Day 1 – Wednesday (06/03/2013)
There are two ways to get to Bocas del Toro from Panama City – plane and car/bus. After reading that the bus trip took over 10 hours, I ended up opting for the plane.
Our trip lasted 1 hour and cost US$80 each way, leaving Panama City (PAC airport, not Tocumen) at 4pm and arriving in Bocas at 5pm.
To learn more about our tour of Panama City, click in this post.
PAC airport is small and quite tidy. We stopped at the local coffee shop KOTOWA COFFEE HOUSE and Celo had a coffee from the city of Boquete which he found delicious.
The plane from Panama City
Our plane was small, with propellers without side protection, and it was full. We had a bit of turbulence, but thank God it wasn't anything serious.
Arriving in Bocas del Toro
We landed at a tiny airport in Bocas and waited for our luggage to appear. As soon as we left the arrivals hall, we were approached by many vendors offering transfer to the hotel and to our surprise, marijuana. lol
Since we had read that the city was tiny, we decided to walk there with our backpacks on our backs. Our first impression of the city was terrible. There, I said it. Dirty, with strange, crumbling houses and open sewage. The people looked like Indians and were not very friendly and did not speak Spanish that was easy to understand. We were shocked by the amount of trash on the streets. It was a total bad trip, as Celo says.
Our hotel in Bocas
After some time walking, we found our hotel (Hotelito del Mar) and we were happy that it was well located and much nicer than the rest of the city. But we had one problem: we booked through Booking a triple room, with a double bed and a single bed, but when we got there there were 3 single beds. We spoke to the girl at reception and she told us that that night we would have to stay in it, as there were no other free rooms.
Dining in Bocas
As it was already getting dark, we got ready and went out to dinner at the restaurant. Last Refuge, highly recommended on the internet and by the hotel staff. It was a 5-minute walk from our hotel, had a super cozy atmosphere and wonderful food. We had a delicious ceviche as a starter and main courses with amazing seafood, accompanied by ice-cold Panamanian beers. Perfect dinner. We highly recommend it.
On the way back from the restaurant to the hotel, we stopped at a boatmen's cooperative and booked the tour from the next day to Cayos Zapatilla, Cayos Coralles and Isla Delfines. We returned to the hotel and despite the noise from a neighbor's generator, we were able to sleep without any problems.
Day 2 – Thursday (07/03/2013)
We woke up early, had breakfast at the hotel (muffins and fruit) and went to the cooperative, where our boat left from. They were half an hour late leaving, which made me a bit pissed off, but we ended up having fun at the supermarket, buying some groceries. snacks and drinks for the whole day. Basic detail: all the commercial establishments in the city are Chinese. They dominate the place, I was impressed. Therefore, the price you find in one store is the same in any other, which ends up being good, because it saves us time looking for better prices.
Boat trip
Finally it was time for us to board the boat. We were disappointed with the boat and the pilot, who spoke Spanish that was impossible to understand. We thought there were a lot of people on the boat too, but oh well… off we went. It was still cloudy, unfortunately.
We sailed for almost 1 hour and arrived at Dolphin Island, where the tour salesman assured us that we would see dolphins. Nonsense. I saw nothing. We waited for almost an hour for some animal to appear and nothing. It was very disappointing. While taking a boat ride around the place, we saw some sloths in the trees and we got more excited.
After some time in this place, we continued sailing and went to Coral Keys, where we stopped at the only restaurant to book our lunch. We stayed there for half an hour and returned to the boat to continue our journey.
After almost 1 hour by boat, we arrived at Zapatilla Keys, a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful island…
The water suddenly turned Caribbean blue and we were so happy. It finally seemed like the trip was worth it. Even though it was cloudy, the beauty of the turquoise blue impressed us. We walked all over the island, took a dip in the sea, drank our beers and took the opportunity to try out our GoPro underwater. What a wonderful afternoon. Luckily, the weather improved and the sun reflecting off the water made the place even more beautiful.
We spent a few hours there in peace, just enjoying the beautiful Caribbean. I didn't want to leave at all, but unfortunately, we had to go back. We sailed back to the restaurant area, Cayo Corales, where some people jumped off the boat to go diving. Celo went diving and didn't think it was worth it, so I stayed on the boat. Afterwards, we went to the restaurant and ate some wonderful, homemade food, which was definitely worth it.
We rested a bit and then returned to the boat to return to the village of Bocas del Toro.
We arrived at the hotel and the maid had already taken our bags to the room with a double bed, as I had requested.
Dining in Bocas
We got ready and went out for a walk around the city and found a really cool place called Bamboo Mouths. There was a band playing some nice music and we thought it was perfect for the moment, since we weren't very hungry and it seemed cheap. We had a few drinks. drinks We ordered pizza and sang Bob Marley with the other customers. We loved the night!
Day 3 – Friday (08/03/2013)
We woke up a little later, had breakfast at the hotel (the same muffins and fruit) and had the pleasure of meeting the owner of the hotel, a very interesting American lady, I would say. She spoke a lot about the place, the people and gave us great tips, which I need to share here.
Tips from the hotel owner
He told us to do the tours with the company JAMPAM, which is actually much more organized than the cooperative from the day before. Oh, what a shame I only found out later. We ended up going to this company and paid for the transfer to Red Frog Island. The boat was emptier, the pilot was friendly, but the plan was different. It's a shame the trip was short.
Red Frog Island
We arrived in Red Frog and since the weather was cloudy, we walked along the island's roads with mud on our feet. Rain, mud, rain, mud. I don't particularly like it...lol.
We walk to Red Frog Beach, so beautiful in all the photos we saw on the internet, but the cloudy weather made the little creature look quite ordinary. We walked along the sand until the end of it, until we were forced to go into the woods, to take the trail to the Wizard Beach. After a few attempts to climb a completely muddy hill, we gave up on Praia do Mago and stayed on the main beach.
We went swimming in the sea, relaxed on the sand and when two little boys walked by with little red frogs on leaves, I had to pay the asking price to finally see the little frogs that give the island its name. They are beautiful! Luckily, the sun came out and the landscape was beautiful. We really enjoyed the place.
Having lunch on the beach
After some time doing nothing, we got hungry and stopped at the only restaurant on the beach, Beach Bar & Grill. We ordered some wraps and fried fish, which satisfied our hunger perfectly. We continued on to the Turtle Beach, which is very close to Red Frog. It's also cute, but I prefer Red Frog.
Zipline in the forest
As we were with the tour of Zipline (zipline) scheduled for 3:30 pm, we left the beach straight to the company base. We got a ride halfway by golf cart and arrived a little late, but at least they waited for us.
We paid about $50 for the zipline each. I thought it was expensive, but after reading that it was 7 ziplines, 2 hour tour, 13 platforms and many other things, I thought it was worth it. We left the company base properly dressed in a 4x4 vehicle and listened to our guides who spoke Gali-Gali and patois, very crazy!
We started hiking and soon arrived at the first zipline platform. I froze completely and couldn't go alone. I stayed like that for the entire tour. I even cried because of the height of the platforms. I'm afraid of normal heights, but this has never happened to me before. I've always faced my fear. This time, with those Indians laughing and speaking languages I didn't understand, I couldn't feel safe on the equipment and I couldn't relax at all. It was a horrible experience. Celo loved it, as did the other tourists, but I didn't enjoy it. at all.
When we arrived at the company base, we realized that the last JAMPAM boat had already left the island and we had to find another boat to return to the village of Bocas. Luckily, we caught another boat that was waiting for some tourists and, luckily, there was space for us. It was a relief and we even saw a spectacular sunset…
When we arrived in Bocas, we stopped at JAMPAM and asked for a refund for the return trip. They gave it to us without any problems.
Dining in Bocas
We went to the hotel, got ready and went out for dinner. This time, we went to the El Limbo restaurant, very close to our hotel, because we read good reviews on the internet and the owner of our hotel also praised it. It was delicious!
A restaurant on the waterfront, with pleasant decor, delicious food, excellent service and the best part: a couple singing MPB. Small world, huh… an incredible couple who are traveling the world singing Brazilian music. And by the way… they weren’t Brazilian. I think the woman was Colombian and the man was Mexican. Super hippies, with a great vibe. They gave our dinner a special touch, making the night perfect. =)
Day 4 – Saturday (09/03/2013)
We woke up whenever we wanted, had the same breakfast with muffins and fruit (the only thing I didn't like about the hotel) and went looking for transportation to Dragon's Mouth, a village near Bocas del Toro. I think it was the owner of the hotel who recommended it to us. She said she had the Stars Beach nearby which was very beautiful, so as we had the day free, we went exploring.
We waited for the regular bus along with the locals, but it took ages. There were several tourist vans offering the same route for double or even triple the price, but since we weren't in a hurry, we waited in the square for it. We took the bus and were impressed with the quality of the transportation, positively speaking. The bus was tidy, padded, with air conditioning, a friendly and good driver. And the best part... since the village is so small, the driver knows all the locals and ends up helping them with various activities. For example, he stopped at a store that sold ice and carried ice for the old lady, he stopped at other places too and we all waited until the situation was resolved. It was crazy. We had fun... lol.
Arriving in Bocas del Drago
After a short journey, we reached the end of the road until Dragon's Mouth. The road was too narrow for the bus to pass, because the tide was a little high. We had to get off and walk about 5 minutes until we reached Bocas del Drago. A smaller village than Bocas del Toro, with a small market with lots of cute Kuna Indian things. I finally bought some. souvenirs to take home.
Bird Island
We walked towards the pier to catch a boat to Stars Beach, because the land route was compromised due to the high tide. We took a boat with a guy who was so nice, so nice, that we decided to book the tour he offered us right away. In addition to Stars Beach, we would see the Isla de los Pájáros and a mangrove swamp with a tunnel of trees, super romantic.
We went to Bird Island first and it was a disaster. We thought we were going to die. The sea was very rough and the boat was very small, really small. The waves were really big and every time the boat hit the waves it was a terrible pain in the neck and a never-ending feeling in the stomach. We almost gave up halfway, but he said it was possible and that he would go really slowly so we wouldn't worry too much. It was the only time in my life that I saw Celo truly scared. Not even a bungy jump, a favela in Rio de Janeiro, or a violent waterfall could make the little guy panic like he did. I was too, but seeing him like that, incredibly, all I wanted to do was laugh and I ended up relaxing.
We arrived alive on the island, but since it is completely rocky, we stayed around it, watching the huge amount of birds flying around. It was a beautiful sight. I don't know if I would do it again with the rough tide, but I certainly would if the tide was calm. We took some photos and soon returned, praying that we would reach dry land safely. Oh, and our sailor was a naughty 18-year-old boy who also seemed quite scared... lol. Anyway, I don't recommend it if the weather is bad.
Romantic mangrove
Afterwards, we went to relax in the mangrove swamp with trees forming tunnels and we loved the place. It was really romantic. We took a leisurely stroll around there, with the boat engine turned off and the boy rowing without stress. I recommend it. This mangrove swamp is right next to Playa de Estrellas, so it's worth stopping by.
Stars Beach
After this tour, we rested at Playa de Estrellas, which has this name because it has thousands of starfish on the water's edge. It was so beautiful. We arranged a time with the sailor that would allow us time to catch the last bus and he was extremely punctual.
At the beach, we stopped at a restaurant and ordered some really good homemade food.
We bought some beers and spent the whole afternoon drinking, sunbathing, diving, and taking videos with the GoPro. It was the perfect break. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, which meant I had to apply sunscreen 500 times. I did a great job, because my tan was amazing and I didn't even get sunburned (something that's practically impossible for me).
The water is so clear at this beach that you can see the fish swimming by if you're lying on the sand. It's crazy! It was really, really, really worth it. I highly recommend it.
We took the boat back and then the bus to our hotel. We stopped at a supermarket first and bought some snacks to have in the room. We packed our bags and went to bed early.
QUESTION – The hotel owner said that there is a very small restaurant with wonderful food that is definitely worth going to for dinner. You have to call to make a reservation, because they prepare the food during the day. I can't remember the name for the life of me, but we tried to make a reservation the whole time we were there, but we couldn't because it was already full. In other words, it must be SO GOOD!!!! If you know the name of the restaurant, please share it with us here in the comments.
Day 5 – Sunday (10/03/2013)
We woke up very early and walked to the Hostel Coconut, which is right in front of the main square. From there, the people of Caribbean Tours would take us to Puerto Viejo. We left promptly with a few other gringos and took a boat to the mainland. From there, we took a van and headed to Costa Rica, on a somewhat strange route. I told you more in post from Puerto Viejo.
To learn more about our 30-day trip through Central America (Jamaica, Costa Rica and Panama), click on the links below:
0 responses
The name of the restaurant you mentioned must be Guari-Guari!
Yes, that's it!!! I just saw it here on Google. Wonderful!
What time of year did you go?
I went in March/April. Abs
Hi!! Would it be possible to tell me more or less how much you spent? In total, or in each city, you can send me an email if you want. ludmilaagalvan@outlook.com
Hi!! Gosh, I don’t remember anymore 🙁 If I had asked closer to the end of the trip, I would have written everything down in my notebook. Sorry…