The Lost Paradise of Panamá

The land-water province of Bocas del Toro sits in the northwest corner of Panamá, nestled with the border of Costa Rica. On the Caribbean coast near El Silencio, the Rio Changuinola snakes its way toward the Rio Teribe, and the Wekso Eco Center on the outskirts of La Amistad International Park. The jungle is thick and pristine. It’s also Teribe Indian territory. If you’ve never been in the jungle, the real jungle, not just a nature path, it can be quite intimidating. It’s no coincidence that the former PDF, Panama Defense Force, maintained a hard-core jungle warfare/survival school in this area known as PanaJungla. In this natural classroom you came to terms with the harsh, unforgiving jungle, where slapping a mosquito while patroling along a riverbank was frowned upon. If you didn’t learn to accept the environment as your friend, it would break you. Not many travellers tend to venture this way.

Off the coast is an Archipiélago that is the main tourist attraction. Bocas was relatively unknown until recent years, unless you were in the banana business. But for some reason, it’s now a well-known tourist haunt with a Bohemian lifestyle.

There are many large and small islands that make up this artistic chain, and there are just as many foreigners that come to let their hair down and have a good time. But if you step off the beaten path for a moment and hire a local small boat guide, you’ll discover amazing beauty.

In Panama’s northwest along the Caribbean and not far from Costa Rica, is the Bocas del Toro Province. When talking about Bocas, most people are referring to the archipelago just off the coast. The main islands are Cristóbal, Colón, Bastimentos, and Popa. But the province on the mainland is fairly large, mountainous, and covered with thick, lush vegetation.

As with the Western Highlands, so much has already been written that I won’t  spend a lot of time re-writing what’s so well known. Most people will fly into Panama City, rent a room for the night, and then catch a flight from Albrook to Isla Colón. There are many places to stay and eat. You can sightsee around the island, or pitch in with others to hire a boat and visit some of the surrounding islands such as Isla Zapatilla. The islands definitely have a laid back, Bohemian- type lifestyle. For more information visit The Bocas Breeze. 

Near the mainland town of Changuinola you’ll find a canal, and also the wetland San-San Pond Sak Reserve.  

Under PAGES to the right, please click on the Bocas del Toro Province Gallery.