Panama’s Bocas del Toro Archipelago turned out to be a little different from what we expected beforehand: sure, we found the beautiful palm-backed beaches we came to expect from other places in the Caribbean, but other parts of the islands presented themselves as noisy, dusty and far from idyllic.

We quickly realized that your experience on Bocas depends a lot on where you stay, and we were glad that we hadn’t booked our whole stay here in one place. Below, I’ll describe the most popular places to stay in Bocas and what travel style they fit best.

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Where to Stay in Bocas del Toro

Even though the islands aren’t huge, we found that each little corner had a bit of its own personality. Some places are perfect if you want empty beaches and quiet jungle trails, and others work better if you’re more into socializing and partying.

Bocas Town (Isla Colón)

This is where we chose to stay for our first two days, and honestly, it wasn’t the best introduction to Bocas. A US backpacker we met at the Lost and Found Hostel told us ‘Bocas Town is under construction’ and once we were there, we understood what he meant.

The entire town was ripped open, roads were being surfaced, buildings torn down, and new ones being constructed. To be fair, this might only be temporary, and the place could soon be all new and beautiful.

That didn’t change the fact that the town presented itself as very noisy and chaotic when we were there, and the traffic and congestion surely weren’t just due to the construction going on.

That said, there are two definite upsides to staying in Bocas Town: For one, this is the transport hub for the entire archipelago, and there are both buses to other parts of Isla Colón, and boats to the other nearby islands. Secondly, there are more cheap places to stay there than anywhere else on the islands.

Apart from that, it’s party central, especially when the weekly ‘Filthy Friday’ Party goes down. If that’s your kind of thing, you might want to base yourself here, as well. There are also tons of bars and restaurants in town, although it took us a while to find a place actually serving Panamanian food (if you have similar problems, try Restaurante Chitré).

Boca del Drago (Isla Colón)

If you’re like us and feel that you’re too old for partying, Boca del Drago is a much nicer part of Isla Colón to stay in. The tiny hamlet lies in very pretty surroundings on the north-western coast of the island, close to the popular Starfish Beach.

Everything moves at a slower pace here, and it is quieter than Bocas Town, but the beaches are still super popular, so if you want a quieter stay, you might want to consider staying at Playa Bluff or even one of the other islands.

Staying in Boca del Drago, you’ll also have to rely on the somewhat infrequent public bus to get to Bocas Town or anywhere else, which was very full when we took it back to town in the afternoon. Alternatively, there are sometimes taxis or locals with motorboats willing to take you to town for a higher price.

Playa Bluff (Isla Colón)

Playa Bluff was our favourite beach on Isla Colón and apart from the area around La Gruta, this was the quietest part of the island we came across. The beach itself is super beautiful and was all but deserted when we were there, but there’s also a strong undercurrent, which means that you usually can’t swim there.

The only downside to staying in that area, is that you’ll be a bit isolated, as there are no buses serving the coastal road. That means that you’ll either have to take a taxi (who are a bit rare in the area) or walk for about 1.5 hours to get to Bocas Town, but the way to town is mostly quite nice.

Red Frog Beach (Isla Bastimentos)

Isla Bastimentos felt like a world away from Isla Colón, as it’s much quieter, there’s no traffic and nightlife is basically non-existent. After Bocas Town, we really liked staying in the quiet-ish Red Frog Beach area.

That said, when you choose to base yourself here, you’ll have to take the ferry back to Isla Colón first if you want to go to the mainland or to any of the other islands, so it’s best to stick to exploring Isla Bastimentos while you’re here.

Most people we met confined themselves to the area around the two hotels and the eponymous beach. Once we started exploring the jungle trails and beaches of the surrounding area, we were completely by ourselves, including on the insanely beautiful 6km long Playa Larga. So make sure to actually get out and explore!

Old Bank (Isla Bastimentos)

Old Bank is the main village on Isla Bastimentos, and it feels very different from Bocas Town. Again, there are no cars here, just footpaths and little brightly-painted wooden houses, which are sometimes perched on stilts over the water.

The Afro-Caribbean culture is strong here, and there are definitely more locals than tourists (which we couldn’t say for Bocas Town). There are quite a few simple bars and restaurants, and it’s generally a good base to explore the western half of the island, including the pretty Wizard Beach and the surrounding jungle trails.

Isla Carenero and Isla Solarte

If you want to just hang around the beach for a while and not do much at all, you can pick one of the smaller islands in the archipelago to stay on.

One choice would be the tiny Isla Carenero, which sits in the bay between Isla Colón and Isla Bastimentos and is actually quite developed with lots of restaurants, beach bars and hotels.

Isla Solarte on the other hand, would be the island to pick if you really want to get away from it all. There are no roads, no town and not many amenities apart from a few tucked-away lodges.

We didn’t have a chance to check it out on this trip, but we met some people who raved about their stay here, and there are some dive operators based on the island, a lot of scuba divers also pick it as a base.

See Also

How to Spend 3 Amazing Days in Bocas del Toro, Panama

Our Top 5 Favourite Beaches in Panama’s Bocas del Toro Archipelago

Caving at La Gruta – Getting Off the Beaten Path in Bocas del Toro, Panama