Central America
Panama
Bocas del Toro Province
Isla Colon
Bocas Town
Things to Do in Bocas Town
Outdoor activities in Bocas Town

THE 10 BEST Outdoor Activities in Bocas Town

Outdoor Activities in Bocas Town

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What travelers are saying

  • PondHopper23
    Atlanta, GA70 contributions
    Beautiful Scenery
    I was not sure what to expect, but overall liked visiting this beach. Our taxi dropped us off at Drago. You can take the walking path from there, which goes through a beautiful jungle (nice photo opps) and takes around 15 minutes. Or you can hire one of the boats, which I believe charged my family of 3 about $10 (we walked there and took a boat back). The walking path is a bit adventurous at times - having to cross a log or two and jump over some puddles. Would not be ideal for senior citizens. When we got to Starfish, I heeded others' advice and we walked well past all of the vendors/restaurants and set up on the far end of beach. The sand where you can sunbathe is very narrow and it got crowded fast. If you go early, you will have more privacy and a better chance for photos without people in them. The water was clear and gorgeous. We saw some starfish and took great photos. I loved swimming in this beautiful ocean and seeing starfish and also looking back at the shore with the palm trees. So tropical! Sitting on the beach was not great. There was a foul odor from the swamp behind the beach. It was very hot, and as mentioned, it got crowded with not much personal space. It was hard to find a restroom. I walked back towards the cluster of restaurants and found a couple of them. They were in poor condition (water on floor, little TP available - bring your own to be safe). There were signs saying you had to pay $1 to use the restroom, but I did not see it enforced or know who to pay. When we were ready to leave, we didn't know how/where to catch a boat. The best place seemed to be in the area where all the vendors were set up. We asked one guy and he went and told another boat to take us. When we got back to Drago, we were stranded for awhile. There were no taxis around and the bus to town was not for 45 minutes. I also couldn't get an internet connection. I recommend to pre-arrange your pick-up with a driver for a certain time unless you plan to take the bus. The bus ride itself was an experience. It was air-conditioned which was nice. They played music and picked up lots of people on the bumpy way back to town. They took us to the center of town (Centro). A local told me from there if you need a cab, walk to the park. This worked for us to get from Centro to our rental house. There was also a restaurant across from the park (Mama's Kitchen) that had Wi-Fi, cold drinks and good restrooms. We did not eat there so I can't comment on the food.
    Review of: Starfish Beach
    Written January 16, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Oatgirl12
    New Berlin, WI352 contributions
    Nice Beaches - our best beach day
    Our best beach day was just past Boca del Drago when we rode here on an ATV, and then walked the trail to Starfish Beach. A cute town with a few restaurants. Boca del Drago itself seems to have limited beach space, or you need to be a customer of a restaurant to sit on the beach.
    Review of: Boca del Drago
    Written January 13, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Hope B
    Cleveland, OH85 contributions
    Perfect day on the ATV
    We did a full day rental of the ATV and paid for the extra jungle portion. Highly recommend doing this for a day! They gave great directions of places to check out, and these areas are private so they are nearly empty. We spent an afternoon lounging by the ocean with no one else in sight. You will get muddy on the ride, so plan for that. Would do this trip again!
    Review of: Flying Pirates
    Written April 24, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Josee M
    Ottawa, Canada24 contributions
    Wonderful day touring Bocas
    Great e-bikes and friendly staff. Took the bikes to the Bluff and had a great time on the beach. Bikes were new and we had no issues. Would recommend this location as they speak English and were very helpful.
    Review of: Bocas Ebikes
    Written March 4, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Laura L
    13 contributions
    Adventure in the djungle!
    Narcisco picked us up at our Air BnB at Dolphin Bay. We enjoyed the boats trip to the other side of Isla Cristobal. Our horses were ready with comfortable western saddles.
    The horses looked a little tired and not as clean as the horses in a riding stable in Germany of course. When we started to ride I was happy to see how well they were trained. I do have a horse on my own, so I can tell they were reacting very good to all signals. They were quite fit and made it with us through the deepest jungle up to an amazing view point. I have never been more close to nature on any other trip. We felt quite adventurous. I recommend a tour with Narcisco also for non experienced riders since the horses are very calm and save. Thanks for this great tour even on very short notice. :)
    Review of: Panama Horseback Adventures
    Written February 26, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • borstilicious
    Cologne, Germany54 contributions
    Great dive center with awesome staff!
    Great diving center and great staff. Although it was just our 5th and 6th dive, we felt very secure and prepared for the dive. Organisation was great!
    Review of: Bocas Dive Center
    Written May 1, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Lisa
    1 contribution
    Amazing also for beginners!
    Thank you so much for the great diving day and also for explaining everything very detailed with also practicing different things in the water. I felt really saved and can only recommend the diving Center.
    Review of: La Buga Dive Center & Surf School
    Written March 14, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Raquel C
    4 contributions
    Great dives!
    Great dives with Martina. She showed us a lot of underwater life and made the experience enjoyable. Gracias Martina!
    Review of: Bocas Diving Pirates
    Written April 6, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Elena C
    Vicenza, Italy22 contributions
    Amazing experience!
    We went on a tour for cayo Zapatillia. The guide Emanuel and the captain Beppe were extremely friendly and very skilled.
    They enabled to stay long time on the island and they also get us to do snorkelling activity and to see Delphins on their natural environment.
    We loved the fact that they explained us so many new things about the archipelago of Bocas del Toro.
    Most of all they really cared about making our experience remarkable and unique.
    For sure the best organised tour of our life: right number of people and appropriate time spent for each activity.
    They were speaking fluent English and Spanish .
    Kawi Vojage with Emanuel and Beppe was a great way to explore the islands of the archipelago having great time.
    Review of: Kawi Voyage
    Written April 29, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • candice g
    1 contribution
    Comfortable, reliable shuttle
    Great service! Got a shuttle from Santa Catalina to boquete.
    Air con and comfortable ride, dropped off right outside my hotel
    Great communication via watsapp during booking
    Review of: Hello Travel Panama
    Written May 12, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Kevin D
    8 contributions
    A truly unique place
    I can’t say enough about this amazing sanctuary, Francine and all of her staff. The visit we made today has really touched my heart. We were greeted by Francine and some of the staff AND Gigi! I have only seen monkeys in captivity that were stressed out and very upset. Gigi is definitely the ambassador of Monkey Island. I was a bit nervous but Gigi let me know things were very cool at her place.

    Francine told us about her life journey that brought her here and her commitment to these beautiful primates. We were given a tour and Gigi kept a close eye on our progress. We walked over to the capuchins enclosure and we learned about their eccentricities. They were pretty active so we went back to another area with some very young monkeys that Francine was nurturing.

    The more we listened to Francine it was clear she has one of the biggest hearts you will ever experience, truly one of the most unique and caring people I have ever encountered. I wish we could have chatted all day but she has a lot of “monkey business” to tend to. We viewed the rest of the property before starting the trip back to our accommodations. I wish I could go back!

    This is probably the best tour I’ve taken in a decade, don’t miss out. Be kind and respect this unique sanctuary for what it is. A safe place for at risk primates. Say hi to Gigi!!!
    Review of: Monkey Island Bocas
    Written August 11, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Cat C
    Fort Collins, Colorado6 contributions
    Great day on the water
    We had a great sail with Antonio who is very knowledgeable about the areas we stopped at. Snorkeled twice and saw beaufiful fish and coral and needle fish along with moon jelly fish. He played wonderful music and treated us to a lovely lunch
    Review of: Jager Knights Tours
    Written December 27, 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Gaston A
    1 contribution
    Awesome Experience
    We had an incredible fishing day with Marcel. He is super profesional, in 6 hours we could catch tarpon, barracuda, jacks and mackerel. I recommend this services!!
    Review of: Sportfishing Bocas del Toro
    Written September 13, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Red
    4 contributions
    Great surf coaching with Manuel and Manuela
    I took 2 days to surf with Manuel and Manuela. I am an absolute beginner, and Manuel was a great coach from A to Z.
    The spots, the waves, were just great.
    Highly recommend.
    Review of: Bocas Surf School & Hostel
    Written August 26, 2018
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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