BOCAS DEL TORO, PA
So on to Bocas del Toro. It's a place that has a very special spot in my heart. It is the first place I went when I started my trip. I came here and learned Spanish. — Spent a few months doing that before I started driving. As with anywhere that a trip begins, it holds a level of magic in your memory as a result. I also spent another few months on the way down through Central here a few years later. All said and done I spent more time in Bocas del Toro than any other place in Central. For good reason. So this will be an in-depth and pretty encompassing summary of the place. But it is a constantly changing island, so this certainly shouldn't be taken as an exhaustive list. Bocas is one of those places that kind of has it all. Albeit a few minor set backs. It's a tropical island paradise nestled in the Caribbean, not so far from the southern border of Costa Rica on the eastern coast. Bocas is an archipelago of islands, or a chain of islands with a main island and a number of other ones with varying levels of civilization, size, and popularity. I will get to all of them individually below. When you get to Bocas you will find a lot of things. Crystal clear blue water, a chain of islands where the main form of transportation between them is water taxi or 'lancha', a world-renowned night-life scene, pristine white sand beaches, international cuisine options, and world class waves just to name a few. Bocas has a pretty small community, and if you spend long enough here you will get to know it. The people are great, and the community that you will find adjacent to the backpacking and surfing scene here is a mix of Panamanians, both Bocatorenos (name for people actually from Bocas del Toro), Panamanians from the city or elsewhere, and expats from all over the world who came to Bocas, and decided to never leave. Nightlife is a huge part of the Bocas world as well. It's a 7-night-a-week town, and you can find something wild to get into every night of the week. I will get into this in all its glory in that section, but it's one of the reasons the island itself is high on the list for all backpackers and travelers in the area. For everything that Bocas is, there's a few setbacks about it. Nothing that should deter you from going, but just a few things. It has gotten popular. It's changing rapidly as the popularity of digital nomading, backpacking, constant travel is on the rise. With that has brought increased prices, fancier establishments. Hotels have taken the place of some of my favorite hostels, and nicer food and bar options have replaced the once divey and dirtbagging centered options for a night out. The waves have gotten more crowded with that as well. But the waves are excellent. So it's worth it. The only drawback about the surfing here is that the accessibility to the surf is not the most convenient thing in the world, and it just takes some effort. Obviously the more effort you put in, the less that crowd I mentioned will be a factor. More on this all in the surfing section.
In this section I will go over the location of Bocas, the details in getting there, as well as outline a few of the main islands that make up the archipelago.
Bocas Del Toro is located on the Caribbean side of the country of Panama. The name 'Bocas del Toro' actually refers to the name of the province which bears the same name, but has grown to become synonymous with the island chain that is the most popular place to visit in the area. The chain of islands is located not far from the southeastern border of Costa Rica. As you enter Panama, if you are entering by bus or vehicle, Bocas will likely be your first stop in the country.
There is a simple map below outlining the archipelago, courtesy of the lovely Sol Bungalows. There are a few important places that you should be aware of for the journey:
1. Sixaola - This is the border town in Costa Rica where you will have to cross through if you are coming down from Costa Rica.
2. Changuinola - A relatively large town south of the border of Costa Rica. This is where the collectivos go through, so if you decide to chicken bus it you will have to go through this town. There's also a customs office here, so if you need to do paperwork extension for a vehicle or visa or anything this is where you go.
3. Almirante - A very important one. Unless you are flying, you will go through here. It's a shitty port-town that is the gate to the islands. The water taxis launch from here, and the shuttle service ends here. So you will go through here to get to Bocas, unless you are taking a plane.
4. Isla Colon - Everyone refers to this place as Bocas Del Toro, but the main island is really called Isla Colon. This is how people will refer to it on your journey. So be aware that you will be headed — at least at first, to Isla Colon.
GETTING THERE
There are a few ways to get here. Well... there are really two ways. You either fly, or you go by land and boat. Flying is considerably easier than taking the bus to boat route. This is long, and certainly not easy.
FLYING - If you are flying in, then you are in luck. There's an airport here on the island, and there are multiple flights per day. Primarily to and from Panama City. There is an airline that operates to San Jose Costa Rica as well, and there have been rumblings of a direct flight to and from the US for as long as I have ever spent time there. As of now that hasn't happened, but it almost certainly will. To get here, if you are coming from the US or Canada just take a flight to Panama City, and catch the next flight out to Bocas. The flight shouldn't be too expensive. About $100 each way from Panama City, and the trip takes no more than an hour. It's easy, and if you have flying in your budget and choose to travel by plane, this is the easiest and best option. The airport code for the Bocas International Airport is 'BOC' and your best bet is going to be using Air Panama for your air travel. If you are coming from Costa Rica, the airline (that was always very unreliable when I would look for flights) is called 'Skyway'.
BUS TO WATER TAXI - The harder, and certainly cheaper way to do it is to take a bus or shuttle, and then a water taxi. There's also two routes. Down from Costa Rica, or up from Panama City.
- 1. Up From Panama City - This is easier than coming down from Costa Rica. It's not a shorter route, but it is definitely easier, only because you don't have to cross the border in Costa Rica. The most budget option is to get a bus. You can catch a bus that leaves in the evening at 7pm or 8pm from the Albrook bus terminal in the city. It takes about 10 hours, and you will cross over the mountains during the night. Try to sleep — it's a night bus after all. Pack warm clothes. These Central American buses get cold. The bus will take you to a town called Almirante. There you will get on a water taxi that leaves every hour, for $6. This journey takes about 30 minutes, and then you are in Bocas. So it's a long journey all in all, but it will only cost you about $12. But 12 hours later you will be there. You can also take a shuttle from Panama City. It is also done at night, but it's faster, and they will do everything for you, including get you on water taxi without you having to figure it out. Those will cost you about $33.
- 2. Down from Costa Rica - Depending on where you are coming from your journey will be longer or shorter. Regardless, here you will have to make the land crossing at the awful border of Sixaola. It is not my favorite border, and I have done it too many times. If you are coming from San Jose there's a few options. You can pick up a bus at about 4 or 5 in the morning, and take it all the way to the border town of Sixaola. You will pass by Puerto Viejo on this bus which is the other common place people are coming from. In Sixaola you will have to pay an exit tax in CASH to cross the border. Then you will walk across the border by foot. Stamp out of Costa Rica, and stamp in on the other side in Panama. The bus that took you to the border will just leave you there so there's no one waiting for you on the other side. After you go through the border process, you will be on your own on the other side. There will be some shuttles there usually waiting to offer to take you to Almirante. That's certainly the easier option. If you want to save money and take chicken buses, you will have to walk south along the highway until you find the chicken bus headed to a town called Changuinola. In Changuinola the bus will drop you off at the collectivo depot, which is linked. Then you need to get onto a collectivo in Changuinola that will take you to Almirante. Look for a little bus that has 'Almirante' on it. At Almirante you board the water taxi that takes you to Bocas. — On the hour, every hour, for $6. There are a few different companies that you can use. So the chicken bus option is DIFFICULT. You honestly don't end up saving that much money as compared to just paying for the shuttle. If you don't speak Spanish this option will be hard, and long. If you do, you'll probably be fine. But I would recommend spending the extra money on a shuttle from San Jose or Puerto Viejo. It will take you to the border, then there will be another shuttle waiting for you on the Panama side and it will take you straight to the water taxi they already have organized. It makes the day a lot easier, and it's not an easy day in the first place. You can use Caribe Shuttle for about $35 from Puerto Viejo. If you are coming from San Jose, take a bus to Puerto Viejo, then spend a night or some time in PV and then catch the shuttle. Sorry, I know that's long but I have had some miserable days making this trip so I figured I would describe as best as I could. Journey from San Jose is about 10 hours. Journey from Puerto Viejo is about 5.
DRIVING - For those of you that are doing this with a vehicle, it's pretty straightforward. You just need to be very careful that you arrive in time to catch the car ferry that leaves only a few times a day. No matter if you are coming from Costa Rica or from Panama you just need to get to Almirante. The ferry schedule and website is here. The location of the ferry is here as well. The ferry from Almirante to Isla Colon is at 7AM, and 12PM and from Isla Colon to Almirante at 10AM and 3PM. — Depends on the day they may be on time or not. Cost of a car is $35 one way. If you are crossing from Costa Rica into Panama you will have to go through the arduous process of getting your TIP, which you should be used to at this point. It is very hard, if not impossible to make it to Almirante by 12pm to catch the ferry. Just keep this in mind. Almirante is not a great place, to say the least. It's not really a place you want to spend a night. So just be aware that the last car ferry out to the islands is early in the day.
Many people will just call this island Bocas. It's the main island in the archipelago. It is home to the airport, it has paved roads in town, cars, and the majority of the nightlife. It's also home to most of the restaurants, the hotels and other accommodation options. It's also pretty gigantic in general. In the main area of town, you'll find the majority of the coastline is covered with over-the-water restaurants, bars, and housing options. If you want to be in the action, — close to all the restaurants and nightlife of Bocas, look no further than staying in Colon. It's also home to some of the best waves in the archipelago, and my personal favorite. There's a few different parts of Colon that are important to distinguish between:
1. Town - This is the center of Colon, where the water taxis, parties, restaurants, etc., are. This is NOT where you will find beaches, or even public water access.
2. Saigon Bay - A beautiful bay in Colon on your way out of town. Best place to witness sunset, and a great option for an Airbnb.
3. Big Creek - A residential area at the outskirt of town. Kind of the midpoint between town, and the surfing.
4. Paunch - Area surrounding one of the best waves in Colon. You are far from town here. 45 minutes on a bike, 15 minutes via taxi.
5. Bluff - The stunning beach area at the north-east end of Colon. The beach is stunning, but you are out there. It's going to take you an hour at least on a bike, and about 25 minutes in a bumpy taxi. — Best beach in the whole archipelago though.
6. Boca Del Drago - Opposite side of the island. It is very far away from everything, but it's a beautiful part of the island. Calm water, and a nice way to spend a day or get a place.
Caranero is an awesome little island. It's about a 30 second water taxi, or $1-2 depending on the time of day to get there from any number of the water taxi spots on Colon. There are no vehicles whatsoever on Colon. Just dirt and occasionally paved walking paths that circumvent the island. It's a beautiful place, and a little bit removed from the general craziness that you can find on Colon. However that's not to say it's not bustling. It is home to one of the best nightlife destinations around, some really nice restaurants, dive shops, and one of the best waves. A 'must check out', and a great option as well to stay. Close enough to Colon to be there in a few minutes, but far enough away to relax. Beware of the AWFUL sand flies (chitras) that are found on this island.
Bastimentos is a large and very interesting place. It's less developed, and much less touristic than Colon, and is home to a very unique Afro-Caribbean community in the main town of Old Bank. I found, after spending a lot of time on Colon, that spending time in Old Bank, — where tourists are more rare, and the culture more authentic and interesting, was so welcome. It's about a $10 round. $6 one way, trip boat taxi to get over to Bastimentos from Colon.
In 'Basti' as they call it, you also have Red Frog Beach which is a super-popular spot for people to go to. There's a lot of nice places to eat and stay over there, — Red Frog Beach is also one of the better beaches in the Archipelago. But you are pretty far out there. Getting to the action in Colon will take you an hour. There's also some great waves over on Basti, some lovely hiking, and one of the best restaurants in the whole region.
Solarte is one of my favorite islands, and a trip to Bocas without exploring Solarte would be a miss. It's the least developed of the main four islands, and there are no roads or cars or even a main town that I know of. It's just places developed on the water, and the only access is pretty much by boat and water. There's some nice places to stay, a few great restaurants and bars to go spend the day at. It's also just stunningly beautiful. If you stay out here, you are far from almost anything. All the towns are a pricey water taxi away, and you will have to take one to get to any of the waves as well. But it's the most relaxing way to stay in Bocas. If that's what you are looking for, then this is where you should stay.
Another big island in the archipelago. Here it is pretty much fancy, Mentawais-style resorts and private residences. It's certainly a beautiful place, but nowhere that I spent any decent amount of time.
Not including this as a place to go or anything, and I certainly wouldn't recommend spending any more time there than is absolutely necessary, but it's important to know what Almirante is. It's the gateway to the islands. If you are coming here by any other method than airplane, you will be going through this decaying port town. It's a 'must pass through', but that's all it should be. Get to the water taxis, get on one, and get out to the islands. That's about it. I have linked to the name, the water taxi location.
HOSTELS, CAMPING, AND HOTELS (IF ANY)
I think it is very safe to say that Aqua Lounge is the best hostel in Bocas del Toro. It's located on Caranero. It is a wild place, and you will be face first in party the entire time that you are there if you stay there. It's home to the weekly degenerate-fest that is 'Filthy Friday', and they have huge parties almost every night of the week at their amazing over-the-water bar and restaurant. It was recently bought by someone and turned into a nicer establishment, but in the past it was the definition of grungy Bocas del Toro. — Still a great and cheap hostel option here in Bocas. Probably the place to stay.
There is a really unlimited amount of options to stay here in the archipelago of Bocas Del Toro. There are more hotels than I could ever count, across all of the different islands. As I alluded to a little bit earlier, the popularity of this place has increased the number of hotels on the island and decreased the amount of hostels. There's also more luxury options to stay than there were when I first went to the island.
There is however, a solid hostel scene here, with a few really good options. There's going to be a lot or accommodations here, and I won't go too in depth into most of them. But you have so many different options depending on what you are looking for. Renting an Airbnb is also a really nice way to stay in town. There are camping options as well, but unless you are on island with your own rig, I didn't really know anyone who was camping here.
There really are just SO many options to stay in Bocas. I have just pretty much outlined the stuff in the affordable zone, with a few exceptions. But the options on the higher-end are so good as well. If that's in your budget I would recommend a place like Sol Bungalows.
The options below are not in any logical order. But in general:
Best Budget - Cliffs
Best Party Hostel - Aqua Lounge
Best Luxury Surf - Red Frog Bungalows
Best Experience (non surf) - Bambuda Lodge
Best for Colon Surfing and Balance Between Town and Chilling - La Selva at Nomad Tree Lodge
Skullys is a cool bar, restaurant, hotel and hostel out of town a little bit — right on the water. It's along the road to the north to head out to the surf spots. It's nice to be out of town though, as you are a little removed from the craziness in Colon. It's a pretty big hotspot for older expats and you will find a lot of English spoken here. But it's a nice place to stay if you want to be a little bit closer to the waves out at Paunch and still pay hostel prices. A lot of people choose to do hostel volunteer work here so there's cool people around. Also where you will want to rent an ATV if you want more mobility to get around the island.
This is one of the better places to stay if you are on a budget. Cliffs is in town, not on the water, but a cool little spot. The budget backpackers will be here. You are walking distance to everything, but won't have a water view or anything. There's a kitchen you can use here, a nice rooftop to hang out on, and some other nice common areas. But I would recommend this place if you are on a budget and still want to enjoy Bocas. Stay here, walk to Bambuda town to get on the water and have a beer. That was my program.
If you spend enough time in Bocas you will learn that the Bambuda guys have kind of taken over. For better or for worse they own like 6 hotels and are primarily responsible for the 'fancifying' of the island. Not to say that their offerings aren't good, — it's just changing the face of the island. This place is right in town and it's a really beautiful spot and hostel right on the water. It used to be the best hostel on Colon, Mamallena (RIP), but they now turned it into Bambuda Bocas town. It probably has the best bar and deck to hang out anywhere in Colon, and is a good place to stay and hang out.
My choice if I am going to stay on Bastimentos. It's a really nice little hotel, hostel and yoga destination over on Red Frog Beach. It's really relaxing, and there's always a good crew of people there and working there. You're away from the craziness of Bocas, and given how long it takes to get back to Colon, it will be an entirely different experience staying here as compared to the other islands or places I will recommend.
Las Olas is a cool and mellow spot in Colon. It's a great option that won't be very expensive, and will still feel a little bit like Bocas before it started getting a little nicer. It's about a 5-10 minute walk around the west side of Colon from the main part of town. It's right on the water, and they have a bar that's open at night, and sometimes some food options from local pop-ups.
This place is over on Bastimentos as well. Red Frog Bungalows is the resident luxury surf resort and camp here in Bocas. They have been around for about 2 decades, and are probably one of the reasons surfing got so popular here. They run a great operation here — it's just expensive. If you are coming down for a week long surf trip, have the budget, want the worry to be out of your hands, and get put on good waves all week, then this is your place. You are far from the action here if nightlife is a goal for you though.
'La Selva' as I called it, is a beautiful little spot outside of town. It's almost all the way at Paunch, located right in front of a wave called 'Tiger Tails', so if you stay here you will be really close to the waves. — Something that you can't say everywhere. La Selva is also one of the only places with daily yoga classes. It's one of the most beautiful spots on Colon, and is somewhere that you can find real relaxation in a deceivingly not relaxing place (Bocas). It's a beautiful spot built up in the jungle right back from the beach. It's not a hostel, and will be a little more expensive. But it won't break the bank. I would personally recommend this to anyone who wants to surf the Colon waves, and still be close enough to town to get there in 10 minutes.
This is the only relatively luxury option on the list but it is such a beautiful place. It's a few little bungalows situated right above the water. Think Mentawais, and that's pretty much the vibe you will be getting. They are super-cool little over water huts, and if you want a really relaxing time here on Bocas, then this is an amazing option. It won't be cheap, but it will be nice.
Now I usually never recommend a Selina, but the one in Bocas Town is actually pretty cool. It's the main navigational market on the island of Colon. People will usually talk about where places are, based on how far away they are or where they are in relation to the Selina. It's right in the middle of town. You couldn't be closer to the action. It's also right on the water, and is a beautiful space where you can easily get in the ocean and easily catch a water taxi to the other islands. It's a good option to stay, and will have probably the largest community of backpackers anywhere on the island. It was also, from what I understand, the 2nd Selina ever. So it existed long before Selina ruined backpacking.
EATS
I think this is the most unique experience to have in Bocas from a staying perspective. It's gotten really expensive in the past few years, but it's still pretty amazing. It's a little hostel on Solarte, that's tucked up into the jungle right on the water. You can only access this place by boat, so you are certainly isolated, but once you are there it's stunning. They also have nightly family dinners, so the people you are staying with become your little family. It's a great way to take a little break from Colon Craziness, and chill for some days.
Similar to the options when it comes to housing, the options from an eating perspective are really endless as well.
The food, like the expats that fill these islands, will come from all over the world. There are also some great options from a street-food perspective, that I learned to love over the course of my months here on the island.
The food at the restaurants is typically not cheap. — Not even close to cheap. Bocas in general is not cheap, but there are some street food options where you won't spend a whole lot. It's not going to be healthy, or even close to healthy, but it will be cheap.
Street Food
There's a delicious street cart called 'La Chomba' serving meat and chicken empanadas in the center of town. They are fried, unhealthy, but delicious as hell — and $1 each. I went all the time. I preferred the carne ones.
There are little hot dog and beef skewer stations set up around the park, and guys selling $.75 skewers with meat. It's a great little snack or a nice option to buy a few and put over a rice bowl, if you feel like it. I had them all the time. They are all over town, but mainly around the central park.
There's a nice little street-cart spot serving up tacos. They aren't all that cheap, but they are really good.
A great way to freshen up in the Bocas heat is a fresh coco frio. There was a stand I would always go to buy my coco frios. My daily, sometimes twice daily refreshment. They are $1, and it's a great way to support locals. The place I went to is linked.
There are a bunch of little stalls on the side of the park that are serving up cheap food. They have a range of stuff from fried and roasted chicken, to chow mein and other options. A nice way to get a $5 plate. The place on Google is called 'Comida Barata', which just translates to 'cheap food'.
The grocery stores here (which are EVERYWHERE) are referred to as 'Chinos' because they are all owned by Chinese immigrants. It's an interesting story in its own right, but a great way to eat for cheap are the delicious bao buns sold at the counter. My favorite were from the place linked. They cost 75 cents. Make sure you ask for "with salsa soya".
Restaurants
Some of the, if not the best, local food on Isla Colon. It's about $5 for a big plate of local-style chicken and rice. — Not to be missed.
A great little spot right on the water serving up delicious breakfast and dinner. JJ is amazing, his food is no different.
Great spot on the water in town on Colon. She is a French lady who makes these awesome things called Bapes. Also these little fritter things that are amazing. Excellent spot for happy hour also. On the water.
A spot to get some healthier food like bowls. Nice place to grab some lighter fare for lunch or dinner.
One of my favorite places to eat dinner. Really delicious comfort and bar food. The owners are great, and the crunchwrap supreme they make here is something I still think about. Great to start your night and get drunk at also.
A cool place to come and get some coffee, and breakfast or lunch. It's a mellow place and nice way to just chill, eat some food and hang out as well.
Awesome spot across the street from Skullys. So if you are staying out there, this is the best pizza to get. Only open a few days a week.
Really really good pizza, pretty much right next to the Selina. Probably the best or 2nd best pizza on the island.
Great spot making the best sushi on the island. The owners are awesome, and the place is right on the water. The sushi is exceptional, and the vibe great.
One of my favorite places to eat on the island. It's a small healthy and western-style grocery store, and they have a great deli making 'to go' sandwiches for $6-7.
One of my favorite spots to eat some lunch over on Caranero. It's just right across the way from Colon, and a $1 water taxi takes you right to the restaurant. Unreal fish sandwich.
Really good authentic Indian food restaurant on the water in Colon. A great place for a nicer dinner or to eat something different.
Space is a little bar and food court in Colon. It's a nice spot to come, have some beers, and try some different local food-cart options. They have Argentinian empanadas, a Korean fusion spot, a crepe spot and more.
Without a doubt the best dinner experience in the entire archipelago. It is really expensive though. If you have a nice dinner in your budget, do this though. The food is so good, and the space is amazing. It's in Basti.
Now this is probably the best pizza on the island, and maybe my favorite place to go on the island. It's owned by the Bibis people, and it's right on the beach in Caranero. It's A+ vibes, and A+ Pizza.
Delicious wings and burger spot in Colon owned by the lovely Rudy. His food is great, and he is always welcoming.
Top spot on Colon to get a roasted chicken, which is one of the more local foods you can eat here. It's delicious and cheap. Whole chicken and patacones can feed a few people.
Nice little Mexican spot in town with good, but not all that cheap tacos and stuff. The location is great though so it's a nice place to start.
Great local food option in the center of town. If you want to go somewhere, support local owners, and have some Bocas food, this is a good option.
A nicer spot in Colon. The food is really nice, and the atmosphere is really romantic right on the water. Not super cheap, but good vibes. Live music often to.
I guess this should technically be street food. But it's a burger place operating out of a bus. They have a really good burger, and it's a cool experience.
Chef-driven food concept in the center of Colon. The food is really good, and a bit more upscale. You will pay for it, but it's delicious.
One of the best places to go to get local style food on Caranero, and the space is one of the best in Bocas. It's usually pretty poppin', and their margaritas at happy hour are only a few bucks and delicious.
Another really nice little cafe. They have the best coffee on the island, and some really nice options for breakfast and lunch.
and many more...
Go explore. There are restaurants all over the place. I could never even scratch the surface if I tried on food options here but this is a good start. Go explore, try something new. There's always places opening and closing here and the face of town is always changing.
NIGHTLIFE
Bars and Clubs
The nightlife here in Bocas del Toro is I would go so far as to say internationally recognized. It is a proper 7-day-a-week tone, with parties almost every night of the week going until 4 AM or later. It is one of the main draws of the city, and brings in thousands of backpackers per year looking to get amongst it. There are bars and clubs all over town, on different islands and everyone seems to be in on it. It's an absolute blast. Especially right when you arrive. The going out options aren't totally endless here though, and if you stay here long enough things certainly get repetitive. But it takes a while for that to happen. If you are here to party it's extremely easy to find, but if you want to avoid the partying and have a relaxing time in this Caribbean paradise, that's possible as well. It's not like a place where you necessarily feel like you have to party to enjoy it. But if you are here to party, you will certainly find it. And around every corner. A lot of, if not all of these places, will also serve some type of food. So you can do both here.
From the weekly party called 'Filthy Friday' that is an island party crawl that takes place across 3 tropical islands in an afternoon, to all-night and into the morning raves at waterfront clubs, to day-parties on floating bars, you are not going to be disappointed with the night-time attractions here.
Malamore is my favorite place to go out in Bocas. It's filled with locals almost every night of the week. It's essentially a liquor store that they converted into a bar. It's owned by the same folks who own Filthy Friday, who are great people. It's a place where you can sit out on the patio and get drunk and it turns into the Filthy after-party and gets crowded later at night. It's an awesome place, and specifically nice because it's not a club or 'clubby' feeling.
This is one of the best, if not the best, club environments on the island. It's over on Caranero, and is one of the stops on the Filthy Friday tour as well. It's an awesome club right on the water, lit up and looking like a cool Miami beach club in Panama. It's always a good time, and packed with people and DJs. A great spot to get drinks during the day also.
So there are two of these. This one is further away than the other one, 'Boya de Vida'. I like this one more, personally. It's less fancy than the other, the food is better and cheaper, and the vibe is just generally mellower. It's literally a bar floating on a barge. It's an amazing place to go get drunk on the water during the day. It's about $3 each way to get there via water taxi.
SIGHTS
SURFING
Now on to one of the most important, if not the most important part of Bocas del Toro. The reason why I really went in the first place, and certainly the reason I stayed here for as long as I decided to in the long run. The surf here is really diverse, and it is world class. I get the question not infrequently by people surprised that Panama has good surf over in the Caribbean. While a part of me just wants that sentiment to stay true, I would say that a lot of the surf world is pretty aware of Bocas and the surfing that it offers. It seems that every time I go back it just has gotten more crowded, but that's how it goes these days.
There are a lot of different types of waves here in Bocas. You have the gnarliest beach break I have ever surfed here in Playa Bluff, a reeling left at Caranero, a really nice barreling punchy left and right at Paunch, a big wave monster at Silverbacks, some solid beach break waves at Wizards, and learning-suited waves at Big Rock and Black Rock inside of Caranero.
The locals here are kind and nice. But be respectful. You are here, in their home, surfing their waves. If they want to drop in on you, let them. Certainly don't drop in on them. You are on vacation, you want waves, but it's their house you are in. Be respectful and they will show you respect. You're going to see all the guys and girls out at the bars later so best to be nice.
While I would say that Bocas is certainly more suited for an intermediate to advanced surfer, there is still a lot of opportunity to improve here and get better at surfing. It's unique surfing as well, a lot of it will be via boat which is certainly not something that you do every day. You're going to have perfect Caribbean backdrops all the time as well, so even if the waves aren't pumping then you will at least have something to look at in the sunshine.
Wave season here runs from December to March. The waves cool down for a while, then mini season happens in July and August. It goes really flat after that for a few months until the season picks back up again.
If you are looking to get some surf lessons, or pick up a board, check out one of these guys
- Bocas Stoked Monkeys - surf tours, really high-quality boards for sale and rent
- Mono Loko - surf lessons, surf shop, board rental and purchase
- Bocas Surf Academy - surf lessons, surf shop, board rental and purchase
One of the stops along the Filthy Friday Trail. It's an amazing bar way out in Solarte. It's such a fun spot, right on the water, not pretentious at all, and fun whenever it's open. It's stunningly beautiful, there and they have good food. Only downside is it takes a while to get there.
If this place is open I would usually go. It's my favorite club on Colon. It's classic and casual, and always a blast. It's going to be more filled with the local crowd and the people who live here, which is always a positive for me.
The Selina here is a really big nightlife destination. They have parties almost every night of the week, with local DJs and everything right in front of the water. It's somewhere that you will for sure end up. Open late into the night.
This is the 2nd floating bar that I mentioned. It's a bit closer to town, of newer construction, and a little bit fancier. It's still an amazing and fun time. It's also really close to town, and you can get there for only $2 each way. — Literally a floating barge you can swim off of, drink on, etc.
Another big club on Colon. This wasn't my favorite club on the island, but sometimes it's the option and the place that people are going out, so you don't have much choice. Things here were expensive, and I never found it to be the best crowd. — Just okay for me.
Skully's is a hostel and a restaurant as well, but it's a solid place to go and get drunk. There will be a crowd drinking at almost any point of the day at this beachfront spot. It's on the chiller side, but is a great place to go get a beer that might turn into 10.
Bom Bom was something that I only found out about my second time in Bocas. It's really hard to get all the way out there. It's past bluff, so like 45 minutes, but is a proper little chill Caribbean beach club. It's right on the sand, with good drinks and food. If you're out that way, it's a must stop.
Paki Point is the point right before you get out to Paunch. It's a little hostel (sometimes) and bar that's open a few days a week. It's right on the sand, and in front of a surf spot, so it's really surf-themed. It's a nice place to have some drinks and lay around.
This is a hostel and restaurant in town that also has a really big bar. It's open all day for drinks. It's probably the best place in Colon town to get some drinks during the day, with a place to swim in the water. The parties at night get pretty good sometimes as well.
When I say that Bocas kind of has it all, the sights and things to see aspect kind of rounds it out for me. Nightlife, ocean, jungle, surfing, food, natural beauty, yada yada. All of the other aspects being pretty amazing, the touristic things to do will not disappoint either.
Most of the things that there are to see in Bocas however, will come with some sort of a price. You will have to go on a boat tour, or rent an ATV, or pay some sort of fee to do it, but if you are here there are a lot of things that are absolutely worth doing and seeing. The place is home to some of the most beautiful beaches and outer islands you will ever see. There are dolphins, ATV tours, secret little lagoons, bioluminescence — you name it.
There are tour guides all over the island. They will be trying to get you to go on a tour with them, where they will give you a tour of the island or show you whatever it is that you want to see. My dear friend Alejandro is a tour guide there. His Instagram is linked here, and he should be your first look to see if he is available for a tour.
Bluff
So this is a special wave. It is easily the gnarliest beach break that I have ever seen in my entire life. This place wants to break your board, and then take your life. I don't know what it is that makes this place so gnarly but it's just brutal. It's a shallow breaking, steep to inverted take-off, sand-bottom monster. If you are lucky to get into a nice one, you may just get some of the barrels of your life. Usually is best in the morning. Don't ride a board you don't want to break. Don't surf here unless you know what you are doing.
Paunch
Easily was my favorite wave here in Bocas. I surfed it every morning. It's about a 30-minute bike ride from town, so the crowds never get too crazy unless Red Frog drops off 20 guys from California at the same time, which tends to happen. But Paunch is a Teahupo'o reminiscent (smaller but still) left that breaks over shallow reef. It barrels really well at larger size, and is so damn fun. the right also works here but it's pretty reserved for locals and people they recognize. It's just an amazing wave. Shallow reef here with lots of urchins, so be careful how you enter. Watch a local do it, and follow suit.
Silverbacks
Now most of, to potentially none of the people who will read this will ever get the chance, have the skills, or the balls to surf this wave. I know I didn't. It's a proper scary big wave spot, only really working at least double overhead. But when it's working it can be a beautiful, but scary thing. It's a deep water breaking heavy right hander. People and pros fly in specifically to surf this wave when it's working. Only a few locals that I know of surf it. It's that intense.
This is the best thing to do in Bocas. There's really no competition. If you come to Bocas you must spend a day doing this. The only excuse that I can think of why you wouldn't spend a day here is if the surf is macking and you're only there for a few days. Zapatilla as it is known in short is a small, protected and uninhabited (other than a ranger station) island about 45 minutes away from Isla Colon. It has been featured in movies and TV shows as the stereotypical Caribbean paradise. That is exactly what it is. It is unmatched beautiful white sand, shiny blue water, and a palm-tree forest with coconuts to pick for the afternoon on the center of the island. It's done as a full-day boat tour. Remember, message Alejandro for the best time possible.
On the East side of Isla Bastimentos there are two really nice long white sand beaches. To get there you have to take a lancha over to the Red Frog marina dock or to the "shortcut". If you go to the shortcut, you will have to pay a few $'s to get through some private land but it cuts the walk across the island in half. It's a beautiful walk-through jungle, and then you get let out onto the beaches. This is for Red Frog. To get to Wizards, you are dropped off in Old Bank on Basti and you follow the signs, walk over the island for about 30 minutes until you get there. Good surf on Wizards. It's a trek, but a great activity for the day to go to either of these beaches. Wizards is pretty remote, on Red Frog you have restaurants and bars.
Not necessarily a sight to see, but it is certainly a tourist attraction. Filthy Friday is an island bar-crawl in the tropics. — A pretty unique experience if we are being honest. It draws thousands of backpackers to the island each year, and offers a full day of alcohol and debauchery with a beautiful backdrop. It's a well-oiled machine at this point, and run by some really cool people. It's not for everyone, but for the people it is for, it just might be one of the wildest party days of your life.
Bocas is not the easiest place to get around if you don't have your own vehicle. A lot of the stuff, — particularly on Colon, is far away from town and can be a commute via taxi or bicycle. One really fun thing to do is rent an ATV or an E-bike to explore the island. You can take the ATV's all the way out past bluff and there's some really cool things to explore. A few places out there, all the way north of Bluff include La Piscina (a natural pool), The Blue Lagoon, and there's some ruins that used to be used as a drug compound for Noriega years ago out there somewhere also. You can rent your ATV's from 'Flying Pirates', which is based at Skully's or 'Bocas Ebikes' in town.
The scuba diving in Bocas is pretty good, and compared to other parts of the world it's really cheap. It's also a really nice place to get your certifications done if you are new to diving. The water is calm, clear, and the confined water sessions will be right in front of the dive shop in the calm blue ocean. There's a lot of dive sites, a few nice wrecks, — some cave diving when the season is right, and plenty of reefs.
My favorite dive shop on the island is Panam Dive School. Everyone that works there is great, and the owners, 'Tony' and 'Lana' are amazing people. It's right across from Colon on Caranero. Their dive shop is lovely, and right on the water. I have linked their dive shop here.
At night here, like in many places in Central America and Mexico there is bioluminescent plankton. You will be able to see it here from the surface of the water, and there are night trips with the tour guides on the island that will take you out to see it. Again, reach out to Alejandro to get a tour set up.
This is another tour in and of itself. A tour over to Boca Del Drago, the other side of Isla Colon. Playa Estrella, which translates to 'Starfish Beach' — and you may hear it called that, is an awesome way to spend the day. It's a beach on the other side of Colon from town, and it's covered in starfish. Walk out in the clear sandy waters and look down and make sure you don't step on any of the hundreds of orange star fish (estrellas de mar) on the ground. You can take a boat tour there, or take a collectivo from town. The collectivo will be much cheaper but take at least an hour. There's a lot of little restaurants and bars over on Playa Estrella, so it's a fun day to have some beers and make it a beach day as well.
Big Rock/Black Rock
These spots are kind of interchangeable in my opinion. They are a few smaller and more mellow wave spots on the inside of the Caranero wave essentially. I hear that when it's really big that Caranero can connect all the way down here, but I never saw it myself. It's where the surf lessons and the beginners surf primarily. Oh — and all the little local groms as well.
Caranero
This is one of the most popular, if not the most popular, wave on the island. It's a big long left point break out at the tip of the island of Caranero. It's a really good wave, and especially good with size. Most people will take a boat out here to the wave. Rides can be up to a couple hundred yards.
Wizards
A really nice beach break, and the only place on the list on Basti. It's on the other side of the island, which makes it a little bit difficult to get to. It's going to take you an hour at least to get over there coming from Colon, including the boat ride. But what you lose in time to get there you, will gain in lack of crowds. There will be hardly anyone surfing over here, and it can be a really nice left and right breaking beach break. It's best in the morning before any wind gets on it, so I would say get there early.
If you are lucky to be in Bocas for the annual Carnival Festival, then it is something not to miss. It's potentially something to plan your trip around. It's one of the most unique things that I have seen, traveling. Their carnival festival taking place in mid-February each year — other than being 4 straight days of parties on the islands, includes a tradition with men dressed up as diablos. In homemade costumes, young men from the island dress up like the devil. An ode to the slaving times of past. These diablos walk through the streets with whips, whipping anyone who dares get too close (I still have a scar on my leg). It's one of the most interesting things I have ever seen.
Old Bank is super unique, and is one of my favorite places to go hang out in the Archipelago. It's a really cool little town over on Bastimentos. The level of tourism is significantly lower than the rest of the island, and I think it needs to be visited more. But the lack of tourism was probably one of the reasons I like it so much. Old bank is an Afro-Caribbean community unique in and of itself. They speak a different language over there called 'Guari Guari', along with English and Spanish. It's an amazing thing to see. There are also amazing restaurants and bars to keep you occupied when you visit Old Bank.
To me, Bluff Beach is the most beautiful beach in the archipelago, and one of the more beautiful beaches in all of Central America. Its stunning white sand and palm-tree-lined beaches are something you see in magazines. It's a really nice place to go hang out on the beach. But it is kind of far from town. You'll have to taxi, take a long long bike ride, or rent an ATV to get out there without a vehicle. But it's worth it to go spend a day there.
Be careful swimming here, it's a very popular heavy wave beach break spot, and the waves are some of the gnarliest shore break I have ever seen. — Can get really dangerous, so swim with caution.
and many more...
There's a lot of waves on here I am not going to outline. They are unfortunately all on 'Surfline', but I am not going to bring them any more attention here. Go buy a local a beer, or ask around and you can figure out a nice place to go other than the known ones I have outlined. Go have fun.
