Boca Chica and Isla Boca Brava

Long a sleepy fishing port at the end of a bone-rattling road, Boca Chica now has a paved road and a small selection of hotels that serve the islands of Parque Nacional Marino Golfo de Chiriquí. The town is on a peninsula overlooking the nearby island of Boca Brava. Together, they define the eastern edge of a mangrove estuary that extends all the way to Playa La Barqueta. Neither the island nor the mainland has great beaches. The attractions are beyond Boca Brava on the uninhabited islands of the Parque Nacional Marino Golfo de Chiriquí, a 40-minute boat ride away. Beyond them lie world-class sportfishing and diving around the Islas Ladrones and Islas Secas.