Bocas del Toro

Mouths of the Bull.  This region is aptly named-- it's wild.  This archipelago stretches through the northwest corner of Panama to the border of Costa Rica.  It's on Panama's northern, Atlantic coast.  This region is generally a rain forest.  That makes it lush & green but also, often, rainy.

Like the San Blas, it's easiest to fly to Bocas.  There are plenty of flights from Panama City.  We were coming from Boquete, which is relatively near Bocas, but actually quite a journey overland given infrastructure & mountains.  From Boquete we took a bus down the mountain to David.  In David we found another bus... well, more of a collectivo, or van, that took us five mountainous hours to Almirante.  I can generally find something of merit in each new destination.  Almirante is a port town.  Seedy.  A little shady.  I'm sure there is much of merit.  It's in a beautiful region.  However, port towns & far flung communities are often denied the resources they need to safely care for their citizenry.  This may well be the case.  I wouldn't advise away from traveling overland to Almirante, but I would say be aware.

From Almirante we took a water taxi to Bocas town on Isla Colon.  If we flew, we would have landed on Isla Colon & bypassed Almirante.  Bocas town is pretty wild.  If you love nightlife, you've got it here.  Plenty of bars, restaurants, & clubs.  There is a huge variety in how to enjoy the beaches & surrounding islands.  Some of the adventures are low-impact & wonderful.  However, there were some tourist offerings that are downright immoral.  There are tours to dolphin breeding grounds, which is incredibly invasive & dangerous to dolphins.  Don't support these practices nor the tour operators.  We steered clear of the wildness & opted for bikes to take us to some beautiful beaches, like Boca del Drago

Generally, the roads in Panama are pretty good.  However, I've never found uniform consistency in Central American roads.  This photo makes the bike ride seem pretty straight-forward.  Don't believe the hype.  There were pot-holes deeper than I am tall.  Here the road was asphalt, at many moments it was not.

Boca Drago was absolutely lovely.  There's a small inn at this beach.  It's a good distance from town, which I consider an asset.  The only reason why we didn't move to this end of the island is due to food isolation-- there are many more places to eat in Bocas Town.

Like Om Cafe!

Bocas is culturally distinct from many other regions in Panama.  There are beautiful cemeteries that reminded me of New Orleans.  There's a larger Afro-Panamanian population with unique music, dance, & culinary traditions.  & your experience can vary greatly depending where you land.

We took a water taxi to Red Frog Beach on Isla Bastamentos.

I preferred Isla Bastamentos to Isla Colon, where Bocas Town is located.  Isla Bastamentos is more remote, more wild.  Red Frog beach is said to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

There are a few eco-lodges in the area.  I was most interested in one on Bastamentos with solar-powered showers & an organic cacao farm!

Ultimately, we wanted sun.  We left Bocas earlier than we'd planned to head back to the Pacific side & consistently sunny skies.  There's a lot in Bocas & I would reccomend it to other travelers.  It's also nice to be sufficiently flexible to move when the spirit calls!