Archipiélago de Bocas del Toro

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Overview

For most travelers, the archipelago is Bocas del Toro. Caribbean clichés aside, there’s no shortage of postcard-pretty beaches, emerald waters and swaying palms, and scads of things to see and do.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

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Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos

Isla Bastimentos

Established in 1988, this 132-sq-km marine park was Panama's first. Protecting 130 islands of the Bocas del Toro archipelago, including the coral-fringed…

A howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus) is seen in Barro Colorodo island, in the artificial Gatun Lake of the Panama Canal on November 23, 2015. The island was declared a nature reserve on April 17, 1923 by the U.S. government. It was initially administered by the Panama Canal Company, and since 1946 it has been administered by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, forming the Barro Colorado Nature Monument together with five adjacent peninsulas. AFP PHOTO / Rodrigo ARANGUA / AFP / RODRIGO ARANGUA (Photo credit should read RODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP/Getty Images)

Finca Los Monos Botanical Garden

Bocas del Toro Town

One of the joys of visiting Bocas is touring the 'Monkey Farm' botanical garden a couple of kilometers northwest of the center. Painstakingly carved out…

Playa Bluff

Isla Colón

This lovely beach is pounded by intense waves. Though you wouldn’t want to get into the water here without a board, the soft, yellow sand and palm-fringed…

Orange sea stars at Starfish Beach on Isla Colon, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Boca del Drago

Isla Colón

Boca del Drago, in the northwest of Isla Colón, is one of the best beaches on the island, though the surf can be rough at times. Just offshore from the…

Nivida Bat Cave

Isla Bastimentos

One of Bastimentos' most fascinating natural wonders, Nivida is a massive cavern with swarms of nectar bats and a subterranean lake. The cave lies within…

La Gruta

Bocas del Toro Town

If sun, sand and surf isn't your thing then consider a trip to this cave in Colonia Santeña, a small village of cattle farmers 7km northwest of Bocas town…

Playa Larga

Isla Bastimentos

This 6km-long beach on the southeast side of the island falls under the protection of the marine park. Hawksbill, leatherback and green sea turtles nest…

Red Frog Beach

Isla Bastimentos

Small but perfectly formed, Red Frog Beach is named after the rana rojo (strawberry poison-dart frog), an amphibian you're most unlikely to encounter here…

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