Page 224 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

222 Bocas del Toro ArchipiélAgo de BocAs del Toro
Archipiélago de Bocas del Toro
Most tourists make a beeline for the Archipiélago de Bocas del Toro, scarcely setting
foot on the mainland except to catch a bus or a boat. Despite the existence of several
hundred atolls, islets and cays scattered across the bite-shaped gulf that shelters much of
the archipelago, most tourist activity is centred on the handful of larger islands, covered
in rainforest and fringed with mangroves, populated by small Ngäbe communities or, in
6 the cases of islas Colón and Bastimentos, largely Afro-Antillean settlements.
The majority of visitors stay in the laidback provincial capital Bocas del Toro, which
spills off a peninsula at the southeast tip of Isla Colón, the archipelago’s largest and most
developed island. During the day, launches brimming with tourists scatter outwards,
heading for the reefs, beaches, mangroves and forests of the neighbouring islands of
Bastimentos, Solarte and Carenero or the distant cays of Zapatillas. Other popular
destinations include the Laguna de Bocatorito, often dubbed Dolphin Bay for the frequent
sightings of dolphins, and the seabird colonies of Swan Cay off the north coast of Isla
Colón. In late afternoon, the sandy streets of Bocas fill as the waterfront bars come to life.
Dining options are plentiful and varied, reflecting the cosmopolitan population, and at
weekends energetic visitors can usually find somewhere to dance till dawn.

Isla Colón
The first port of call in the archipelago for almost all visitors – whether arriving by
plane or boat – is ISLA COLÓN, or, to be more precise, Bocas Town, the provincial
capital of Bocas del Toro. Connected to the rest of the island by a slender isthmus,
Bocas explodes with tourists in high season (mid-Dec to April), and is the easiest base

Swan Cay arcHIPIÉlaGo de Bocas del Toro
(Isla Pájaros)
Finca 60 Isla Al Natural 15 Hostal Camping Ygriega 4
accoMModaTIoN
Boca del Drago Boca del Drago la Gruta Playa Bambuda Lodge 12 5 9 Hostal Gran Kahuna 10 2
Colón
Beverley’s Hill
The Hummingbird
13
La Loma Jungle Lodge
Casa Acuario
Bluff
Canal de Soropta
14
11
Casa Cayuco
Palmar Beach Lodge
Playa
Estrella Colonia Playa Casa El Jaguar 16 6 Playa Bluff Hotel 1 8
Paunch
Dolphin Bay Hideaway
Rafael’s House
Santeña 7 3
N Playa Hostal Bastimentos Tesoro Escondido
Wizard Red Frog Playa 0 10
Isla Beach Polo
Playa El Istmito
Carenero Playa Larga kilometres
Old Bank
Bahía Bocas (Bastimentos Town) PARQUE NACIONAL MARINO
Changuinola Almir ant e Town Solarte Honda ISLA BASTIMENTOS
Isla
Bahía
Hospital Point
Almirante Isla Bastimentos
Quebrada Sal Punta
San Cristóbal (Salt Creek)
Valle Escondido Vieja Cayos
Isla Zapatillas
Isla San Cristóbal
Pastores Cayo Crawl
Bocatorito
Ensenada Laguna
Grande
Bocatorito CARIBBEAN
eaTING Sandubidi
Alvin and Ketch’s 4 Cayo Roldán Tierra (Popa 2) SEA
Bibi’s on the Beach 6 Oscura
Chavela’s 5 Cerro Brujo
Leaf Eaters Café 7 (150m)
Paki Point 2 Isla Popa
Up in the Hill 3
Yarisnori 1 Cayo de
Ensenada Cayo de Agua
drINKING aNd NIGHTlIFe de Boquet e Isla Loma Punta
Aqua Lounge 1 Partida Laurel Agua
Chiriquí Grande, David & Panama City
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