or get-got by the darn frogs that we were hunting for! Thankfully, we found the silly frogs, and the elusive beach, and we washed our muddy feet, legs and arms in the water, and had a wonderful last play in the gigantic waves in what may be our final dip in the Caribbean Sea on this trip 🙁. Perhaps spending an extra $20 may have made our day slightly easier….but far less memorable! 

Thanks Bocas….you have been INCREDIBLE ❤️