Starfish Beach / Playa de las Estrellas - Bocas del Toro, Panama
by Rebecca Hollman
updated March 13, 2019
Starfish Beach - Bocas del Toro, Panama
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 to 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. It is the best swimming beach on Colón, with it’s calm and perfectly blue water.
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 Information to Know
Although it is called Starfish Beach and there are some starfish 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.
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.
Isla Pájaros
ABOUT: This small island off the north end of Colón is a migratory bird sanctuary for many species of tropical birds. Most people never venture out to this point but it is quite a beautiful, lush island with inlets into the side of the rock face of the island. To get here you either need to take an organized tour boat that goes to Starfish Beach and the island or you can hire your own water taxi to take you there (but this will be much more expensive).
Getting There
The tours are around $30 for the day and would last around 4-5 hours. You can book a tour at any of the tour agencies in town, but you should book your tour the day before. Tour boats leave between 8:30-10 depending on the company and tour. Hiring your own water boat to take you to the island and wait with you would be around $50-100 depending on how long you are out. If you have a big group of people, this option could actually be more economic.