Bocas del Toro Travel Guide

 
by DaAGster
 
  •   Things to Do
    by DaAGster
  • Bocas de Drago beach
      Bocas de Drago beach
    by elsadran
  • local kids will show you tiny frogs..
      local kids will show you tiny frogs..
    by elsadran
  • Restaurant on the way to Zapatillas
      Restaurant on the way to Zapatillas
    by wvanderwahl
  • Hanging out in Bocas del Toro
      Hanging out in Bocas del Toro
    by barryg23
 

Pro

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 beauty, wildlife, great beaches, community, not too touristy 


Con

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 Can be expensive due to American dollars, no beaches in town 


In a nutshell

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 More Caribbean then Latin American. 

 

Explore Bocas del Toro

Things to Do  

Visiting Indigenous Community

Visiting Indigenous Community, Bocas del Toro

 DaAGster Says:  There is also another option that I noticed which was on the Island of San Cristobal. They are one of the closer islands to Isla Colon (the tourist hub) and they offer a medicinal trail with authentic Ngobe community food. I went there in Janurary 2010 and would highly... 

Visiting an Indigenous Community- San Cristobal

Visiting an Indigenous Community- San Cristobal, Bocas del Toro

 Panama215 Says:  One of the best things that we did during our stay in Bocas is go to the indigeious community of San Cristobal. They have a medicinal plant trail that you can walk through and then the women of the community cook a traditional lunch. In addition, you can go shopping for... 

Tours

Tours, Bocas del Toro

 elsadran Says:  All tour operators in Bocas offer standardised tours to the outlying islands. This is one of the most popular ones. It goes to Dolphin Bay where they attract the dolphins by making big circles with the boat so the dolphins follow them on the wake of the circles. Snorkeling... 

Catamaran Sailing & Snorkeling Tour

Catamaran Sailing & Snorkeling Tour, Bocas del Toro

 Gritar Says:  If your looking for a great way to spend the day in Bocas Del Toro, Catamaran Sailing and snorkeling tour is the way to go. Go green and experience the reefs and dolphins in a slow breezy style, sailing! The dolphins seemed familiar with the catamaran and they were excited... 

Catamaran Sailing & Snorkeling Tour

Catamaran Sailing & Snorkeling Tour, Bocas del Toro

 Gritar Says:  If your looking for a great way to spend the day in Bocas Del Toro, Catamaran Sailing and snorkeling tour is the way to go. Go green and experience the reefs and dolphins in a slow breezy style, sailing! The dolphins seemed familiar with the catamaran and they were excited... 

Catamaran Sailing & Snorkeling Tour

Catamaran Sailing & Snorkeling Tour, Bocas del Toro

 Gritar Says:  If your looking for a great way to spend the day in Bocas Del Toro, Catamaran Sailing and snorkeling tour is the way to go. Go green and experience the reefs and dolphins in a slow breezy style, sailing! The dolphins seemed familiar with the catamaran and they were excited... 

Hotels  

Garden of Eden Resort

 188 Opinions

Tropical Suites Hotel

 163 Opinions

Restaurants  

Bambu restaurant: Raw Seafood / Worst service experience!

Bambu restaurant: Raw Seafood / Worst service experience!, Bocas del Toro

 georgew24 Says:  Our experience begins waiting 1 hour and 15 minutes for 6 plates, The octoppus was nearly cocked (almost raw), so we ask kindly to the waiter for a chef opinion, leaving with long face, 5 minutes later the Manager-Owner tell us it was Imposible! pointing his finger to the... 

Bocas Bambu Beach: Stay away from this place

Bocas Bambu Beach: Stay away from this place, Bocas del Toro

 livinginpanama_11 Says:  When we sat down, we placed our food and drink order. My wife ordered a Caipirinha and when she received her drink it was apparent the drink was not what we had expected. It was extremely acidic and had way too much lemon juice in it. We asked that more sugar be added to the... 

Toro Loco: Delicious American food

Toro Loco: Delicious American food, Bocas del Toro

 txjenny Says:  This friendly and quaint American-owned bar has a relaxed atmosphere with great music and five flat screens televisions with sports on all day. On the menu they've got burgers, quesadillas, chicken fingers and wings, salad, chili, mozzarella sticks, just to name a few... 

Palma de Roca: Best Burger in Bocas!

Palma de Roca: Best Burger in Bocas!, Bocas del Toro

 pwj9382 Says:  After months on the road I was craving a burger. But not just any burger, I needed a juicy, fresh off the grill burger with all the fixings. Now in my travels, I've been to many places that claim they have the "best (insert item) in town!" Usually this is not the case, but I... 

Kayukos: Island Hang Out!

Kayukos: Island Hang Out!, Bocas del Toro

 pwj9382 Says:  After spending the day at Red Frog Beach, I got word that there was a hostel w/ a full restaurant a short walk away from the beach. Once I cam across the Bocas Bound Hostel, I decided to take a load off and relax at their island lounge and restaurant, Kayukos. Located in a... 

Nightlife  

Bar: La Iguana

Bar: La Iguana, Bocas del Toro

 TylerPilot007 Says:  La Iguana is a surf shop themed bar across from the very popular sushi resturant, The Blowfish. La Iguana typically opens around 7:00pm and stays open to around 12. Great cocktails and an awesome place to meet fellow travelers and locals. A popular pregamming spot before... 

Toro Loco: Great bar in Bocas del Toro

Toro Loco: Great bar in Bocas del Toro, Bocas del Toro

 txjenny Says:  Toro Loco bar just behind the park on Avenue Central is a great place to go for delicious bar food and cold beer. They play great music and have 5 tv's so you can catch sports all day long. They've got free wifi, darts, and happy hour is everyday from 3-6pm. Live music... 

Transportation  

Plane or bus?

Plane or bus?, Bocas del Toro

 elsadran Says:  There are daily flights from Panama city with Air Panama and Aeroperlas. I took the second one because it was cheaper. It costs 93$ one way, 120$ return and takes you to Bocas in 45 minutes to one hour. The plane starts at Albrook Airport where Aeroperlas has an office (315... 

U.S. to Panama

U.S. to Panama, Bocas del Toro

 njnoelsue Says:  Hi,Have yet to make our trip - we are leaving on the 20th of June for the states (Newark NJ) - I spent 3 or 4 months watching airfares go up - (foolish I know), originally we were going to fly Spirit to Costa Rica but got priced out of that trip, so turned our attention to... 

Local Customs  

Fiestas
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3.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

elsadran 933 reviews


From September 11 to 16 the Fair of the Sea is held in the town and a beautiful Sea Queen is elected. The Fair is an opportunity for the promotion of local products and of course includes a lot of drink and food consuming...
In late January the carnival is celebrated in the Caribbean way. Locals in the costumes of Devils come out in the street. Their red and black costumes are decorated with jingle bells that jingle all the way while they are dancing to the music of local comparsas. These are groups of dancers and musicians that parade in the streets of the town including the usual participation of beautiful girls. The Devils are usually found around the park and they inevitably attract a lot of tourists trying to capture this unique moment with their cameras. The whole town participates in the dancing to the sound of drums and their favourite music.

Updated Aug 18, 2008

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Warnings and Dangers  

Don't rent a scooter! Watch your back!

Don't rent a scooter! Watch your back!, Bocas del Toro

 Olivia459 Says:  There's a guy in town next to a juice van who has 2 scooters (one blue, one black, parked on the street) and rents them out for $25 for 2 hours. We made the unfortunate mistake of hiring one. It worked for the first 20 minutes then cut out when we were far from anything on a... 

minor problems....

minor problems...., Bocas del Toro

 elsadran Says:  Tap water is not safe in Bocas. Use bottle water. In most other places in Panama I drank tap water and had no problem. But here I didn't make any experiments...Also they say surfing can be dangerous as there are riptides.At some beaches there are sand flies locally called... 

Tourist Traps  

Don't rent a scooter! Watch your back!

Don't rent a scooter! Watch your back!, Bocas del Toro

 Olivia459 Says:  There's a guy in town next to a juice van who has 2 scooters (one blue, one black, parked on the street) and rents them out for $25 for 2 hours. We made the unfortunate mistake of hiring one. It worked for the first 20 minutes then cut out when we were far from anything on a... 

Favorites  

Starfish Beach

Starfish Beach, Bocas del Toro

 sssepentineee Says:  Starfish beach is a beautiful, tranquil white sand beach where many starfish hang out! Although you can see them just walking on the beach, for the best effect, bring a pair of goggles. Also, because of where this beach is, the sun "sets" behind the trees quite early, so I... 

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Map of Bocas del Toro