Bocas del Toro Archipelago: Places to Explore

The town of Bocas del Toro, which the locals simply call Bocas, sits on a little headland connected to the island's primary landmass by a narrow isthmus and is a neat grid packed with homes, businesses... Read more

Just east of Bocas is the long, forested Isla Carenero (Careening Cay), the southern end of which holds a mix of fishermen's shacks, the large homes of foreigners, a few hotels, restaurants, and a small... Read more

Once you're outside of Bocas town, Isla Colón is a wild and beautiful place, with just two dirt roads, two lovely beaches, and significant swaths of tropical forest.... Read more

Bastimentos's southernmost point has an odd name, and its origin is as mysterious as Bocas del Toro's, though the theory is that wild macaws once lived there (there are now tame ones at the eponymous lodge)... Read more

Spread along a bay on the island's western tip, between the ocean and forested hills, is a colorful, crowded, poor collection of simple wooden buildings known as Old Bank. It is a predominantly Afro-Caribbean... Read more

A couple of miles east of Old Bank, Isla Bastimentos gets narrow—a mere ½ km (¼ mile) wide—and the sea to the south is dotted with mangrove islets. Here you can find a small dock... Read more