Beauty and the Beach - Bocas del Toro, Panama

Giving the archipelago of Bocas del Toro an epithet is easy: Paradise Islands. Describing it in a limited amount of words could be more difficult; anyone who has been there will be guaranteed to wax lyrical about it for hours and before you know it you will have booked a flight to this group of islands that are slap bang in the middle of the Caribbean, surrounded by coral reefs and home to an abundance of wildlife.

 

Boats from mainland Panama arrive at the jetty of Bocas Town - a teardrop-shape on the tip of, the largest of the islands, Isla Colon. The town takes up less than 10% of the island, the rest of which is covered by impenetrable jungle. The next hurdle as you leap nimbly (or stumble-trip as we did) off the boat is to find a place to rest your weary head. Bocas caters both for the very rich; who can hire a private island should they so desire, and also for the more economically-minded, with a profusion of hostels scattered around the town.

 

We stayed at a hostel called Aqua Lounge; and when it describes itself as a hostel on the water, it is meant literally. Built on stilts over the azure Caribbean, it is the perfect jumping off point for the islands, the various boat trips, and of course, simply leaping off of the swing and into the sea. We did, however, discover certain hazards of living on the sea. Firstly, woe betide you should you drop a coin; there is little you can do but watch it slip through the floorboards and sink to the glittering seabed beneath your room. Secondly, should you imbibe an excessive amount of alcohol whilst this close to the edge, you will be sure to involuntarily take in an equal amount of seawater.

 

One of the best things about Bocas is the hot, spicy Creole food for which the Caribbean is renowned; forget rice and beans, this place has far more to offer.

At one point during our stay we got ambitious and managed to winkle out a fisherman. After a bewildering display of miming and Spanglish, (bewildering for him; though perfectly obvious to us…) we eventually secured ourselves the next day’s catch of lobster. Having returned with our booty still waving tentacles and snapping pincers, we cooked them that evening under the instruction of the hostel chef, and ate sitting with our legs dangling over the edge of the decking, watching the sun set over the mangroves of the other island.

The exploration of the archipelago itself is something of an adventure. On Isla Colon you can buy a pineapple, hire a bike and cycle the single road along the coast to spend a happy afternoon at any number of empty beaches along the way. For journeys further afield, there is a bevy of boatmen competing to win your attention, so plenty of choice for places to go. Whether you want a hard-core canoeing workout, a visit to the nearby national wildlife reserve, or a lift to the nearest surfing beach, they can do it all. We plumped for a day’s boat trip around Isla Bastimentos, with dolphins following in our wake playing in the waves. The boat stopped at various points for snorkelling – the vibrant coral beneath us being busily excavated by hundreds of acid-coloured tropical fish, and, having notched up an impressive sunburn on my back from floating above the reefs, we went to even it up on the stunning Red Frog Beach, which, yes you guessed it, is home to hundreds of tiny red frogs, no bigger than a thumbnail, and which provide endless fun for the kids trying to catch them. Slippery little customers, those frogs.

 

Another day, another adventure; this time to the island of Swan Cay, to the north of Colon, also known as Bird Island as it is the motorway services stopover for birds migrating from South America to warmer climes. Swan Cay, although very small, makes up for its size with drama. The vicious, towering cliff on the one side is home to many a teetering nest, while on the other is a shallow bay tapering into a 5 foot wide beach. The island itself is fiercely guarded by the birds; they were not remotely afraid of us and were very willing to have a stand-off, or possibly flap-off, should any human stray too close. On returning to the boat our guide produced hot chicken and chilled beer from the same box; and floated us back over the starfish-covered seabed, fishing line in tow, waiting for dinner to attach itself to his line. Paradise indeed.

 

Further information

• www.bocasdeltoro.com
• Boats run from Almirante on the mainland, easily reached from the border with Costa Rica, or on a night bus from Panama City. There is also an airstrip on Isla Colon should you feel like travelling in style.

Helena Parker with photos courtesy of Jen Hunter