20 Things To Do In Bocas For Less Than $20
by Rebecca Hollman
updated March 14, 2019
Bocas del Toro, Panama
It can be easy to fall into the tour trap while traveling in another country. It can be difficult to see some of the things an area has to offer without going on a tour, but we’ve compiled a list of 20 things to do in Bocas without going on a tour, and without paying tour prices. Bocas can be very expensive considering it is a very popular tourist destination, but we’ve created a list of 20 things you can do in Bocas del Toro for less than $20.
Table of Contents
1. Walk the Carenero Island Trail
ABOUT: Carenero is the smallest island (that is not a cayo) in Bocas and has a trail that goes all the way around the island. You can walk around the whole island in about 2 hours if you don’t stop along the way. This is a nice way to see the whole island and to get to more remote beaches and swimming spots. Part of the walk will be going by the popular area of Carenero – along all the restaurants – other parts will be totally remote and other spots will be going through residential areas, both expat and local. The trail is hard to see in some spots but this is the only trail and/or walking path on the island so it’s pretty easy to find your way back on. I would make sure to have decent shoes, a bathing suit and some water before starting your walk.
GETTING THERE: Start by taking a water taxi from Bocas Town to Carenero. You can start along the trail at any spot on the island so it doesn’t really matter where you start or in which direction you walk it. I usually have the driver drop me at the Bibi’s dock and then start to the right of Bibi’s. No matter where you start, a boat ride from Bocas Town to Carenero should only be $2. From there, just follow the trail to either the right or left. If you can’t obviously see the trail, just keep walking along the water’s edge until you find it again.
TOTAL COST: $4. The boat ride from Bocas Town to Bibi’s (or whatever dropping point on Carenero) is $2 each way.
LEARN MORE ABOUT CARENERO HERE
2. Lay on Carenero Beach Next to Bibi’s
ABOUT: Carenero has a perfect little strip of beach to the left of Bibi’s which has white sand and is great for relaxing on. The ocean in front of it is a sand bar until almost 100 meters away from the shore. This is a perfect spot for swimming because the waves are dissipated by rocks and the deepest it gets is about shoulder deep.
GETTING THERE: Take a water taxi from Bocas Town to Carenero for $2. Have the taxi driver drop you off at Bibi’s dock. The beach will be directly in front of and to the right of the dock that they drop you off at.
TOTAL COST: $4. The boat ride from Bocas Town to Bibi’s (or whatever dropping point on Carenero) is $2 each way.
3. Aqua Lounge
ABOUT: Aqua Lounge is a restaurant and bar located on Carenero facing directly towards Bocas Town. This is a good place to chill during the day since they have a slackline over water, beach chairs to lay on, and a platform to jump into the ocean. It’s also a fun place to hang out to watch the sunset or to get drinks at the bar at night.
GETTING THERE: This is probably the easiest place to get to from Bocas Town. Grab a water taxi for $1 and tell them you want to go to Aqua Lounge – it will take all of 1 minute to get there. You can either have Aqua Lounge call you a taxi back or you can just wave one down from the dock.
OTHER IMPORTANT INFO TO KNOW: Filthy Friday’s uses Aqua Lounge as one of its stops. I don’t think it is even possible to go here on Friday, but if it is, I would suggest you still not go. Filthy Friday’s is a day long party of backpackers that moves from bar to bar around the islands. I would avoid any place associated with the event on Friday unless you want to go to Filthy Friday’s – then sign up the day before and follow the set schedule.
TOTAL COST: $2. $1 each way for the water taxi. Cost not including the price of food/drinks if you get them.
4. The Blue Coconut
ABOUT: The Blue Coconut is a restaurant/bar located on its own small island off of the island of Solarte. It has a giant patio with lots of beach chairs to lay out on and also hammocks swinging above and sometime in the ocean. The water here is perfectly blue and about waist deep so you can get in for a swim and snorkeling. The restaurant has snorkeling masks for free but you have to ask them directly if you can use them. This is a good place to spend the day in the sun and swimming in the crystal, blue water. This is also a great spot to watch the sunset! Lots of places on Bocas, especially on Colon, are facing the opposite direction of the sunset so there is few good sunset watching opportunities. Come to the Blue Coconut mid-afternoon to catch some sun and then stay to watch the sunset before heading back on a water taxi.
GETTING THERE: Grab a water taxi in Bocas Town and tell them you want to go to the Blue Coconut. The taxi costs $5 per person each way. The restaurant can call you a taxi whenever you want to go back or you can arrange for the guy who dropped you off to come back and pick you up at a set time.
OTHER IMPORTANT INFO TO KNOW: Filthy Friday’s uses Blue Coconut as one of its stops. I don’t think it is even possible to go here on Friday, but if it is, I would suggest you still not go. Filthy Friday’s is a day long party of backpackers that moves from bar to bar around the islands. I would avoid any place associated with the event on Friday unless you want to go to Filthy Friday’s – then sign up the day before and follow the set schedule.
TOTAL COST: $10. $5 for the water taxi each way. Not including if you buy food or alcohol.
5. Wizard Beach
ABOUT: Wizard Beach is a remote and beautiful beach on the eastern side of Bastimentos. It has no infrastructure and very few visitors per day and so is a great way to really feel like you are on a remote tropical island. The walk to Wizard Beach is about 40 minutes through the jungle from the dock where a water taxi would drop you off. The walk is mildly steep and extremely hot during the peak of the day but gives you a nice view of the interior jungle of Bastimentos. Make sure to bring plenty of water with you, and maybe also food depending on how long you will be there.
GETTING THERE: You will need to take a water taxi from Bocas Town to Old Bank on Bastimentos. Old Bank only has one sidewalk as the main “road” so follow this sidewalk to the right from where the boat drops you off until you reach a sign that says Wizard Beach with an arrow to the left. This sign is about 15-20 minutes from the dock and the sidewalk goes underneath the sign. If you follow the trail to the left where the sign is, it will wind through people’s yards and can be a little bit confusing. Try to stick to the bigger trail if it splits. There is one split where they look the same size – stick to the left and go up the concrete block stairs. Eventually you will go out of Old Bank and the rest of the trail is obviously marked and through the jungle. You can come back on this same route, or you can take an alternate route to stop at Up in the Hill – an organic coffee and cacao farm. If you want to reach Up in the Hill, start walking back on the same trail and split off to the right when you see a painted flower made out of plastic nailed onto a tree. These flowers are the trail markers for Up in the Hill and will be on trees every so often on the way. The split off doesn’t seem like a well-traversed trail, but if you see the first flower then this is the right way. Eventually you will step over a root and go through a tiny break in a barbed wire fence and the trail will continue through rolling pastures. You will reach the jungle again and the trail will start to incline until you reach a wooden fence with a Up in the Hill sign. Pass through the fence and take the last steps up to the cafe. To get back to Old Bank from Up in the Hill, leave out to the right (the different entrance than where you came in) and follow the big trail all the way down the hill past some other homes and businesses until you come out directly in the heart of Old Bank. Boats from Bocas Town to Old Bank cost $4 per person each way.
OTHER IMPORTANT INFO TO KNOW: A tourist was murdered walking on the trail to Wizard Beach in 2016. Because of this, the Panamanian government brought in a military presence to Bocas and enlisted police to always be present along the trail. This event was truly a one-off situation and nothing has happened along the trail since. However, I would strongly advise not to walk on the trail alone (especially as a solo female) and to not walk along the trail after dark. I would not let this fact discourage you from visiting Wizard Beach because it is safe, but it is good to know to be aware of your surroundings and to also not bring valuables.
TOTAL COST: $8. $4 each way for the water taxi.
LEARN MORE ABOUT WIZARD BEACH HERE
6. Red Frog Beach
ABOUT: Red Frog is technically the same beach as Wizard Beach, just farther down along the same side of Bastimentos. It’s not possible to walk to Red Frog from Wizard, you would have to take a boat from either Bocas Town or Old Bank to Red Frog. However, this beach has all the same beauty as Wizard but much more amenities. There are many hotels, hostels and restaurants scattered along Red Frog Beach. Many people spend a couple of nights at a hotel on Red Frog while they are in Bocas. The waves and currents here are still pretty aggressive, like most places in Bocas, but you can swim at this beach if you are aware of your surroundings and careful. There is also a chance to surf at Red Frog depending on the swell. This is a great beach to spend the day in the sun and water, with the opportunity to walk to a restaurant and grab a smoothie or a bite to eat.
GETTING THERE: To get there you will need to take a water taxi from either Bocas Town or Old Bank to Red Frog. Depending on where you are going, you can either go to Red Frog Marina or “the shortcut to Red Frog.” If you are just spending the day on Red Frog, the driver will most likely drop you off at the shortcut. You will follow the trail from the dock about 15 minutes to the other side of the island where i will open up into a big expanse of beach. Right when you get off the dock, you will need to pass by a stand where they charge you $5 to enter Red Frog for the day. Alternatively, if you are staying at a hotel on Red Frog, they will likely drop you directly at the Red Frog Marina. Boats from Bocas Town cost $5 per person to Red Frog each way.
TOTAL COST: $15. $5 each way for the water taxi plus $5 to enter the reserve.
LEARN MORE ABOUT RED FROG BEACH HERE
7. Up in the Hill Coffee and Cacao Farm
ABOUT: This organic cacao farm is nestled up in the jungle in the middle of Bastimentos. It is a super cute cafe that serves coffee, cacao drinks, wraps, veggie burgers, and amazing banana cake. They also sell coconut oil, coconut oil products, cacao products, and beeswax products for all sorts of uses – moisturizer, shampoo, bug spray, etc. Besides being a cute cafe to hang out at, they also do tours of the farm and explain the process of growing cacao and turning it into cocoa powder and other products. Tours only go at certain times of the day. You also have a very high chance of seeing strawberry poison dart frogs around the gardens of the cafe. This type of poison dart frog is only found on Bastimentos, out of the entire world. The lady who owns Up in the Hill will most likely help you find a frog to take photos of.
GETTING THERE: If you are going to just Up in the Hill and not Wizard Beach, then you will take the first direct route to Up in the Hill. When you get off the water taxi at Old Bank, you will walk a little bit along the sidewalk to the right but will almost immediately see a sign pointing to the left that says Up in the Hill. Follow this sign along the marked trail all the way to the cafe. If you are going to Wizard Beach, you can either go to Up in the Hill first and then go to the beach or go to the beach first and then to the cafe. If you go to Up in the Hill first, follow the same path as mentioned before and then leave Up in the Hill out the back entrance, down a path lined with pink hibiscus and other flowers. From there the path will descend out of the jungle and into more open pastures. The trail is always marked with painted flowers made out of plastic that are nailed to trees. These trail markers will be every so often so make sure to look out for these and stay on the path with these markers. Eventually this trail will run into the Wizard Beach trail and you will walk along the normal Wizard Beach trail for 5 minutes before reaching the beach. If you want to go to Wizard Beach first and then Up in the Hill, read the directions under the Getting There section of Wizard Beach above. Water taxis from Bocas Town to Old Bank cost $4 per person each way.
TOTAL COST: $8-$20. $4 each way for the water taxi plus whatever you spend on food/coffee/chocolate at the cafe.
LEARN MORE ABOUT UP IN THE HILL HERE
8. Starfish Beach / Playa de las Estrellas
ABOUT: Starfish Beach is on the other side of the island from most of the things to do on Colón, but it is worth the trip to the other side. Colón only has one major road that splits just outside of Bocas Town – one leading up to Paunch and Bluff and the other split leading Starfish and Boca del Drago. Most everyone stays to the Bluff side of Colón, but the crystal blue waters of Starfish draw people to the other side of this relatively large island.
GETTING THERE: To get to Starfish, you can take a colectivo from the park at the center of town. There are small 20 person white vans labeled Playa Boca del Drago across the windshield that will take you to Starfish Beach for $2.50 each way. If you have a group of people, you could also take a taxi from town but it will be more expensive. The colectivos leave pretty much every 30 minutes and also come back from Starfish every 30 minutes (up until the last colectivo at 6 PM). The colectivo will drop you off at a restaurant called Yarisnori which is on Playa Boca del Drago. You could sit on the beach chairs here at Boca del Drago and enjoy some time, but if you want to reach Starfish you are going to have to walk 15 minutes along a trail from Boca del Drago.
The trail goes from the restaurant along the beach past a few private homes (and across someones dock that says private property but just keep going over the dock and past it along the trail). Soon, the trail will go out of people’s yards and into the trees, where you will follow it 15 minutes to Starfish. All along the path are areas to stop and get in the water which are arguably better than Starfish itself. The beach along this area is just as nice, has more starfish and WAY less people. Starfish Beach is nice but it is generally very crowded. Once you follow the path to the end, you will reach a handful of restaurants along the beach and lots of sitting areas.
OTHER INFO TO KNOW: Although it is called Starfish Beach and there are some starfish there in the water, don’t expect there to be thousands of starfish around. However, the water is insanely blue here and also perfectly calm (versus the aggressive waves of Bluff and Paunch on the other side of the island). Because of that, this is the nicest swimming beach on Colón. Going to Starfish Beach, Playa Boca del Drago and the Bat Caves (La Gruta) would make a great day on Bocas. You can also additionally take a boat tour from Bocas Town that will bring you to Starfish Beach and also Isla Pájaros.
TOTAL COST: $5. $2.50 each way for the colectivo. Not including any lunch/drinks.
LEARN MORE ABOUT STARFISH BEACH HERE
9. Playa Boca del Drago
ABOUT: As mentioned above, Playa Boca del Drago and Playa de las Estrellas (Starfish Beach) are right next to each other. You could go spend the day at just Boca del Drago, but if you’re going over there you might as well visit Starfish Beach at the same time.
GETTING THERE: You get to Boca del Drago the same way you would get to Starfish. To get to Boca del Drago, you can take a colectivo from the park at the center of town. There are small 20 person white vans labeled Playa Boca del Drago across the windshield that will take you there for $2.50 each way. If you have a group of people, you could also take a taxi from town but it will be more expensive. The colectivos leave pretty much every 30 minutes and also come back from Starfish every 30 minutes (up until the last colectivo at 6 PM). The colectivo will drop you off at a restaurant called Yarisnori which is on Playa Boca del Drago.
TOTAL COST: $5. $2.50 each way for the colectivo.
10. Bat Caves / La Gruta
ABOUT: About half way from Bocas Town to Starfish Beach there are bat caves called La Gruta that you can walk through and listen to the bats making noise. It is about a 10 minute walk to go through the caves and there are literally thousands of bats hanging in there during the day. There is an old lady outside that will charge you $1 USD to enter the caves.
GETTING THERE: To get there, get on a colectivo going to Boca del Drago in town. Tell the driver (or his assistant) that you want to stop at La Gruta. The first colectivo will drop you off at the bat caves and keep going. After you go through the caves, come back out on the road and wave down the next colectivo you see. The only colectivos on this road will all be going to Boca del Drago. You could also do it in reverse, and have a colectivo drop you off at the cave on your way back to town from the beach. Make sure you give yourself enough time and that you don’t miss the last colectivo coming back (leaves Boca del Drago at 6 PM). You could also always get a taxi to take you to the caves but it would be more expensive. You would also probably want your taxi to wait for you to take you back because there are not that many taxis driving on this road.
TOTAL COST: $6. $2.50 each way for the colectivo plus the $1 entrance fee.
11. Mimbitimbi - Blue Lagoon and La Piscina
ABOUT: At the very north end of Colón, past Bluff, is the area known as Mimbitimbi. There are no restaurants, homes or hotels up at this end of the island and because of this, it is a little bit more difficult to reach. However, the flora of the island changes up this way and becomes more tall grass/open pasture versus the lowland tropical forest that comprises the rest of the island. Mimbitimbi is famous for two spots – the Blue Lagoon and La Piscina. La Piscina is a small bay where the ocean comes in and is sheltered from the relentless waves. This is a nice area for swimming since the water is calm. A little farther along is the Blue Lagoon. From the surface it doesn’t look that impressive, but from the water it is an incredibly beautiful experience. The water is clear all the way down to 15 feet and there are caves, slot canyons and other features of the reef that you can swim through and by. There are tons of small fishes and other sea life living in the sea grass along the side of the reef walls. Having a snorkeling mask here is a must! I would highly recommend going to the Blue Lagoon, as it is one of the most beautiful areas on all of Colón. If you have time, there are more attractions farther past the Blue Lagoon. There are bat caves and more beautiful unnamed beaches, but to reach this far you will need to walk A LOT and start your day very early.
GETTING THERE:
Option 1 – Walk: You can either walk all the way from town (which would take about 4 hours each way) or you can take a colectivo from town to the farthest end of Playa Bluff and walk the remainder (about 2 hours each way). This would be a full day adventure. There are a few restaurants along Bluff, but after that there are no facilities or places to get food or water, so make sure to bring everything you need.
Option 2 – Bicycle: You can bike there from town in about 2 hours. The road can be a bit bumpy, but is overall in good condition. After passing the gate, follow the trail called “Jungle Highway” along the coast. It is marked with signs occasionally and will always be the bigger and more maintained trail if the trail splits. You will eventually reach a sign that says La Piscina, and if you keep going straight on the Jungle Highway will reach a dead end, which is the Blue Lagoon.
OTHER INFO TO KNOW: Technically all of this area is leased by Flying Pirates, but is free to enter if you are walking or bicycling. You can go in if you have your own quad but it is $25 to access the area. The area is blocked by a gate after the end of Playa Bluff so only people and bicycles can go by unless you have the code from Flying Pirates. Besides Blue Lagoon and La Piscina, the end of Playa Bluff is equally as beautiful to explore. There are also ruins of one of Pablo Escobar’s cocaine processing buildings along the trail to Mimbitimbi.
TOTAL COST: $6-$15. Depending on the option you choose to get there, it can either cost $3 to take the colectivo to the end of Bluff each way or $10-$15 to rent a bicycle for the day.
12. Playa Bluff
ABOUT: Playa Bluff is the biggest beach on Colón and probably the most accessible. The beach itself is over 5 miles in length and it feels like you could keep walking on it forever. Bluff has easily the best sand because of its big beach area to lay on and because of the vibrant orange color of the sand. The contrast of the green palm trees right along the edge, the orange of the sand, and the bright blue of the water really is something to see. However, Playa Bluff is NOT a swimming beach. The waves crash in only 3 feet of water – so extremely close to the shore. These waves are heavy and powerful and the buffer zone is generally right where people get in to just wade around or play in the water. The rip tides and currents here are also very aggressive and so it is easy to get swept out to sea. A handful of tourists drown here each year. If you want to go to a beach to swim, either go to Starfish Beach or Sand Dollar Beach. Playa Bluff and Paunch are not swimming beaches. However, Bluff is a great beach to lay out on and spend the day in the sun or walking up and down the long stretch of coast. Bluff can also be a surf spot depending on the swell. If you are a good surfer and the swell is smaller, then you could go for a surf at Bluff. However, Bluff is known as a board breaker since the waves are crashing pretty much directly onto the sand of the sea floor. I would only surf at Bluff is you are at least an intermediate level surfer.
GETTING THERE: To get to Bluff, you can take a colectivo from the park at the center of town. There are small 20 person white vans labeled Playa Bluff across the windshield that will take you to Bluff for $1.50 each way. You can also bike to Bluff if you have a rental bike. It would probably take 45 minutes to an hour to bike from town. Taking a taxi is another option but it would probably be $6-8 one way per person.
TOTAL COST: $3-$15. Depending on the option you choose to get there, it can either cost $1.50 to take the colectivo to the beginning of Bluff each way or $10-$15 to rent a bicycle for the day.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PLAYA BLUFF HERE
13. Playa Paunch
ABOUT: Playa Paunch is not quite your typical beach – with no sand to lay on and reef all along the ocean floor that makes it impossible to walk or swim. However, it redeems itself with it’s surf. This is arguably the best spot, and most popular spot, to surf in Bocas. On small swells, it’s an easy wave to surf but getting in and out of the water is hard because you need to find a way through the reef. On big swells, only good surfers should attempt to surf there. When it’s a small day, anywhere between 2 to 5 feet, this is a good place for beginners – just wear booties or expect for your feet to get shredded. There are also strong rip tides here and certain current channels that will take you out and in of the surf break. Only confident and knowledgeable swimmers should try to surf here, regardless of swell size.
GETTING THERE: You can get there easily from town on a bike or with a taxi (around $4 per person). You could also take a colectivo headed to Bluff and have them drop you off earlier at Paunch but you would have to pay the whole colectivo trip amount ($1.50). You could also potentially walk but it would take about an hour. Paunch is not really marked but it is right after a blue house Airbnb called Casa Azul on the right.
TOTAL COST: $3-$15. Depending on the option you choose to get there, it can either cost $1.50 to take the colectivo to Paunch each way, $4 for a taxi each way, or $10-$15 to rent a bicycle for the day.
14. Paki Point / Tiger’s Tail
ABOUT: Paki Point is a restaurant located along the road from town to Playa Bluff. It’s a super cute restaurant right on the beach with Buddhist decor and tons of beach chairs and bags to lay on in the sun. It’s one of the better areas for laying in the sun all day or for coming to get sunset drinks. The restaurant is open from 11 AM to 7 PM but is mostly a lunch place with smoothies, coffee and drinks. Tiger’s Tail is a surf spot just in front of Paki Point and is a good option to surf if the swell is very small. Again, with most of this section of Colón, the seafloor is all reef here so it’s not really a swimming beach. Besides being a good option for food, this is just a good place to chill out all day in the sun.
GETTING THERE: Paki Point is about half way from town to Bluff. You can easily take a bike or a taxi there from town ($3 per person). It’s also possible to walk there from town but it would take you about 45 minutes.
TOTAL COST: $3-$15. Depending on the option you choose to get there, it can either cost $1.50 to take the colectivo to Paki Point each way, $3 for a taxi each way, or $10-$15 to rent a bicycle for the day.
15. Skully’s
ABOUT: Skully’s is a pirate bar, restaurant and hostel located on the beach on the way from town to Paunch. It is a great place to hang out during the day because it has its own strip of beach, games, a pool and comfy beach chairs. They serve food and alcohol the whole day and you could spend a whole day chilling in the sun and in the pool. They also have a pool table, a ping pong table, a tetherball, a slack line, and a fire pit so there are an amplitude of activities to do here. This is also a nice place to spend sunset for drinks and you could also hang here at night around the bar and fire pit.
GETTING THERE: Skully’s is located right on the main road from town to Bluff – about 10 minutes by car and 40 minutes by foot. It is across the street from Ciao Pizza. It is also the same place as Flying Pirates – which is where you can rent bicycles and quads.
TOTAL COST: $6-$15. Depending on the option you choose to get there, it can either cost $3 for a taxi each way, or $10-$15 to rent a bicycle for the day. Not including food/alcohol.
16. Sand Dollar Beach
ABOUT: Before reaching Paunch, there are a handful of beaches protected by bays that have sand bottoms (not reef!) and have small to no waves. These beaches are the best in this area for swimming since they don’t have reef and strong currents. The water here is a little bit murky but if you want to get in for a swim, this is your beach. Sand Dollar Beach is probably the best of these beaches and has a nice strip of sand to lay on and also some private docks. The beach is not marked on Google Maps by name, but it is the beach directly in front of the Sand Dollar Hotel. During certain times of the year there are algae blooms on these beaches and therefore they are not suitable for swimming.
GETTING THERE: Sand Dollar Beach is right before Playa Tortuga as you head on the road north from town. It is the small beach directly across from the Sand Dollar Hotel. It would be about a 5 minute drive from town, and a 20-30 minute walk.
TOTAL COST: $3-$15. Depending on the option you choose to get there, it can either cost $3 for a taxi each way, or $10-$15 to rent a bicycle for the day. Not including food/alcohol. There are other swimming beaches closer to town if you don’t want to pay for a taxi. If you turn right on a side street right after the Bocas Hospital it will put you out on a beach where it is nice to swim and lay on the beach. This is walking distance from town and so would be free.
17. Finca los Monos Botanical Garden
ABOUT: This is an extensive piece of land owned by one lady who has been running and caring for it for years. She occasionally does tours of the garden where you can see tons of native flora and fauna of Bocas. Tours last an hour and are free to the public. You have a very good chance of seeing howler monkeys, capuchins, sloths, poison dart frogs, and occasionally an anteater or agouti. Tours only run at 8:30 AM on Friday and 1 PM on Monday.
GETTING THERE: Finca Los Monos is not on Google Maps but is pretty obviously marked on the road. Going north from town towards Bluff, you will see a large brown wood sign that says Finca Los Monos Botanical Garden on the left. It is about a 10 minute drive or 30-40 minute walk from town.
TOTAL COST: $6. $3 each way for a taxi from town.
18. Smithsonian Center for Tropical Research
ABOUT: The Smithsonian Center for Tropical Research is a research station located on Bocas. Bocas has an incredible amount of biodiversity and is a perfect place for biodiversity and conservation research. Because of this, there are three research stations located on Bocas – all on Colon. The Smithsonian Center is the only one that is open to visitors. They do free one hour tours of the facility, the research labs and give an overview of the research they are working on. This is a fun way to spend an hour of your day if you are in any way a science nerd. The tours are free and go at 3 and 4 PM on Thursdays and Fridays.
GETTING THERE: The research center is on the way out of town, right after the one small, red gas station on the left. It is marked with a wooden sign and has a chain link fence around the property. The door in the chain link fence will be open during visitor hour times and you will walk in towards a small brown building where you will sign in.
TOTAL COST: $4. $2 each way for a taxi from town.
19. The Floating Bar
ABOUT: The name says it all. It’s a bar, and it’s floating. This cute little bar is located just outside the Bocas Marina on it’s own platform. They serve up delicious tacos and drinks all day and into night time. They have an upper deck, chairs to chill on, noodles to swim with, a platform for jumping off of, and plenty of sun. Bring a snorkel mask and you can swim to the nearby mangroves and shipwreck of The Southern Wind. You will probably see more starfish here than at Starfish Beach. This is a great place to hang out with friends and get some sun during the day, and then watch the sunset over some beer and tacos.
GETTING THERE: To get there, you need to take a water taxi from Bocas Town. Get a boat from any of the water taxi spots and tell them you want to go to the Floating Bar. Most taxi drivers should know where it is. If not, tell them the bar past Bocas Marina. An important thing to note is that The Floating Bar is only open during Bocas high season – which is from January to April or May. The rest of the year the bar is not there.
TOTAL COST: $4. $2 each way for the water taxi. Not including the price of food/alcohol.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FLOATING BAR HERE
20. Rent Kayaks at Bibi’s
ABOUT: Bibi’s is an amazing restaurant located on Carenero. They serve lunch and dinner and have mostly seafood but also an array of other food. Besides just being a good restaurant, they also have a patio area with beach chairs to lay in the sun. Grab a smoothie or a pina colada and relax in a chair for awhile. Bibi’s also rents kayaks and snorkel masks. You could either just rent a mask and snorkel around Bibi’s off of Carenero or you could rent both a kayak and a mask and head out to other snorkel spots. Depending on how long you want to go, you could kayak around the entire island of Carenero or just to a different spot on Carenero and back. You can also kayak across the channel to Solarte. You can see Hospital Point directly across from Bibi’s and it is possible to kayak to Solarte and snorkel over there as well. The current is going to bring you towards Bocas Town so remember to head a little bit to the left of Hospital Point if that’s where you want to end up. It might be smart to talk to the people working at Bibi’s to make sure there are no weird currents or wind that might affect you going across. It would take about an hour each way to go to Solarte and back.
GETTING THERE: Take a water taxi from Bocas Town to Bibi’s dock for $2. Tell your boat driver you want to go to Bibi’s on Carenero. They will drop you at a dock and Bibi’s is the first building to the right.
TOTAL COST: $14-19. $2 each way for the water taxi plus $10 to rent the kayak for the day. Optional to also rent a snorkel mask for $5.
