Page 230 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

228 Bocas del Toro ArchipiélAgo de BocAs del Toro
INForMaTIoN
Tourist information The tourist office (daily 8am–4pm; (Wredtucombo.bocasdeltoro.org) about community-
T757 9642) on C 1 has toilets, and may be able to provide based tourism, and can provide further information.
a map, but is otherwise of limited help. The free monthly MIA office C 1 between Av Central & Av “E” (Mon–Fri
Bocas Breeze (Wbocasbreeze.com) advertises local events. 8am–4pm; T757 9244). MIA hands out permits for
The sustainable tourism group, Alianza de Turismo camping within Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos
Sostenible de Bocas del Toro runs a useful website ($6/person, plus $10 park fee).
6 acTIVITIes aNd ToUrs

Cocoa farms The mainland communities of Silico Creek (T6915 3147, Wpanamahorseback.com), offers half-day
(Wurari.bocasdeltoro.org; $10 for a 2hr tour) and Río Oeste ($50; 2hr on horseback) and full-day tours ($75) to a Ngäbe
Arriba (Woreba.bocasdeltoro.org; $35 including lunch and village, plus a more challenging day for experienced riders
transport from Almirante; minimum two people) offer ($100) or an overnight trip ($250). Prices include transfer
fascinating tours in Spanish and English of their organic from Bocas Town.
cocoa farms, with plenty of tasting along the way. Kayak rental Several lodgings, such as Bambuda Lodge,
Horseriding At Playa Bluff, you can arrange horseriding at Cocomo on the Sea and Gran Kahuna, rent out/lend kayaks.
Bluff Beach Retreat (T6677 8867; $45 for 3hr plus tip for Turtle watching See box, p.236.
the guide). On Isla San Cristóbal, a highly acclaimed but Yoga Bocas Yoga (top end of C 4; T6658 1355, Wbocasyoga
more expensive operator, Panama Horseback Adventures .com; $6/session, twenty-class pass $80) gets rave reviews.

TOURS FROM BOCAS TOWN
generally, you get what you pay for in a tour, in that the pricier operators tend to use better
and safer boats, take fewer people and show greater customer service and respect for the
environment and the indigenous communities. Make sure you establish the itinerary and
what’s included in the price. if you get a group of about six together, you can usually negotiate
a deal for your own itinerary with one of the boatmen hanging out around the dock.
The standard day-trip excursions combine snorkelling with other activities, and cater
predominantly to budget travellers ($25–30/person for a minimum of four to six people),
depending on the destination and boat quality. Most leave at around 9.30am, returning about
4–4.30pm and stopping off for a seafood meal (not included in price) at a local restaurant
along the way, though some trips include a picnic lunch. Bad weather can result in a change
of itinerary or cancellation and the seas further out can get very rough. We offer a selection of
the town’s best tour operators in Bocas’ listings section (see opposite).
THE ITINERARIES
There are three popular itineraries offered by most operators. The first takes you to Laguna
Bocatorito (dolphin Bay), where you have a chance of seeing the rather shy bottle-nosed
dolphins that live there year-round. This should be boycotted in high season when the place
is overrun with boats, many engaging in potentially harmful practices. The next stop is the
gorgeous, rainbow-coloured soft coral of Cayo Crawl, where lunch is at one of the three
over-the-water restaurants (around $9–12), before returning to lounge on Red Frog Beach
($5 fee), sometimes with an additional spot of snorkelling nearer home.
Another similar but pricier option takes you on from cayo crawl to the national marine
park and Cayos Zapatillas ($10 park entry fee on top) for further snorkelling and beach
lounging, stopping off at another snorkelling spot, such as Hospital Point, on the way back.
Alternatively, boats head round isla colón to the easy shallows of Boca del Drago, with lunch
at a restaurant on the beach, a visit to Playa Estrella and a trip out to see the seabirds at
Swan Cay before snorkel masks are donned once more at Punta Manglar on the way back.
in an attempt to avoid the crowds or offer some variation, some operators are now offering a
visit to a Ngäbe village, such as Bocatorito or Bahía honda.
endless possibilities exist for boat excursions further afield: up one of the rivers into the
rainforests of the mainland to visit isolated indigenous communities or east around the
península Valiente to the remote Isla de Escudo de Veraguas, which aficionados consider to
be one of the best diving spots in the whole caribbean – la Buga dive & surf (see opposite)
offers overnight camping dive trips, though the seas are too rough to reach it most of the year.

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