Bocas del Toro

Oh How I Love Bocas!

A magic sail from Providencia to the cruising grounds of Bocas del Toro, 250 nm away at the northern end of Panama in the south west Caribbean, had me full of expectation and I  wasn't to be disappointed.

It took a bit to recover from the boarding party of Panamanian officials, who not only needed more copies of everything than I've ever been asked for, but also needed more money off me than any other country on my journey so far-nearly US$500. Much cheaper to come the other way and enter at Panama City - only $50. Go figure!

But Bocas Town was a lively place, and though covered in litter and piles of trash on every corner, it has some great things going for it. The buildings are all wooden, with a quaint Victorian feel. Backpackers throng there for the cheap resorts, Spanish language schools, diving (the main tourism industry) surfing and beaches. Its also close to the mountains and rainforests of the mainland, including well known backpacker destinations like Boquette and Volcan Baru. Bocas has cuisine to suit all tastes, wifi and live music everywhere. The provisioning options are good too, with lots of Chinese owned supermarkets, and cheap fresh fruit & veges at street vendor stalls.

But the best places were a short boat trip away – Cayo Caranero, Isla Bastimentos, and some isolated places like Dolphin Bay.

It rained heavily for a lot of the time (good to top up with fresh rainwater for drinking) but apart from spending more time & money at bars on $1 beers waiting for the downpours to ease it didn't interfer with doing stuff – like paddling up Salt Creek to it's end where you can hike further to explore a bat cave, walking over Isla Bastimentos to Wizard Beach and Red Frog Beach, and sailing to Dolphin Bay via tight mangrove waterways to join a Sunday pizza party at an Austrian owned retreat called Rana Azul (Blue Frog).

There were plenty of expats making an income, and enjoying a good lifestyle in and around Bocas, from accommodation lodges to charter operations. Land is available without too many complications to purchase, as long as you don't end up buying something thats being sold to several people at once. There are no hurricanes, and tourism goes on all year round. The cruising is fabulous as there are short distances to varied destinations where there are activities before returning to Bocas. Tempting!

Wizard Beach

Free Range Cattle at Wizards

Big Buddha or a Monkey God??

Tent Platform at Rana Azul for Woofas and Guests

Another Heliconia?

Best Friends

Rana Azul makes an appearance

Bocas Waterfront Restaurants

Axel enjoying some young backpacker company

Cacao

A hour loop walk above Rana Azul with a Volunteer Guide ( he turned up from the village
that  the Austrian-owned retreat provides work for)

Bastimentos

Bastimentos Bar -looking for Oscar to take us caving but he'd moved on

Bastimentos Hammock Platform

Watching a local soccer game

On the hill above Bastimentos village is this amazing shop and cafe specializing in
handmade chocolate from local cacao - owned and run by an Irish woman

Wizard Beach -swim time!

Salt Creek and another volunteer guide. It was low tide
so I had help him get that heavy hardwood cayuco into the stream.
He showed me how to do a perfecr J-stroke,and stood up to show he could SUP as well. They usually paddle seated

Cave formations. Unfortunately my bat pics didn't come out but there were thousands of them,
and great mounds of bat shit of course!

Well, you have to do it, even if its just a little jump

Three Toed Sloth en route to the cave

Stunning roots of a swamp forest on Cayo Cabonero

Another meal aboard from local produce -pescado (a yellowtail I caught off the Zapatilla Cays)
sweet potato and a tomato & cucmber salad