Page 227 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

ArchipiélAgo de BocAs del Toro Bocas del Toro 225
Playa Bluff and around
Three kilometres north of Bocas Town, the road divides at “La Ye”; a left turn takes
you over the hilly terrain to Boca del Drago, 12km away, while the road to the right,
which eventually becomes sand and gravel (4WD needed in the rainy season), hugs
the coastline for another 5km past surfing hot spots Playa Paunch (or Punch) and
Dumpers, until the start of the glorious 4km swathe of sand that is Playa Bluff. An
important nesting site for leatherback and green turtles, Bluff can be visited at night
during the nesting season (May–Sept) by arrangement (see box, p.236). None of these
beaches is suitable for swimming, with powerful waves and strong currents, but the 6
thundering breakers on Bluff beach are a sight to behold and the golden sands provide
a lengthy, scenic promenade.
La Gruta
Colonia Santeña, 7km along the road to Boca del Drago • No fixed hours • $2 • Take the Boca del Drago bus from Bocas Town; La Gruta is
signposted to the right off the main road, from where it is a short walk
Halfway across the island on the bumpy, tarred Boca del Drago road lies the small
settlement of Colonia Santeña. The main reason to stop here is to visit a sacred cave,
often referred to simply as La Gruta, a place of pilgrimage on July 16 for the Festival
de la Virgen del Carmen. Push the fronds of greenery aside and, depending on the
time of year and the amount of rain, you’ll be wading in a delightful freshwater creek
or a stream of guano. The shrine to the Virgin is near the entrance; flash a torch around
and you’ll see hundreds of bats clinging to the rock.
Boca del Drago
Northwest tip of Isla Colón, 16km from Bocas Town • Visit on a boat tour (see box, p.228), take the Boca del Drago bus (see p.227),
or rent a bicycle: take the left fork at “La Ye” at the north end of Playa El Istmito, and turn left at the T-junction at the north end of
the island
One of the most popular day-trips from Bocas Town is to take the bus to the Ngäbe
community of Boca del Drago, at the northern end of the island. Supposedly the first
place in Panama that Christopher Columbus set foot on, Boca del Drago can be a
pleasant place to spend a relaxing day, outside holiday weekends. The beach, though
slight, consists of lovely white palm-fringed sand, but the real appeal is the sheltered
translucent water, perfect for safe bathing and snorkelling while you wait for your
seafood order at the beachfront restaurant (see p.231).
Playa Estrella
A fifteen-minute walk along the shoreline from Boca del Drago takes you to Playa
Estrella, whose shallows were once dotted with an amazing number of orange
cushioned starfish. Sadly, thanks to a combination of increasing numbers of water-taxis
and thoughtless actions by some tourists, touching or picking up the starfish for
photos, numbers have dwindled. Here the beach is backed by a string of informal
seafood restaurants and bars, which are packed at weekends and during the holiday
season, with music blasting out across the sand. However, if you visit midweek, you’ll
encounter a more tranquil scene (though fewer options for eating) and by snorkelling a
little further out from the beach, you might spot a few more starfish.
Swan Cay
2km off the north coast of Isla Colón • Visit on a boat tour (see box, p.228), or negotiate a rate with a fisherman in Boca del Drago
Swan Cay, a fifteen-minute boat ride off the north coast (accessible only in good
weather conditions), is one of the area’s main attractions. Known locally as Isla Pájaros
(Bird Island), this impressive 50m stack, topped with cascading vegetation, is a bird
sanctuary. Seabirds wheel above, with star billing going to the elegant white red-billed
tropicbird, which shares this nesting spot with a colony of brown boobies.

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