What to do in Bocas Del Toro Panama

Bocas Del Toro is a small island on the Caribbean side of Panama. It’s a piece of paradise that I would highly recommend to anyone roaming through Central America. In 2014 I lived here for 3-4 months at the beginning of my travels and returned again one year later for 6 weeks. I guess I have sentimental value with this place because it’s where my business really began taking off and I find it to be a productive place for me. It’s a great place to find a work/life balance with plenty of activities for those looking for that work/play balance. In no particular order…

#1 Scuba Diving

There are many beautiful dive spots in the Caribbean, and the warm water makes Bocas del Toro the perfect opportunity to get your open water dive certificate! It took less than 3 days and I went through Bocas Dive Centre It was one of the best experiences of my life. If you have never been diving before, this is a great place to start.

#2 Bat Caves

This tour has been the most memorable for me. We took a catamaran and sailed towards Bastimentos Island for about 3 hours. We anchored up and a beautiful ceviche lunch was served to us. After the lunch, we jumped on the kayaks and kayaked through the mangroves. This was such an experience for me kayaking through jungle-like terrain as we didn’t have anything like this back home. We heard there were baby crocks in the water, though we didn’t actually see any.

After about half an hour you reach the dock and hike through the jungle for another 20mins past a tiny village to make it to the caves. The cave is pitch black so you need to make sure you have a headlamp. You can get one at the village if you didn’t bring one yourself. Depending on the rainfall, you could be shoulder-deep in water when going through the caves, so you don’t want to wear heavy clothing for this trip. Be prepared to get muddy and wet, that’s for sure. At the end of the cave there is a deep swimming hole and rocks to jump off into the water.

Even if you don’t enjoy this kind of thing, I recommend you do it anyway. It’s a great way to get out of your comfort zone.

#3 Party

Nightlife in Bocas del Toro can get a little wild to say the least.

The biggest party spot would be at Aqua Lounge on Carenero Island. You can get there for $1pp on a water taxi from Bocas town. Aqua Lounge goes off on Wednesday and Saturday nights. Remember to wear swimming gear under your clothes as there is an area to go swimming in the club.

La Iguana is the other popular tourist nightclub and is open most nights of the week. So when Aqua Lounge is closed, everyone heads there. Bocas Bambu is another good spot as on Saturdays they have reggae night. It has a good mix of locals and tourists here. The dance floor can get a little tight but it has a good vibe.

Selina is also a good one, through Easter weekend especially!

If you really want the cultural experience then head over to Barco Hundido. This is the party spot for the locals. Knowing the owner, I’ve gone there several times and each of those times our group have been the only tourists there. But the place gives you some good authentic Panamanian and Spanish music if that’s what you’re after.

Bocas del Toro has a great nightlife considering how small the island is. If you’re looking for a fun night, you will be sure to find it one way or another.

#4 La Loma Chocolate Plantation

For $60 for two people you can get a tour through the local chocolate farm with lunch included on Bastimentos Island. The owners are lovely and have created their own little haven in the jungle with a great hideaway lodge. We didn’t stay the night there but we heard great things from the people that did.

The chocolate tour itself was cool and was interesting to see how the chocolate was made, from the tree to the grinding of the beans itself. The tour takes just over an hour and then lunch is served. This was probably the healthiest and tastiest meal I had the entire time I was in Bocas! It was all fresh produce grown on their farm.

If you’re into nature and holistic living then this tour is for you and I recommend to even stay several nights in one of the jungle cabins… Or even just take a trip over for the lunch…

#5 Go Island Hopping

For about $20 you can hire a boat to take you around all the different islands surrounding Isla Colon.

Bastimentos Island is a great one to visit with Red Frog Beach. You can walk further up Red Frog to find more secluded beaches and also take a walk through the jungle.

One great getaway is the other side of Bastimentos (but this will cost a little more for a longer trip). This place is ridiculous! We stayed here for 2 nights at the end of my recent trip to Bocas del Toro… I can’t even explain how beautiful it is. Postcard photos everywhere. We stayed at Al Natural Resort for the two nights and breakfast, lunch and dinner were all included in the costs as well as use of kayaks and some of the scuba gear (we actually stayed at Al Natural apartments in Bocas town- these places are great if you have a stretchier budget and want your own place right on the water). At night you can watch the bioluminescence in the ocean, feed the monkeys with the staff or just chill out at the restaurant.

We took a walk along the beach to the neighbouring resort. This one was quite a high-end resort, but there is also houses out there you can rent or if you just want to visit for lunch there are restaurants. It takes about a 40min boat ride from Bocas Town to get to this side of the Island. The resorts are expensive so if you are travelling on a budget, then just take a day trip out and enjoy the scenery. It’s definitely worth it and is one place I will never forget.

#6 Beaches

For a cheap fun day, hire a bicycle or quad bike and check out the local beaches of Isla Colon. Ride out to Paki Point and have beers and burgers on their sun lounges while watching the waves. Or ride out further to Playa Bluffs Beach where there’s a bar and an Argentinian barbeque (best to go on Saturdays) and have a swim or sunbathe on the beach.

If you don’t want to bike too far though, there are beaches you pass by on the way out to these places that are usually a lot less busy. So if you’re looking for some alone time or a romantic beach date, go for a little wander and you’re bound to find a good spot.

#7 Surfing

There are mostly reefs around for intermediate – expert level surfers. But there are a few great beginner waves if you are looking to learn. Talk with the local surf shops as they can organise you a boat, board, and lesson combo which can be a great way to meet up with other travellers.

If you can surf well, then there are a few great left-hand reef breaks around. Caroneros being the most popular a nice long left hander which is fairly mellow and just a 5-minute boat ride away. Get out there!

On top of all of this, there are so many restaurants and bars to hang out and eat at.

The food is predominantly Mexican inspired with rice as a common side dish but there is also Italian places with Pizza and Pastas. Here are a few of my favourite spots:

Café Om: Fan of Indian cuisine? Definitely go here for dinner. Has the best Indian food I’ve ever had. It’s a little more expensive but it’s so worth it!

Casa Verde: Monday night $1 burritos, Tuesday night (Taco Tuesday) $1 Tacos and Cervezas, Wednesday night (wingding Wednesday) 50cent wings… Hit up Casa Verde on these nights for a bargain.

Bocas Bambu: Watch the fire dancing while eating your dinner. Good range of food here too.

Barco Hundido: Best Pizzas in Bocas del Toro in my opinion.

Chicken Man: That’s not actually the name of the place but everyone calls it Chicken Man. $3.50 for a ¼ chicken and a side of fries or plantain. This was my main go-to.

Overall, Bocas del Toro is an awesome place to visit or to hunker down for a month or more. Both times I was there I found it hard to leave. The locals are great people and the culture is amazing, especially if you go to CARNIVAL!