Choose Your Adventure in Panama's Caribbean Island Delight

Choose Your Adventure in Panama's Caribbean Island Delight
Bocas del Toro, Panama, is an island community where you can take life at your own pace. |©iStock/Nahuel Tomsich

As your little plane begins its descent onto the island of Isla Colon, the largest and most developed of the nine islands that make up Bocas del Toro (not to count the more than 200 tiny inlets and 52 keys), you can see clearly just how far its turquoise waters stretch around the colorful wooden houses on stilts in the water, the long streaks of white and tan sand, and the lush, jungle-thicketed islands.

When your plane arrives into the smallest airport you've ever seen, you spot a guitar on a table and wonder about it idly. The mystery is solved moments later when an older gentleman, his face full of character, picks it up and sings "Three Little Birds" while you wait for your bags.

Around you, everyone is smiling and swaying, lulled instantly into the slower pace of life that drew them here.

This is your introduction to Bocas del Toro. From here, it's time for you to choose an adventure that is all your own—and to design the kind of life that feels like paradise.

A Reward for Patience

I'm reminded, as I move through Bocas del Toro, of something an expat I met said to me. In his previous life, he suffered two severe and near-fatal health crises brought about entirely by his pressured job and high stress levels.

"In Panama, things move at their own pace," he told me. "I used to get impatient, but then I remembered that is exactly what I was trying to get away from." Since embracing that new attitude, he's seen his health transform and his happiness soar.

It's the sort of attitude that is rewarded in Bocas del Toro, especially when it comes to wildlife. Life here follows a rhythm you'd expect from a Caribbean island: unhurried, friendly, and naturally.

In modern life, the tendency to move too fast means you miss a lot of what makes the world beautiful. Not so in Bocas: laying in a hammock or sipping a coffee outside, you'll be rewarded with the sight of Capuchin and howler monkeys, hummingbirds and butterflies, tiny and rare red tree frogs, or even a sloth poking his head out from the undergrowth to give you a lazy smile.

Bocas del Toro is designed to favor those who want to slow down in life, but that doesn't mean you can't find excitement.

On Isla Colon, the main island, the action is concentrated in the little town center by the airport and marinas. Here, among the pastel wooden homes and hotels, you'll come to get all of life's essentials. It offers a choice of supermarkets (including gourmet and more local, low-cost options), doctors, a variety of restaurants and cuisines, laundry services, and even a place that provides essential health screens and blood tests with same-day to two-day results for a fraction of the cost of back home (including glucose for $8, cholesterol for $10, thyroid for $20, rheumatoid factor for $25, and testosterone levels for $50).

If you're a partier, Isla Colon's town center is also likely where you'll go, especially for their renowned "Filthy Fridays," where you can do a bar crawl over three islands, starting at 11.30 a.m. and ending way after dark. Outside of Filthy Fridays, there are many bars here, offering plentiful happy hours with $2 to $3 beers, two-for-one cocktails for $8 to $10, and music into the wee hours.

This is where you'll find the tourist activity kiosks and offices too: Island hopping or quad biking for $30 to $50, and souvenirs and trinkets are abundant. But, if none of that appeals to you, it's easy to leave it all behind and find the sort of peace and tranquility where it feels like you're the only person in the world.

The Appeal of Bocas del Toro

Though popular as a tourist destination, Bocas has still managed to avoid the over-commercialization you see in other popular Caribbean destinations. In the 10 years since I first visited, there's been some expansion, but it's still free from the kind of sprawling big-box tourist resorts seen in similar locales.

That means you can still find empty, palm-lined beaches (with options for surfers, swimmers, scuba divers, or snorkelers) on which to unwind and escape the noise of life.

On Isla Colon, a $5 or $6 bus ride, a cycle, or a quick drive will bring you to some of the most famous beaches: Playa Bluff, Starfish Beach, and Drago Bay. Catch a $1 to $10 water taxi, or base yourself on one of the other islands (Isla Bastimientos is the second-most popular destination after Isla Colon), and it gets even quieter: islands without roads where golf carts, bicycles, or your own two feet are the sole transportation.

Dining is affordable throughout Bocas and can be more affordable if you choose to eat like a local. You'll get a three-course meal with a cocktail, wine, or beers in one of the higher-end restaurants for $30 to $50 per person (eating well and including tip). Visit more local restaurants or cook with the plentiful fresh and affordable ingredients available (including farm fresh produce, fresh-caught fish, and even free-range meats for a couple of dollars over the price of supermarket meat), and you could slash that bill even further.

Rent is also incredibly reasonable (International Living does not recommend buying here). If you're a fan of a more rustic lifestyle, $700 a month will currently get you a one-bed, one-bathroom, fully furnished wooden cabin steps from the sea. If you prefer a bit more comfort, $950 will get you a two-floor, two-bedroom, one-bathroom, fully furnished home with air conditioning in a lush setting in Isla Colon (bills included).

The choice of a quiet life, wildlife, or partying until dawn? That's included for free with every Bocas stay.

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