Bocas del Toro - Caribbean Islands in Panama

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Getting to the Bocas Islands from Boquete was simple, but it took about five hours. We all gathered at Hello Travel at 8am but it was a frustrating wait for departure as we finally left about 45 minutes later. The best part of four hours was spent on a minibus through spectacular mountain and forested landscapes. About three quarters of the way we stopped for a comfort break and grabbed some snacks, before the last hour of the journey to Almirante. It was chaotic at the port but soon enough we were all on a boat. It felt slightly overcrowded but not as bad as we had feared and it was about half an hour on the water over to Bocas Town on Isla Colón. Back on dry land it was a ten minute walk with our luggage to Pineapple House,our home for four nights.

After our noisy nights in Boquete, we decided to stay as far away from the main strip of bars and restaurants as we could without leaving town. Pineapple House is located right next to Boca's tropical airport. There are not many flights and they certainly don't disturb your sleep. Russ even managed to blag us a trip up to air traffic control as that was his work environment before we left the UK all those years ago. The lads up there were very friendly and happy to show us around. It did take a little arranging though, so don't think you can just pitch up and ask to look around! It was interesting to learn that locals just walk or ride across the runway about halfway along because otherwise they would have a long walk around. We did go and check this out. There is no security but a battered sign suggests the authorities would have the right to fine you if they wanted to.

Many people come here to do a bit of island hopping, enjoy the paradise-like beaches and maybe try a spot of snorkelling or sport fishing. We came to relax and have a look around! On our first day we took a water taxi for a dollar each over to the neighbouring island of Carenero. There we tried to walk all the way around which was lovely in places and a bit of a dump in others! The far end of the island has been sold off as private land so we couldn't quite get all the way around but at least there were cut throughs to get to the other side and complete our walk. There were not too many people around until we got almost back to where we had started. It was a lovely trip but we were glad we had decided to stay in Bocas town for our whole trip.

We also took the local bus up to the beach at Boca del Drago. This area got its name from the first explorers who arrived with Christopher Columbus. After months at sea, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore made them fear that a dragon was living nearby! From the drop-off point it's about two kilometres on beachside tracks to Star Beach where you can see giant starfish in the water. We had a bit of a swim and chilled out for the morning. It was nice but got busy later in the morning so we decided to make tracks and try to get the 2pm bus back to town. The sign said 2pm but as we approached the bus at about 1.40 the engine started so we got on and it left straight away. Beware of Caribbean timetables!!!!!

A walk out to Istmite beach is an easy way to spend a few hours. It's worth having a look at some of the colourful houses providing accommodation at the Bocas town end of the beach, on the airport side. The alleyways felt safe during daylight hours but we're not sure how it would have been at night. The beach is a bit tatty and the sand flies do bite, although we didn't realise that until later in the day! The Bocas del Toro touristy sign is located there too. The sea and the sand didn't really invite us to spend any length of time there which was a shame.

Eating and drinking in Bocas was quite expensive but we managed to find some much more affordable options. For a sundowner head to Pier19 where you'll just catch happy hour with drinks 2 for 1. For a more local flavour there is a bit of a dingy bar illuminated by fairy lights just a few doors down. It's dark inside but you can sit out by the waterside and enjoy beers for just a dollar. They do cheap food too, although we didn't try it. As you wander in Bocas look for the Space lounge and restaurants which looks like someone has put up a wooden bar in a car park. There are four food trucks around the benches and a beer was just $2. The atmosphere was pretty good in there too. For cheap eats you really need to be having your main meal during the day. La Fonda El Fruta de Pan was a bit off the beaten track but was so cheap and delicious that we went there twice. Restaurant Tom was a little harder to find as there is so much building work going on around it at the moment. You can't beat it for quality and price with the spectacular views they offer over the water. We cooled off with frappé at JJ's at Bocas and their menu looked pretty good too. We can also recommend Street Tacos where one portion was enough to share if you just wanted a light snack in the evening.

Travelling on from Bocas del Toro into Costa Rica is easy to arrange as there are several companies offering to organise that for you. A boat ride (this time definitely overcrowded) took us back to Almirante where there was an absolute state of organised chaos with various agencies coming together to sort out who was going to Costa Rica, or back to Boquete and David. All's well that ends well though, and it went smoothly in the end.

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