Bocas del Toro

The eastern province of Bocas del Toro is located in the Panamanian Caribbean. Mostly virgin jungle and forests, Bocas del Toro also includes several picturesque towns. The archipelago of Bocas del Toro, located at the entrance of the Chiriqui Lagoon, dominates the region.

The Bocas del Toro Archipelago

The archipelago consists of nine islands, 52 keys and more than 200 islets. The largest and most developed island is Colón Island, where the capital of the province, Bocas del Toro, is located. It features a large number of hotels, restaurants, entertainment centers and facilities for ecotourism and other adventures. Bocas del Toro, with its palm trees and white-sand beaches, also offers terrific options for swimming, snorkeling, diving and sunbathing.
There are two ways to get to Bocas del Toro. The first is through the Inter American highway from Panama to the entrance of Gualaca (400 km.). From there cross the Central Cordillera, some 90 km. ahead, and follow the asphalt road leading to Almirante. This part of the trip should take a little more than three and a half hours. From Almirante, cross over to Colon Island where the town of Bocas del Toro is located. The trip takes approximately 25 minutes by water taxi or rented boat, and one hour by ferry.

The second option is to go by airplane. Aeroperlas travels daily from the airport in Albrook to Colon Island. Mapiex and Aviatur also have periodic flights. The flights take approximately one hour. You can also fly to Bocas from David or Changuinola. Although you can transport a car on the ferry to the island, it's more convenient to leave it in Almirante and use taxies or rented bicycles to get around the island.

Other large islands in the archipelago you may want to tour include Popa Island, Bastimentos Island, Cristóbal Island, Cayo de Agua and Cayo Carener.

Thanks to Instituto Panameño de Turismo (IPAT): 1-800-231-0568