Bocas del Toro
If you haven’t heard of Bocas del Toro yet, consider changing your source for travel information. What Travel and Leisure “discovered” last year, backpackers have known about for decades. Bocas del Toro is a province on the Northwest corner of Panama, bordering Costa Rica. Best known to backpackers for the Archipelago of the same name, it has become one of the top destinations in Central America for young budget travelers looking for a mix of paradise and fun.
Bocas del Toro in a larger map
Going to Bocas without stopping at Mondo Taitu is grounds for permanent exile. This is bar is cozy and has an interior bar and then a small outside patio where the young travelers of Bocas convene for happy hour and early drinks before hitting up the dance club. Happy hour is 7-8 with 50 cent beers and all drink specials are $1 off from 8-9. Dress is casual. Try the Naturalito, Mondo’s version of the mojito but with a lemon grass twist. Great place to meet people from all over the world and have a great evening. The three guys that are the proprietors also own Hostel Heike down the road, and Luna’s Castle in Panama City, which is easily the best hostel in the city.
A visit to Bocas isn’t complete without a couple of day trips away from town. Zapatillas Cays are two beautiful islands on a coral platform that are surrounded by reefs. Zapatillas Keys are located inside the Bastimentos Island National Marine Park. The two islands are 34 and 14 hectares respectively. They offer beautiful beaches, clear waters, coral reefs and small, shady forests. The western island, Zapatillas Minor, is sometimes the base for scientists researching the marine turtle. The leatherback and the hawksbill turtles come to lay their eggs, in season, on these beaches. Typically, you can catch a boat to Zapatilla for the day for $12-$15 per person. BYOB.
Another great spot is Boca del Drago and Star Beach, on the opposite side of Isla Colon from the town of Bocas del Toro. The truly hardcore will bike it all the way over to the other side along the only road that crosses the island. Otherwise, a taxi will run you a couple of bucks, or you can take the bus that runs every hour. Once there you’ll find tiny slices of beach pressed between the crystal clear waters and the mangroves and forest that cover the area. Sloths hang out in the trees, and the water is littered with starfish of all varieties.
From San Jose in Costa Rica you can take a bus to Sixaola on the border 4 times a day from Terminal Caribe. From here you just walk across the rickety bridge to Panama. This border can process your paperwork (check that your country does not need a visa).
From the Panamanian side, you can get a taxi direct to the boat landing or take a collectivo to Changuinola (cheaper) and from there a taxi to the boat landing at Finca 60 or a minibus to Almirante (it’ll drop you off near the landing). Then it’s just a boat ride to Isla Colon and the main town of Bocas del Toro. If you want to go to Bastimentos, take a water taxi.
The water taxi ride from Changuinola to Bocas del Toro costs $6 and takes 45 minutes. It is very scenic, passing farms and and wood houses on stilts on a narrow canal for much of the ride, and is a highly recommended way to either arrive or depart. The ride from Almirante is shorter and cheaper, but getting to Almirante takes long. So it’s a wash. However, more boats leave Almirante more frequently, and almost never fill up, so we prefer this option.
