Places to Explore

• Bocas del Toro

  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. The western half of that headland is covered by... (more)

• Isla Carenero

  Just east of Bocas—practically swimming distance—is a long, forested island called Isla Carenero (Careening Cay), the southern end of which holds a mix of fishermen's shacks, the large homes... (more)

• Isla Colón

  Though it is the most populated and developed island in the archipelago, Isla Colón is still a wild and beautiful place, with just two dirt roads, two lovely beaches, and significant swaths of tropical... (more)

• Isla Solarte

  Isla Solarte (called "Cayo Nancy" on some maps) is a long, forested island that is home to scattered Ngöbe families and a handful of foreigners. The most visited part of it is Hospital Point on its... (more)

• Macca Bite

  The southernmost point on Isla Bastimento 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... (more)

• Old Bank (Bastimentos)

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

• Old Point (Punta Vieja)

  The northeast point of Isla Bastimentos, known as Old Point, is covered with jungle and surrounded by coral reefs. It probably looks about the same as it did when Christopher Columbus sailed through the... (more)

• Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos

• Red Frog Beach and Bahia Honda

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