It’s annual review time – my yearly post on what I got up to the entire previous year! I know you’ve been waiting for it!

Boy oh boy did this year just fly by. And yes, I tend to say that every year (haha). But not only is it the end of 2019, but the end of a decade (!!!). I read the other day that “if you were born in the 80s and raised in the 90s and make it to 2020… you have lived in 4 different decades, 2 different centuries, 2 different millennia’s and you’re not even 40 yet”. Kinda crazy if you ask me.

In the past decade I married my high school sweetheart (barf, I know), traveled to over 45 countries (and discovered my love for solo travel), graduated with my Masters Degree in speech language pathology and started my career in the field, moved to California after a whirlwind of a cross country road trip, bought our very first home, and most recently, adopted a puppy! It’s been a wild ride, and can’t wait to see what the next 10 years bring!

I could probably go on and on about the 2010s (let’s face it, I’m ridiculously wordy), so I’ll keep this year in review focused on 2019.

2019 in Numbers:

• Countries visited: 8 (Mexico, Panama, England, France, Indonesia, Canada, Japan, USA)
• States visited: 9 (California, Oregon, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Washington, Florida)
• Beds Slept in: 40 (yes, I counted!, and yes, I’m cookoo)
• Photos taken: thousands beyond thousands, aka too many to count
• Concerts: 4 (Lizzo/Halsey, USHER (!!!), Backstreet Boys, DMB)
• Broadway Shows: 6 (Hamilton, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mama Mia, Lion King, Beautiful, Legally Blonde + Beach Blanket Babylon)
• 101 in 1001 goals completed: a whole bunch

After going through my year, I’m always amazed just how much I crammed in. I keep thinking the previous year would be my last super hectic, run-around-the-world non-stop year, but I prove myself wrong each and every time. Although I did have more laid-back, chill-on-the-couch weekends, which was kinda nice.

[ If you’re extra curious (or just feeling a bit nosy), feel free to read past round-ups here: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, + 2018. Can’t believe this is my 7th year of recapping! ]

January

After ringing in the New Year in Mexico City with Noah (boy we ate a lot), I was already off on my first solo trip of the year. I was headed a few hours south to Oaxaca, dubbed the land of Mexican art + chocolate.

Despite only having a few days to explore, I really made the most of my time by feasting on tlayudas and tons of atole, memelas, and tejate on a chocolate and maiz tour, day tripping to the petrified waterfalls of Hierve al Agua and El Árbol del Tule (with some gals I had just met the previous day), marveling at all the cacti at the ethnobotanical gardens, and admiring all the local handicrafts at the local markets. 

One of the main highlights was a day spent out with En Via, an organization that empowers women by providing financial loans so they can open and continue their own businesses. I also made it to Teotitlan del Valle, a nearby village specializing in rug weaving, and San Marcos Tlapazola to watch the women make red pottery and giant tortillas. Oh, how I miss those squash blossom quesadillas and Oaxacan cheese.

Later on in the month, we were also lucky enough to meet up with our friends Lena and Bassam from Happily Ever Adventures for a fun weekend in San Luis Obispo.

We checked out cute brunch spots around town, blew bubbles at the gum wall, danced in the rain on Avila Beach, went dune bashing in Pismo Beach (PS – SO much fun on those crazy hills), and just spent lots of time loving on Buddy (their cute pup!). 

Of course we also managed an afternoon sipping wine and eating too much cheese off the fancy platter at DAO, with the rolling hills as our backdrop and Spanish architecture all around us. Our hotel, The Kinney, was the cutest and we played lots of late-night board games.

February 

Since living in San Francisco doesn’t really provide us with the joy of seasons, we like to “go to the snow” (a phrase I learned that Californians like to use) at least once a year. We chose the cute little(ish) mountain town of Bend, Oregon to get our snowy weekend fix for my birthday (Jan 31) with Visit Bend. 

Our time was spent snowshoeing through the wintery wilderness of the Oregon forests, learning all things photography at Smith Rock State Park (on a photo tour), and checking out Bend’s local craft beverage scene (we visited a cidery, a kombucha taproom – the first one around!, a micro craft brewery, and a whisky distillery).

And get this, we even had a full-on sauna in our hotel room. IN OUR ROOM. Wild!

We ended our quick winter getaway by playing in the snow with alpacas, which was a definite highlight of the trip (I mean, how could it not?). You heard me say alpacas, right?! Read more about our quick snowy weekend getaway to Bend here!

Since I just can’t seem to sit still, less than 2 weeks later I was off to another frigid destination – this time to Banff, Canada with Travel Alberta! I had visited the area in the past during it’s busy summer season, so I was eager to see the lakes in all their frozen glory.

And I must say – the pristine wilderness, snow-capped mountains, and frozen waterfalls really took my breath away (figuratively and literally – it was quite windy at times!).

We drove around in the snow (a somewhat terrifying experience for both of us Californians), partook in exhilarating dog sledding rides, spent too much time at cute local coffee shops, went hot tubbing in the snow (which we loved, despite our hair freezing up!), gawked at the snowy mountains on a scenic helicopter ride, hiked to frozen waterfalls at Johnston’s Canyon, and rode up a breathtaking gondola ride through the snowy trees.

We stuffed our faces with poutine, indulged in last-day beavertails in the nearby town of Canmore, splurged on a cheesy fondue dinner date (and yes, we opted for chocolate fondue as well), and drank fancy hot chocolates looking out at the frozen Lake Louise. It was absolutely glorious, despite freezing our butts off 98% of the time and holding on to our hot hands for dear life.

Banff transformed me into a winter person, and I’m itching to take my husband back and stay at the Fairmont Lake Louise (it’s absolutely gorgeous – trust me).

March

For Spring Break, we made our way down to Central America for a week of beachy jungle fun in Panama! Although it was a super fast-paced mad dash around the country (we split our time between Panama City, San Blas, Boquete, and Bocas del Toro in a mere 10 days), the trip was an absolute success.

We found the country to be full of stunning turquoise waters, white sandy beaches, lush rainforests, laid-back surf towns, misty mountains, and vibrant cafes. 

In Panama City, we cooled off with icy raspados on the Cinta Costera, explored/photographed the stunning colonial Casco Viejo, watched huge ships pass the Panama Canal, and threw back many sunset drinks and fresh ceviches. We left completely obsessed with the American Trade Hotel (promise me you’ll stay there if you ever find yourself in Panama City).

Our few days on the San Blas islands were the perfect mix of relaxation and exploration – but we were happy to head back to civilization after 3 days. It’s safe to say that all our tropical island dreams came true over there in San Blas, despite the limited electricity, bumpy and complicated ride over, and overall confusion. We ate fresh fish everyday (for breakfast, lunch, and dinner), strolled and snorkeled around the different islands, and just reveled in island life.

The little time we had in Boquete was spent learning everything there is to know about coffee farms, strolling through town sipping famous gesha coffee, and gawking at the jungle views. Kinda wish we had more time at our resort as we LOVED it (highly recommend The Haven Spa if you ever find yourself in Boquete)!

The rest of our time was spent in Bocas del Toro, where we splurged on a first-class upgraded room (which was lovely despite it’s where we think we got bed bugs) , wandered around town, spent a fun day in the Zapatilla islands (possibly even more gorgeous than San Blas), searched for sloths, went snorkeling and anfibia boarding, explored a chocolate farm on Bastimentos (with poisonous red frogs), and strolled through the sleepy town of Old Bank.

And sometime during that whirlwind of a trip I started making my 101 goals in 1001 days list! Lots to do still!

April

How, oh how, can my little sister be THIRTY? It still sounds absolutely ridiculously crazy to me. I had initially planned to surprise my sister in New York for her birthday, but somehow my mom ruined it (by accidentally texting her instead of me) – oh well! My parents threw her a great party, filled with lots of yummy Italian food (the best!), friends, family, and fun. 

We also made sure to plan a family day in the city, where we checked out the brand spankin-new Vessel sculpture at Hudson Yards, had Sunday brunch at Jack’s Wife Freda (highly recommended), wandered Chelsea Market (my favorite), and continued on our childhood tradition of Chinese food at Wo Hop in Chinatown (+ some black sesame ice cream from The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, of course).

It was a super quick weekend, but one I wouldn’t have missed for the world.

We then flew to Las Vegas for a weekend of pool parties, yardstick margaritas, and indulgent brunches with our friends Alli and Dave.

But who are we kidding? The real reason we headed to Sin City – to see the Backstreet Boys, of course. I grew up listening to them, and once I heard they were doing a reunion concert as a residency tour at Planet Hollywood, I just knewwww I had to be there. They were by far the most expensive concert tickets I’ve ever purchased, but worth every penny.

I also got to see Hamilton the Musical with one of my good friends, Shirley, after buying tickets months before!

May: 

The month of May was relatively quiet travel-wise, but we did manage to make it down to Huntington Beach for the long Memorial Day weekend.  

We had chocolate covered frozen bananas on Balboa Island, did some beach and mansion hopping in Laguna (Crescent Bay Beach, I’m obsessed), watched donuts being made at Sidecar, and stopped on Melrose for a fun afternoon of brunch (complete with rainbow lattes) and mural hunting. Of course we made it our mission for some beach time, but the weather hardly cooperated! Love quick little getaways with my man!

June: 

As soon as the school year was over (and we celebrated our 7th year anniversary and took our nephew cherry picking – different occasion, obv), I was off to Europe – I can’t seem to get away from the place! I somehow end up there every single summer! And this time, for a quick solo jaunt to London and Paris. 

London was spent ducking in and out of rain, hopping from market to market and museum to museum. Favorites included Borough Market, the Leake Street Graffiti Tunnel, Tower Bridge (of course!), Notting Hill, Brick Lane, and the Columbia Road Flower Market.

I also managed to make it to two Broadway Shows in the West End – Lion King and Mama Mia, which were both absolutely spectacular! Despite the rainy weather (I mean, we are talking about London afterall), I managed to make the most of my few days and would now go back in a heartbeat. And yes, I’ll gladly go back for more salt beef bagels, Dishoom (my new found love), fish and chips at Poppies, and fancy eclairs.

In Paris, I learned how to make macarons in a local Parisian’s kitchen, listened to live music at the Trocadero for hours, found myself dancing with strangers at the annual Parisian White Party, watched the Eiffel sparkle, climbed the Arc de Triomphe for the most fantastic views, went window shopping on Champs-Elysees, tried too many cheese samples on Rue Cler, and ate my weight in crepes, croissants, macarons, and eclairs (whoops).

I toured the Louvre at night, watched painters in Montmartre, and admired as many cute cafes in St. Germain as I possibly could. I now finally understand the true magic of Paris, as I just didn’t get the city on my first visit (which was a whopping 10 years ago, whoaaaa!). 

After my solo European trip, I made my way back to the East Coast, where I spent a weekend in Philly with my immediate family (Magic Gardens, Dizengoff, and the Eastern State Penitentiary were my faves), had a sisters day in NYC, finally tried a rose latte (it was about time), admired the blooms at the NY Botanical Garden, got to tour my sister’s new-ish digs in Port Washington, hit up a Mets Game with my dad, and saw Beautiful, my 4th Broadway Show of the month.

I also reconnected with two old friends of mine (Amanda and Vicky, hi!), which was a definite highlight, to say the least.

In between my trips to NYC and Philly, I bussed over to Boston for a few nights for a friends wedding (Danny + Betsy, heyyyy). Besides the beautiful ceremony and party, I explored Acorn Street/Beacon Hill, had a few too many meals at Tatte Bakery – that ricotta jam toast was OMGGG, and spent a whole lotta time in Boston Common and the Public Garden.

I also took a food/history tour of the North End (stuffing my face with a cannoli larger than my head in the process), indulged in high tea at the Boston Public Library, wandered around Harvard, and window shopped on Newbury.

I somehow managed to make it to a Red Sox game at Fenway (super spontaneously) for $9 with some travel bloggers who were in town for a conference (and just so happened to be staying in my hostel).  

July: 

Ohhh Bali; I don’t even know where to begin as we fell in love with this magical island the second we landed. Our days were filled with infinity pool hopping, checking out the local cafe culture and trendy shops in Canggu, running away from monkeys, wandering the Campuhan Ridge Walk, shopping at the Ubud market, being mesmerized at the Kecak Fire Dance at Uluwatu Temple, waking up early for day trips to Lempuyang Temple and Tirta Gangga, getting stuck in that serious Bali traffic, waterfall trekking, and lots and lots of pool time (yes, even more).

We loved the Tegalalang rice terrace (of course I did the typical Bali swing), our private pool villa, my super-relaxing flower bath, and nightly Rock Bar sunsets.

We also spent some time on a liveaboard in Komodo National Park, sailing to scenic islands everyday, snorkeling among colorful fish and corals, watching millions of bats fly overhead on their nightly migration, sipping fresh juices every morning, and gawking at the stars in the dark sky.

I even jumped off the side of the boat (from 2 stories high) into the water – something that scared me to the core. The sunsets were unreal (the most fiery red I’ve ever witnessed), dragons more docile than I thought, and sand softer than imaginable.

We even wandered around a pink sand beach and hiked to the top of Padar Island for sunrise (difficult but so incredibly worth it once we reached the top). And of course we went trekking a bit on Rinca Island to see the Komodo dragons (the main reason why we came in the first place!). It was just the perfect few days and one we’ll keep talking about for years on end. 

Our time on Gili Air was quick, but boy did we LOVE our resort (The Pink Coco) and the entire island as a whole. We listened to live music on the beach every night, got $7 hour-long foot massages (pure bliss by the way) every single day, snorkeled above statues and with sea turtles, spent tons of time relaxing at our hotel pool, and watched the sunset every night.

Despite our bags getting lost for a scary 24 hours and the treacherous boat ride back to Bali, we’re aching to go back to Gili Air sooner than ever. 

And once we got back, Noah was in full training mode for his full marathon in late July! So inspired by his dedication!

August: 

I just don’t stop (or sleep, apparently) in the summer, because a few days after returning home from Indonesia, I was off again – this time on a road trip to Banff, up the Icefields Parkway, and into Jasper National Park with my friend Bella. I’m semi-obsessed with this area, and visit after visit, it never disappoints (I mean, I was just here in February)!

In Banff, we took the gondola up Sulphur Mountain (for the best views ever), spent an ample amount of time at Lake Louise just casually walking around the lake and eating our pb&j sandwiches, and taking ski lifts up to a viewpoint at Sunshine Village. We also managed to trek to the lower and upper falls of Johnston Canyon, indulged in some beavertails, and stuffed our faces with some local fondue.

We visited all the hot spots along the Icefields Parkway, including Bow Lake, Peyto Lake (that’s the one that looks like a wolf!), and Athabasca Glacier (in a special snow-vehicle with tires taller than me!).

Our time in Jasper was spent mostly on Maligne Lake in order to check out the super scenic Spirit Island, but we also managed to make it to Maligne Canyon and saw quite a few bears – grizzly and black! We saw glaciers on the Edith Cavell Trail, gushing waterfalls at Sunwapta Falls, and had the best poutine ever imaginable.

And then the inevitable happened – back to work it was! So long, sweet, sweet summer. Noah and I did manage a few day trips – once to Sausalito (my fave) and another to Half Moon Bay for some lobster rolls (my other fave).

My in-laws came for a visit and we celebrated my sweet niece turning 3!

September: 

To start off September, we were off to Kauai for Labor Day weekend. We had lots of fish tacos and shave ice, plenty of sunset cocktails, took an epic helicopter ride over the Na Pali coast, checked out some waterfalls, and explored Princeville and Poipu. 

But the main reason for heading to Hawaii – for Noah to run the Kauai marathon! And brutal it was – I could see it on his face the last few miles (I was ‘wife of the year’ and walked a few miles in the pouring rain to meet him around mile 24 to help [mentally] get him to the finish line). He successfully completed the race; 3/4 marathons in Hawaii complete! He’ll do the last one in Kona, probably in 2021!

Not all trips are happy ones, and we had to book last-minute tickets home to New York after my Grandpa suddenly passed away from congestive heart and kidney failure. His death shook me hard, and as difficult as it was, it was so comforting being surrounded by loved ones for the week. </3 I’ll miss ya, toots. Keep carving and playing the clarinet up there!

October: 

October was pretty mellow, which was quite nice after what felt like pretty much nonstop travel for the last few months. We took a few day trips around the Bay, including a beach day at Capitola (what a cute, colorful town) and another to Pacifica for more beachy views and some famous fish and chips by the sea.

We did take a quick weekend trip to Seattle to see some old college friends and their cute little babe (who we had never even met before), and basically spent the whole time stuffing our faces. We did manage to make it to Kerry Park for some fall foliage views, Pikes Place and the surroundings for some market finds, and to the Pop Culture Museum in between all our eating.

November

November was the month of visitors, first my parents came to visit, and then our friends Danny and Betsy came less than 2 days later! And then the in-laws later on!

With my parents, we spent a day in Half Moon Bay (wandering the local market, indulging in lobster rolls at Sams, taking lots of pictures of the moody coastline), a day exploring the city (with views from the top of Twin Peaks, wandering the Inner Sunset Flea market, taking fun photos at the Hidden Garden Steps, and exploring the funky Haight-Ashbury neighborhood).

We hit up the CA coast another day (stopping at Pigeon Point Lighthouse, Shark Fin Cove in Davenport, seeing the monarch butterflies on their annual migration, and walking the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and West Cliff Drive).

Our friends requested a morning at Muir Woods, which was absolutely perfect since we hadn’t been in YEARS, and I forgot how much I just love those redwoods. We also wandered around the Japanese Tea Gardens, had enormous burritos at El Farolito, checked out the street art on Clarion Alley, had some great mole at Nopalito, and walked the Lands End trail.

I finally snagged Noah and I tickets to Beach Blanket Babylon, which was just as hilarious as I’d expected.

And once our first two sets of visitors packed their bags – off to Tokyo it was (yes, we decided to blatantly skip out on Thanksgiving this year). After our trip to Japan a few April’s ago, we just couldn’t wait to get back there. And (kinda) funny story – our trip to Tokyo was kiiiinda a spontaneous accident.

We had bought our tickets 10 months ago on a complete whim, after I randomly found cheap flights while sitting in the car for 7 minutes waiting for an activity to begin while working with Visit Bend.

We snagged those babies right up with the understanding we’d think rationally about the impulsive ticket purchase later (since there’s a 24 hour cancellation policy of course)…. But… we completely forgot about them and therefore couldn’t cancel anymore! We’re not mad about it, but it was definitely a surprise when we remembered the next night – haha.

We spent our time eating rainbow grilled cheese/gyoza/cute animal ice cream/giant cotton candy in Harajuku, running through Torii Gates, photographing both Meji and Senso-ji Temples, eating absolutely EVERYTHING in sight (Noah has way more self-restraint than I do), checking out Teamlab Borderless (digital art museum), and playing loads of games at the arcades in Akihabara and Shinjuku.

Oh how I missed the vending machine coffees/teas, tonkatsu, bright city lights, claw machines, yakitori on Piss Alley, and sushi breakfasts. Okay, so the daifuku, tomago, wagyu beef, and ramen meals were a highlight as well. I also introduced Noah to purikura, and we had a bit too much fun taking silly Japanese selfies.

My initial reasoning for visiting Japan this time of year was for the stunning fall foliage, and that it was x1000. Since the seasons are kinda skimpy here in California, it’s always nice to get a bit of autumn color. We made our way down to the Fuji Five Lakes area, and stayed in a ryokan right on Lake Kawaguchi with the most delicious kaiseki dinners and comfy yukatas (once we learned how to put them on).

Although it was a tad rainy and Mt. Fuji was only visible one morning for a few hours, the fall colors more than made up for it (as did soaking in the private onsen and indulging in hotu noodles, the best!).

And once we got home from Japan, our law-ins came for a visit! Phew – busy, busy month!

December: 

The beginning of December was relatively quiet after all our visitors left, with the Lizzo/Halsey concert being a definite highlight. Ohhhh what a queen she is. The show was lit y’all (is lit still a thing?). *crosses fingers and hopes it is*

OH! And we semi-spontaneously adopted the cutest little puppy imaginable. I had met the pup on Monday (a teacher at my school brought in the litter she was currently fostering), we put in the adoption application Wednesday night, and took him home on Saturday. It was a whirlwind of a week, lemme tell ya. We had been toying with the idea of adding a furry friend to our fam for a while, and he just stole our hearts the minute we laid eyes on him.

And after just 3 days at home with our 8-week old, 3 pound little fluff ball (who we named Kona), we sadly left him with his foster mom to go off on our Christmas/NYE trip. It unfortunately wasn’t the greatest timing, but I couldn’t say no to his adorable tiny face.

We then flew across the country to Florida, spending time in both Miami and the St. Pete/Clearwater area (after changing our initial plans to go down to the Keys because crowds). Highlights of the trip included snorkeling with manatees (!!!) in Crystal River, grabbing brunch with friends (hey Matt and Ellen!) and meeting their new babe, looking for allll the shells on Sanibel Island, geeking out over allll the street art and colorful walls in both St. Pete and Miami, and indulging in Cuban Food (and multiple mojitos) in Little Havana.

We loved South Beach with its colorful lifeguard huts and pearly white sand, of course had Joe’s Stone Crab one night (Noah’s absolute favorite), and some delicious seafood at The Rusty Pelican on Key Biscayne for the best sunset and skyline views.

We finished off 2019 by spending New Years Eve at Bayfront Park in Miami, arepas in hand, patiently waiting for Pitbull who never arrived (although I think we were in the wrong area of the park…). We watched the most insane fireworks show though, and my entire body was pulsing from the crazy shots.

Whew, what a year it’s been! 

NOTABLE BLOGGING HIGHLIGHTS:

• Surpassed my 9-5 income: Whoaaaa stop the tracks. How on mother Earth ever did that happen? When I first started this thing, that was never my intention, but here we are and I ain’t complaining! 
• Redesign in the works: I’m in the middle of a complete redesign of my site, and it’s looking soooo good so far (aka I’m completely obsessed and can’t stop looking at the mockups). I can’t wait to share it with you guys in the next few months.
• All the emails/DMS/etc from readers: It makes my world when I receive sweet messages from you guys saying you’ve stayed at (and loved) places I recommended, or planned entire trips around my itineraries! Keep them coming, I appreciate each and every one!

So, what’s planned for 2020 you ask? I’ve already got a few trips in the works, including a snowy winter trip to NYC to see family, a birthday trip to Mexico in late January/early February, and my spring break trip to Jordan (can’t wait to get back to the Middle East!).

I think we’ll most likely do southern France/northern Italy road trip in the summer, visit my cousin in Arizona, and of course fit in a whole buncha weekend trips in California like always (I’m itching to finally get down to Disneyland and head back to Tahoe). We’re also planning on taking little Kona on as many weekend trips around California once he gets all his shots!

Happy New Years, friends! Here’s to the next decade!

The post 2019 Year in Review: Life and Travels and Everything in Between appeared first on A Passion and A Passport.

Trust me, there’s lots to love about these Panamanian islands. A full guide to Bocas del Toro Panama, coming right up!

Bright, vibrant, pristine, and primitive. Just a few words that accurately described my recent trip to Bocas. As I’ve said again and again, Panama’s raw natural beauty and minimal development surprised us in all the right ways. Not many automatically think to head to this Central American eco-tourism destination, but it’s quickly becoming one of the region’s biodiversity hot spots.

I say get there before it becomes the next Costa Rica (aka overflowing with tourists). Bocas’ infrastructure is secure enough for those visiting, while not losing it’s seductive and primitive atmosphere. Moral of the story – get yourself to Bocas del Toro Panama ASAP.

Worried Bocas is all partying and spring break shenanigans? That was our concern too. While, yes, it’s commonly known as a backpackers hub (with lots of late, wild nights) in Central America, you can certainly have a luxurious time if that’s what you’re after. We sure did, while soaking up alllll the Caribbean vibes humanly possible.

And with all the things to do in Bocas del Toro during the day, don’t feel bad about going to bed at 10pm (plus that sun will probably knock you out earlier than you think). Just know it’s beyond humid over here – so leave your good hair days at home and just relish in that sticky Panamanian air, whether you’re looking for a mighty good time or living in the lap of luxury.

Geographical makeup of Bocas del Toro

Yea, yea, yea, we know it’s in Panama by now, but before doing heavy research and actually spending time in Bocas, I was a tad confused about the makeup of the islands. Bocas del Toro is an archipelago of a bunch of islands (9 to be exact!) off the northern Caribbean coast of Panama (pretty close to Costa Rica actually).

However, when people are saying they’re going to Bocas, they typically mean they’re headed to Bocas Town or Bastimentos.

The 3 main islands which visitors frequent are: Isla Colon, Isla Solarte, Isla Bastimentos. The largest town on the archipelago is Bocas Town on Isla Colon, with Old Bank being the second largest community on Isla Bastimentos. The National Marine Park is located in and around Bastimentos, so you’ll probably be snorkeling over there.

So basically, it’s this:

Isla Colon (Bocas Town and Starfish Beach) → Isla Solarte → Isla Bastimentos (Old Bank, Up in the Hill, Marine Park, and Red Frog Beach)

How to Get to Bocas del Toro from other parts of Panama

Bocas del Toro is either really annoying to get to, or quite simple. It just depends where you’re coming from. Coming from Panama City couldn’t be easier – it’s just a one hour flight to Bocas del Toro (and the airports located right in town).

However, most visitors to Bocas come from Boquete, which makes things a bit more complicated. Although, I highly encourage you to visit Boquete; the transfer to Bocas ain’t really allll that bad. And plus, all the things to do in Bocas del Toro are well worth the extra effort of coming from Boquete (or anywhere, really).

From Panama City: As previously mentioned, Bocas is just a hop, skip, and jump away from Panama City. Air Panama has a few flights daily from Panama City, which is what we took to get back to Panama City (after our trip to Bocas) on our way home to San Francisco.

Note that you can also arrive into Bocas Airport from nearby San Jose, Costa Rica via Nature Air. You’ll want to book these flights in advance since they are quite popular and there aren’t many seats up for grabs.

There’s also the option to take the bus from Panama City to Bocas, but why. Just why? It’s a 10-12 hour bus ride on pretty rough terrain. You’ll need to first get yourself to Albrook Bus Terminal in the city where you can purchase a ticket for either the morning bus or night bus (which most bussers prefer so they can just sleep the whole drive).

The bus will drop you off in Almirante (port) where you’ll need to then take a short boat ride to Bocas Town for a few bucks. I’d rather just fly to be completely honest. Why the hassle and complete waste of time?

P.S. If you’re headed to Bocas, you may as well spend a day or two exploring Panama City! You can’t go all the way to Panama and not see the canal and go for a quick wander around Casco Viejo!

From Boquete:

We came from Boquete, and while slightly irritating upon initial research, it really wasn’t all that bad once we figured it out.

First you’ll need to take a 3.5 hour shuttle to Almirante (a port town), then a 30 minute marine taxi (which was essentially a speed boat) from there to Bocas Town. Thankfully, there are organized transportation services that will take care of everything for you.

We booked with Hello Travel Panama through Mamallena Hostel, left Boquete around 9am, and arrived in Bocas del Toro around 1:30pm or so. Make sure to schedule this transfer in advance as the shuttles get booked up beforehand.

With that being said, there’s absolutely no reason to attempt this transfer yourself, as prices weren’t half bad: $30 per person, including the boat transfer from Almirante. Our shuttle was comfortable, air-conditioned, spacious, and safe, with enough room for all luggages (on top of the shuttle actually).

Psst: You’ll need to get yourself to Panama (or Central America in general) if you aren’t visiting other parts of the country as Bocas does not have a huge airport.

A Note on The Bocas del Toro Airport

Psst: it’s tiny. Like, exceptionally tiny. One of the smallest airports I’ve been in (and I’ve taken my fair share of 5-7 people flights). Thankfully, The Bocas del Toro Isla Colon Airport is located right in Bocas town and you may even be able to walk to/from your hotel!

There’s only one waiting room, one “gate”, and 1-2 bag scanners, so things go super quick here. If you’re heading back to Panama City via short flight, you only need to arrive about an hour or so before the flight. Make sure you eat beforehand (or take along a few snacks) because there’s no restaurants over here!

Weather in Bocas del Toro

Bocas del Toro Panama is a tropical destination, so unfortunately, expect some rain no matter when you visit. Averaging more than 130 inches of rainfall every year (which is waaaay more than famously rainy Seattle which in comparison gets ~38 inches), don’t let the possible rain deter you from visiting.

While some say there is no predictable dry season (it can rain every month of the year and it most likely will), the time of year you visit is super important to say the least.

• DRY SEASON: December to early April → harsh humidity, but clearest skies (partly cloudy at most), and the least chance of rain. Best time to visit in my opinion.

• WET SEASON: Late April to November → beyond miserable humidity, highest chance of rain, many overcast days. It rains the most during May, June, and July, although not all day thankfully.

However, no matter when you visit, it’ll be a perfect 73-86 degrees F year round, which is perfect for lazing at the beach (although a bit warm for trekking through the jungle).

For reference, we visited in late March and experienced a bit of rain during our 3 days in Bocas, although thankfully this didn’t negatively affect our activities much. On the day we had planned to visit the stunning Zapatilla Islands, the forecast called for rain and clouds all hours of the day, but thankfully the sun decided to come out early morning and stay out. Bless those Panamanian weather gods!

Bocas del Toro Wildlife

During our time in Bocas del Toro Panama we saw poisonous red frogs, stunning starfish, HUGE spiders (I was mortified at first, then they weren’t such a big deal), roosters/chickens and baby chicks, tons of hermit crabs, a wide array of marine life (including sea fans, parrotfish, silver trout, and more), parades of ants, sloths in the mangroves, and monkeys playing around in the trees.

It was utterly fantastic.

I later learned that Bocas is actually considered the “Galapagos of the Caribbean” and one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth (!!!), which makes sense considering all the wildlife we saw. You’ll find Panama’s first National Marine Park (which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site) here in Bocas, where we even snorkeled for a while!

Some of the most appealing things to do in Bocas del Toro involve it’s stunning flora and fauna, so be sure to leave some room in your itinerary for spontaneous wildlife spotting.

A note on wildlife: always keep wildlife wild. NEVER attempt to touch/chase/feed/torment any living creature, no matter how small. The animals work together to form the precious and delicate ecosystem, and even just one minor disturbance can have a major (negative) impact. Do your part and help keep Bocas del Toro Panama as wonderful as it’s always been.

Tips for Visiting Bocas del Toro:

• Carry cash with you! This is small island living – most places won’t accept credit card! Thankfully, the American dollar is used as currency in all of Panama, Bocas included.

• Plan for rain. Bring along a light rain jacket or cute umbrella with you.

• You’ll be getting around from island to island within Bocas del Toro via water taxi. If you are prone to getting sea sick, be sure to take along some motion sickness tablets with you. And if you’re not sure, just order some just in case. Don’t want to potentially ruin your trip if you don’t have to!

• You cannot drink the water in Bocas. Accept this and buy some bottled water (larger bottles are not only cost effective but better for the environment – less plastic waste), or bring along a steripen (a portable water purifier) with you. If you’ll be traveling throughout Central/South America with iffy potable water, a steripen is a good thing to invest in. It’s small, light, and a smart choice for the environment.

• If you’re planning on doing a decent amount of snorkeling, you may want to take your own mask and snorkel set with you. Tours provide them, but they aren’t always the greatest. We didn’t find fins necessary when snorkeling as there’s minimal current in the Marine Park where you’ll most likely go to snorkel.

• Get a dry bag to hold your essentials beforehand, this way your precious items won’t get potentially damaged from water (while on the boats and/or at the beach). And while you’re at it, you might as well pick up a waterproof phone case, juuuust in case.

Where to Stay in Bocas del Toro

When people say they’re visiting Bocas, they usually mean they’re staying in one of two places: Bocas Town (on Isla Coron) or on Bastimentos. I’ll go into a few of the pros and cons of each below, but just know that no matter where you end up, you won’t find posh sleeping quarters or glitzy glam.

Accommodation in Bocas tends to be unsophisticated, rustic, and quite simple. This ain’t no ritzy all-inclusive in Cabo or snazzy beach club in Bali. There are a few higher end resorts and accommodation options on Bastimentos, but they’re fairly removed from everything.

Staying in Bocas Town:

pros:

• Lots of bars and restaurants nearby
• Short walk to the airport
• Many tour operators and boats to whisk you around
• Lots of trendy/hip surf shops

cons:

• Can be loud at night (although we didn’t experience this)
• Hotels are basic at best (although ours wasn’t)

Staying on Isla Bastimentos:

pros:

• Much more privacy over here
• More secluded (if that’s what you’re going for)
• More luxurious hotels/resorts

cons:

• Not many restaurant options nearby
• A bit more difficult to reach from Almirante

Up to you, but we highly prefered being in the middle of everything and having dinner options (after basically eating the same thing for 3 days on San Blas). After visiting Bastimentos, we quickly learned the sheer seclusion of the island just wasn’t for us. Up to you!

Where we Stayed: Azul Paradise Bocas Town (not to be confused with the location on Bastimentos). After doing tons of research (it’s what I do best!), we ultimately decided on Azul Paradise Bocas Town, as other hotels looked a bit run down and not in the best shape.

Bocas is kinda like a party town so be prepared for late night shenanigans and loud music, although we didn’t experience any of these things (apparently every other week is slow?)

The hotel was modern, fresh, and in a wonderful location. We splurged and booked the King Luxury Suite, and it was roomy to say the least. With floor to ceiling windows with views of the sea, a soaking tub, and a superrr comfy bed, we couldn’t have picked a better spot. And we could even use the toilet while gazing at the ocean right outside our room (look at my instagram stories to see what I mean).

But in all reality, it was by far the cleanest and hippest spot we saw that wasn’t a hostel (because those looked right up my alley – if I was traveling solo that is).

Other accommodation options:

Bocas Town:

Mamallena Hostel: If you don’t care to be as fancy schmancy as we were, I’ve heard great things about Mamallena Hostel. We actually went there to book a few tours (we had 10% off since we used Hello Travel Panama for our transfer to Bocas), and I LOVED the colorful vibe of the common room and views out to sea. The happy hour specials looked divine, and I could totally see myself staying there if I was with a few friends or riding solo for a few days.

Selina Bocas del Toro: There’s a reason why this hostel is #1 on so many booking sites. We got dropped off here after spending the day on Bastimentos and I loved what I saw of the place – a vibrant coworking space, bar with seaside terrace, and a garden. Plus bean bags! Swinging bar stools! A young, hip crowd! I could totally see myself hanging here with friends.

Other Spots on Isla Colon

Island Plantation Resort: Choose this rustic-chic beachfront resort if you’re looking for an intimate spot about 20 minutes away from Bocas Town. Located on secluded Bluff Beach, you’ll find gourmet meals, bar service, two bedroom suites, a yoga and meditation platform, and an outdoor pool.

Bastimentos:

Red Frog Beach Island Resort: If luxury’s calling your name, book a few nights at Red Frog Beach Island Resort. This beachside getaway offers a full-service spa, dining opportunities (yes, multiple restaurants!), and an outdoor pool (one of the few on the island). It’s modern, upscale, spacious, and beautiful, and a wonderful tropical rendezvous.

Palmar Beach Lodge: We visited Palmar on our day trip to Red Frog Beach, and although couldn’t see the actual villas set right in the jungle, the common spaces were decorated nicely and the food was bomb. The hotel sits directly across from the beach, with sun loungers, swings, and that bright blue ocean water. Palmar has only 9 rooms, so while it’ll feel quite secluded, you’ll need to book that baby fast if you’re visiting in the prime dry season months. Great for those wanting to stargaze and listen to the animals playing in the jungle at night!

Azul Paradise (Bastimentos): OVERWATER BUNGALOWS. Enough said. Haha, but really, they’re a tiiiiiny fraction of what they cost in Bora Bora, so if you’ve ever dreamed of staying in one, now’s the time to do it. We almost decided to stay here on our trip to Bocas, but ultimately decided on the Azul Paradise over in Bocas Town to be closer to a wide array of restaurants and bars.

*There’s also a Selina’s over here on Bastimentos on Red Frog Beach if you’re looking for less expensive accommodation.

How to get around Bocas del Toro

You’ll be fine on foot around Bocas Town, but in order to get to other islands or parts of Isla Colon, you’ll need to rely on other transport. Water taxis will take you to Isla Bastimentos, where you can either rent bikes or wander by foot if you’re planning to stay close to the port (Old Bank) or Red Frog Beach. Plan on booking a tour if you wanna see the Zapatillas, Sloth Island, and/or go snorkeling.

Things to do in Bocas del Toro

Bocas is the perfect combination of active adventures and beach relaxation. We fit a lot into our 3 days in Bocas, yet didn’t feel like our activities were too rushed.

We snorkeled in the marine park, wandered the town, relaxed on Zapatilla Island and Red Frog Beach, went anfibia boarding, strolled through Old Bank, learned about chocolate at Up in the Hill, and oh so much more.

Although there’s tons to do here, be sure to slow down and soak up all the Caribbean vibes. You are on vacation, afterall. Treat it like one!

If you’re planning on spending a few days in Bocas del Toro Panama and are wondering what our exact travel plans while there were, head to this post which describes in detail our activities each day.

If you’re feeling lazy, here’s a super quick breakdown: Arrival Day (mid-day): Bocas Town, Day 2: Zapatilla Island, Sloth Island, snorkeling, and anfibia boarding, Day 3: Old Bank, Up in the Hill, Red Frog Beach, Day 4 (½ day): floating bar. While days 2 and 3 were much more active, we still had time to laze on the beach for a while.

Isla Colon

Starfish Beach (Playa Estrella)

Although a visit to Playa Estrella (with the literal translation being Starfish Beach) is one of the most popular things to do in Bocas del Toro, we chose to keep our distance. I had read tons of mixed reviews, many saying they hardly saw any starfish, or none at all, and that the beach was just ok with decent-ish beach stalls for food.

Since we had suuuuch a wonderful experience seeing the starfish in San Blas, I felt okay missing out on Starfish Beach in Bocas del Toro Panama. Do your own research though, as the reviews are mixed at best.

If you do want to visit, you can either visit on a tour or make your way there yourself (it’s not very difficult from Bocas Town). You’ll need to take a 45 minute bus ride from Central Park in the middle of town to Boca del Drago beach, and then you can either take a quick water taxi to Starfish Beach or walk 20 minutes.

Just please, please, please avoid from hurting the starfish and whatever you do – keep them underwater! Too many tourists playing by their own rules are slowly killing off all the starfish in the area.  Don’t be one of them.

Floating Bar (5-7 minute water taxi from Bocas Town)

How’d you like to grab a few cocktails/beers while literally floating in the middle of the ocean? On our last day in Bocas del Toro Panama, we had some time to chill, so chill we did! A water taxi brought us to the Floating Bar for a mere $5, where we indulged in a few spicy tacos and alcohol-infused drinks.

While we didn’t have the greatest weather, on sunny days you’ll commonly find snorkelers floating around the bar searching for starfish and loud music.

There’s also the famous Blue Coconut (closed on Fridays), which is a bit farther away (closer to Bastimentos) but still the same vibe.

Wander Bocas Town

The opposite of pretentious and showy, the town is exactly what you’d expect from a surf-y hippy-ish spot. Located at the southern tip of Isla Colon, Bocas Town (which is actually the capital of the Bocas del Toro region), is full of trendy cafes, colorful bars, backpacker accommodations, and surf shops. Yes, the town is small (only a few streets actually), but there’s enough to explore for an afternoon or so.

Don’t miss a crepe from Francine’s, cocktails at one of the many waterfront deck bars, and a smoothie from Bocas Blended. Our dinners at El Ultimo Refugio and Azul Restaurant were quite appetizing as well. Psst- If you’re staying on Isla Colon in Bocas Town you don’t need to dedicate specific time to explore per say, as you’ll be wandering around when looking for food each night.

ATV in the jungle

Interested in a wild ride? Craving an adrenaline rush? Look no further than driving an ATV through the beaches and jungles of Isla Colon. It’s by far one of the more adventurous things to do in Bocas del Toro. While we didn’t have time for this activity, it’s something I think we would have loved – after ATVing in both Santorini and Moorea in French Polynesia, we’re always up for some 4-wheelie fun.

There’s a rental agency in Bocas Town called Flying Pirates where you can hire a guide and drive down private jungle trails to a remote beach. I also heard that seeing monkeys and sloths is not uncommon! If you’re looking to get away from the crowds, this may be just your answer.

Isla Bastimentos

Stroll Through Old Bank

Old Bank, located on the Island of Bastimentos (a quick water taxi ride away from Bocas Town), is an Afro-Caribbean community just waiting to be explored. And after a few quick glances around, we instantly knew that Bastimentos was much more rugged and real than Bocas Town. With minimal tourism in Old Bank, you’ll get to see first-hand how the people live.

We saw roosters, baby chicks, lots of laundry hanging to dry, and tons of colorful old wooden buildings amongst lush vegetation. Just follow along the main dirt path directly from the port, and you’ll come across all this and more. With flavors of the West Indies, and being the second largest town in the Bocas archipelago, don’t miss it!

Up in the Hill Coffee Shop and Organic Farm

An organic chocolate and coffee farm high in the jungle of Bastimentos– sign me up! Not only did we learn all about how chocolate is grown and processed, but also the reasons why they’ve chosen to live off the land, how the plants work together to help the others grow, and how they go about creating and sustaining a permaculture organic farm.

It’s all very fascinating stuff, and quite inspiring to say the least.

On the tour we saw poisonous red frogs (harmless to look at, but no touching allowed), huge spiders with insanely strong webs (you can touch these to see what I mean), parades of ants carrying leaves (just wow!), yellow tailed birds, and chocolate cocoa trees!

But beware — Getting there is an activity in and of itself! Start making the short trek from Old Bank around 10:15ish, and keep going up, up, and up into the jungle and through the woods. They’ll be signs, don’tchu worry. The hike/walk wasn’t difficult per say, we were just super hot and sweaty from the intense humidity and heat.

Be sure to take ample amount of water, and forget about having a good hair day (I had just washed and blow dried my hair the night before – biiiiig mistake).

Up in the Hill is a fully sustainable farm, producing zero waste and using every last bit to better their efforts. There’s a tour through the family farm everyday at 11am, which we signed up for the night before.

At the end of the tour, we were served a delicious spread of jackfruit, plantains, banana with fresh cocoa, chocolate drinks with coconut milk, pumpkin soup, coconut brownies, and more, all made with fresh ingredients from the farm.

Note that it’s possible to visit Up in the Hill without going on the tour, although I’m not so sure a brownie and chocolate drink are worth the sweaty trek up there.

Red Frog Beach

While Panama in general is not known for its great beaches (particularly because many of the resorts are on the Pacific side which has rough sand, cool water, and larger waves), Red Frog Beach is an exception. Located on the Caribbean coast of Panama, this beach boasts lush tropical forests and tons of wildlife (we saw monkeys here!)

However, despite its numerous accolades and awards, I wasn’t too impressed, most likely because we had already visited San Blas and Zapatilla earlier on in our Panama trip. The waves were quite substantial and there is a riptide so be extra careful if you decide to go into the water. We just layed on our towels and relaxed and read for a while.

Red Frog Beach is the most popular beach on Bastimentos and therefore, the most crowded. Note that there are a few beach resorts (including Palmar Beach Lodge (spacious villas), Red Frog Beach Island Resort, and The Island Hub at Red Frog) if you’d prefer to stay and relax for a few days. If you’re just visiting as a day trip like we did, you’ll find a few restaurants/bars after walking along the path from the water taxi drop off.

The fish tacos at Nachyo Mama were highly recommended to us but we weren’t hungry enough for more food. Note that we chose to get dropped off at Palmar Dock, and took a 15 minute walk to the beach through the “shortcut” for another $5 each. It didn’t quite seem like a shortcut, but it is what it is!

Wizard Beach

The beach is kinda a pain to get to, requiring a 40 minute hike over hills and through the jungle (especially difficult if it’s rained at all). But this just means not many make the effort, making the beach rather unspoiled and secluded with lots of space to spread out.

After sweating profusely after heading to Up in the Hill, it’s safe to say another jungle trek wasn’t in the cards for us on our trip. Note that there are no facilities here – zero bars, zero restaurants, nothing. If you’re after a relatively untouched beach – go for it, just be careful!

You can reach Wizard Beach by foot from Old Bank, although robberies have become more common so please use extra caution and don’t walk alone or leave any valuables on the beach itself.

There’s actually police present at the beach because of the past incidents. You may be able to reach the beach via water taxi, but due to the common large surf, it is usually inaccessible this way.

Snorkeling at Bastimentos National Marine Park

Since the National Marine Park is quite large (covering an area of 13k hectares), you obviously won’t be able to explore every inch of it. However, you can most definitely witness the Caribbean mangrove swamp (home to Sloth Island!), and snorkel in what is the best conserved coral reefs on the Caribbean coasts.

You’ll see angel fish, parrot fish, groupers, trout, butterfly fish, and even lobster and moray eels if you’re lucky!

If you’ve got time, you can make your way to Playa Larga (Long Beach) on Bastimentos Island which is where the marine turtles go to nest between April and October. We visited in late March — unfortunately not the right time to see these majestic beauties.

Note that Playa Larga can be difficult to reach and it’s recommended that you find a tour with an experienced guide to take you here. The Zapatilla Islands are also part of the Bastimentos National Marine Park, and I absolutely loved this spot in Panama.

Water Activities/Other Islands

Bioluminescence

If you’re looking for something a bit out of the ordinary, be sure to check out the glow of the bioluminescence in Bocas del Toro → it’s absolutely wild! And what exactly is bioluminescence, you ask? It’s the creation of light through a biological process by living organisms, and these just so happen to be in the Caribbean waters offshore!

In non-science-y terminology – Thousands of microorganisms basically glow in the dark in the water! You’ll need to get yourself on a tour because this phenomenon doesn’t happen everywhere in the archipelago – the guides know the best spots to look!

Zapatilla Islands

Crystal clear water. Untouched natural beauty. So many seashells! If there’s one stop you can’t miss while in Bocas del Toro Panama, it’s the Zapatilla Islands. These two uninhabited islands are located east of Isla Bastimentos and are quite honestly, one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been (same level as Bora Bora I might add).

While many say that San Blas is way more beautiful than Bocas, I’d have to disagree, as long as you make your way to the Zapatillas.

On the island I spent a decent chunk of time wading in the shallow waters offshore, just admiring that gorgeous turquoise Caribbean water. This serene island paradise is absolute heaven and then some. And get this → it’s actually where Survivor Panama was filmed!

There are a whole array of tours whisking visitors around to the Zapatilla Islands – you can either book in advance (what we did with Hello Travel Panama) or easily find a water taxi from Bocas Town to take you straight there.

Anfibia Boarding (coral boarding)

Picture yourself facedown in the water, hanging on to an ergonomically designed board, drifting up and down, allll while a boat is pulling you across the ocean. Sounds fun, right? It’s absolutely exhilarating and like flying underwater. You’ll see coral, fish, and whatever else there is along the ocean floor. Just make sure your bathing suit is on tight – our guides said they’re known to fall off from the pressure!

Anfibia boarding is commonly included on many day trips to Zapatilla or the surrounding areas. We booked with Hello Travel Panama and got to experience anfibia boarding for a decent chunk of time.

Sloth Island

Located a bit offshore Isla Colon you’ll come across Sloth Island, which is home to dozens of sloths just hanging around it’s protected mangroves. And despite how difficult they are to spot, we found a whole bunch!

Note that visitors to the island are not allowed on shore, and will have to keep watch for sloths from the boat. Thankfully our guides were experts at spotting them, and made sure everyone on the boat got a few glimpses, three toes and all! They’re kinda hard to see in the photos, but look for the hornet’s-nests-looking things!

Dolphin Bay (Laguna Bocatorito)

If seeing dolphins are on your Bocas del Toro bucket list, be sure to head to Dolphin Bay. This cove/lagoon is exactly where the bottlenose dolphins hang out most of the year, hence the name “Dolphin Bay”. Not very original, but hey, it works! Being roughly 20 minutes away (via boat) from Isla Colon, there’s no excuse not to visit (unless you’re like me and didn’t know about this spot until it was too late).

However, the best time of year to see these majestic creatures are between June and July, when the rough seas make the calm waters of the bay especially appealing for them.

Nightlife in Bocas del Toro

If you came to Bocas del Toro Panama for the typical Bocas experience (the wild-at-times party scene), you’ll for sure want to base yourself in Bocas Town. So sample a bunch of cocktails, hit the dance floors, and party the night away, Caribbean style. Some popular bars/clubs are Aqua Lounge, Barco Hundido, Selinas, Tequila Republic, and La Iguana Surf Bar.

For the sake of transparency, we had little to no interest in experiencing the nightlife in Bocas (our bed was way too comfy to part ways), so I can’t give you loads of info about it. However, ask anyone in town and they’ll be sure to point you in the right direction (the town ain’t that big, you’ll see).

Where to Eat in Bocas del Toro

Homemade plantain chips. Caribbean cocktails and house-made margaritas. Blueberry smoothies. Fresh fish. Simple, flavorful, and refreshing food.

There are a whole slew of restaurants in Bocas Town, which is where we chose to base ourselves and where the bulk of my food recommendations are from. I have to say that the food wasn’t anything to write home about (much like the rest of Panama), but we appreciated the many options right in town and the fact that nothing was crazy expensive.

We definitely wouldn’t dub Panama as a foodie’s destination (much like that of Japan or Mexico City), but everything was edible and nothing was horrible.

For breakfast/brunch we loved Francine’s Crepes and Waffles (the owner is so incredibly sweet and our crepe was utterly fantastic), and Amaranto where we had great coffee and blueberry yogurt bowls.

We found a bunch of lunch and dinner options which we especially liked in Bocas Town, including Azul Restaurant ($20 for a 6 course tasting menu, can’t beat that price!), El Ultimo Refugio (set over the ocean with an ever-changing menu of whatever’s been caught that day), and La Baguita Ocean Lounge (such a fun atmosphere – we ate here multiple times as it was located directly next to our hotel).

We also found the veggie bowls and smoothies at Palmar Beach Lodge (on Red Frog Beach) to be a great mid-day snack when dozing off on the hammocks. The tacos at The Floating Bar were especially tasty, and probably some of the best spice we had on our whole trip. And our delicious spread after our tour at Up in the Hill was probably the best thing we ate all week.

In between meals we found a few snack/ice cream/smoothie places we liked, including La Churreria Bocas del Toro (weren’t as good as the churros in Mexico City obviously, but they were decent enough), a gelato stand on the side of the road, and Bocas Blended for smoothies (which I heard boasts great wraps as well).

Note that a bunch of restaurants are cash only, so be sure to have enough dollars on you for food and drinks.

Are you headed to Bocas del Toro Panama in the near future? Which of these things to do in Bocas del Toro are you most excited about?

The post Things to do in Bocas del Toro, Panama (A Fully Comprehensive 3 Day Guide) appeared first on A Passion and A Passport.

Panama is a tropical destination that has a little bit of everything – stunning turquoise waters, white sandy beaches, lush rainforests, laid-back surf towns, misty mountains, and vibrant cafes. There’s cultural diversity, cloud forests, and colonial charm. Wondering what to do in Panama? I’ve got you covered, don’tchu worry, my friend! <3

I was determined to somehow get all of this onto my recent Panama vacation itinerary, and was thankfully able to figure it all out! And now I’m sharing my list of things to do in Panama with all of you, including my exact Panama itinerary that we pretty much followed to a T.

I have to admit that figuring out this itinerary was kinda tricky. Yes, we followed the typical tourist route – Panama City (with a side trip to San Blas) → Boquete → Bocas del Toro, but with only 10 days in the country, squeezing everything in proved rather difficult.

At first I wished we had a few more days, but after seeing the trip come to life (aka doing it all), I’m not so sure extra time was in fact necessary. I think we would have liked an extra half day or so in Boquete, but I just couldn’t make it work.

Do note that this Panama vacation itinerary is pretty jam packed; if you’re looking for a more relaxed trip, it’d be wise to tack on at least another 2 days or so. That being said, I carefully researched the most efficient transport options in order to fully maximize our time in the country, and it all worked out pretty swiftly.

MAIN REGIONS VISITED ON THIS ITINERARY:

• Panama City
• San Blas Islands
• Boquete
• Bocas del Toro

Pre-Travel Guide to 10 Days in Panama

Where is Panama you ask?

The country is located in Central America sharing borders with Costa Rica to the north and Columbia to the south. It’s actually the connection of land that links Central and South America (hence, the Panama Canal)!

This itinerary starts in Panama City (which is where most international travelers arrive in the country), heads up northeast to the San Blas Islands, due west to Boquete, and then finally up north to Bocas del Toro.

We chose to fly from region to region when we could, as this saved us lots of time considering our Panama vacation was only 10 short days. The country is large but not too large, making it possible to visit three (if not four) areas when planning out your Panama itinerary.

There are a whole myriad of things to do in Panama, so carefully planning out your trip is so very important if you don’t have tons of extra time for mistakes and possible transportation mishaps (more on this below).

WHEN TO VISIT PANAMA:

Before planning a trip to Panama, it’s important to understand its weather patterns. BUT first things first – humidity is always high (hey, it’s a tropical country!), so be prepared for frizzy hair and sticky skin throughout your trip.

Panama experiences two distinct seasons, the dry season (mid-December to mid-April) and the rainy season (May to November). If you’re looking for comfortable temperatures and little to no rain, I highly suggest you visit during the dry season, which is actually Panama’s summer.

However, thankfully, temperatures remain pretty consistent throughout the year, at an average of 86 F/30 C.

But of course it’s not that easy, as different regions around the country experience different climates, temperatures, and specific rainfall patterns.

Caribbean destinations, like Bocas del Toro, have a shorter dry season, occuring in September/October and February/March, although rainfall can happen any day. Unusually heavy rains are common in Bocas in December, so it’s best to avoid that month.

Boquete experiences high winds and some misting (called bajareque) from mid-December to mid-February, while January see’s the occasional thunderstorm. Looking for some sun? Head to Boquete between March and May.

San Blas is a whole different story, which we’ll get into down below.

Don’t fret if your Panama vacation plans don’t fall within the country’s dry season – the early months of rainy season (April to July) only receive short bursts of sudden thunderstorms in the afternoon, with plenty of sunny mornings or afternoons. I’d try to avoid August through November if you don’t want rain to possibly take over your trip.

HEALTH AND SAFETY:

A few notes on health-related things:

• I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the tap water in many parts of Panama is potable, as many visitors don’t expect this! However, do note that you cannot drink the water in Bocas del Toro or on San Blas → stick to bottled.

• I was also thrilled to learn that there are no required vaccinations to enter the country. With so much lush jungle, I was shocked by this! However, always consult your doctor, as yellow fever, typhoid, rabies, and hep A and B vaccinations are recommended.

• You’ll want to take along a decent amount of sunscreen with you, as the sun is extra brutal over in these parts.

• On the last day of our trip I felt a little dizzy and wasn’t feeling my best – pretty sure I was wildly dehydrated and the intense heat and humidity wasn’t helping. Make sure to stay hydrated and drink plenty and plenty of water!

And now some safety info:

• For the most part, Panama is a relatively safe country. We felt safe during our entire Panama vacation, and didn’t worry about pickpocketing or other petty crime. That being said, there are a few areas in Panama City that are a bit seedier than the rest.

• This Panama itinerary doesn’t visit the city of Colon, but if you diverge from my recommended plans and end up there, know that the city has a high rate of street crime. Stay alert.

• There have been cases of drug trafficking on boats traveling from Colombia to Panama → just FYI and something to keep in mind if you’ll be on the water near the border.

Psst: it’s a good idea to get travel insurance no matter where you go. I recommend and personally use SafetyWing (the best insurance out there because they include pandemic coverage). They’re reliable, cost-efficient, and cover a wide array of potential travel problems, not only health-related. Check them out and get a free quote over here.

VISAS:

No visa is required for U.S. citizens traveling to Panama as long as a valid tourist passport and proof of onward travel is in possession, and you’re traveling to the country for 180 days or less.

HOW TO GET TO PANAMA:

Most international flights arrive at Tocumen International Airport (PTY) in Panama City, with many direct nonstop flights leaving from a wide array of large cities in the states.  

Our flight was originally scheduled as a direct flight from San Francisco to Panama City, but we got rerouted to Las Vegas at the last minute due to the groundings of the 737 MAX’s (better safe than sorry, though!)

I like using Skyscanner and Google Flights to check for prices, and most commonly find the cheapest flights on one of these. We flew economy class from SFO to Panama City for approximately $650 round trip per person, which we thought was a pretty good deal considering our dates were not particularly flexible.

→ It’s important to be very careful when booking your flights to Panama City, as there is also an airport in Florida with the same name! For this Panama vacation, you’ll want to head to the Tocumen International Airport, code PTY. And if you end up in Florida, don’t blame me! :p

Where to Stay in Panama:

• Panama City: American Trade Hotel (we LOVED) -or- Hotel Casa Panama (also great!)
• San Blas: we opted for a private thatched hut on Isla Diablo (lots more info here)
• Boquete: The Haven and Spa (Adult’s Only)
• Bocas del Toro: Azul Paradise Bocas Town

(more info on each one throughout itinerary below)

HOW TO GET AROUND:

You’ll be taking a myriad of public and private transportation during your Panama vacation! There was definitely a lot of moving around throughout the 10 days, and as noted was kinda difficult to figure out the logistics of this trip, but we made it work! And lucky you, I did all the hard work for you!

We found Uber to work in Panama City, and rates were typically much cheaper than taxis.

→ Don’t have Uber yet? It’s super easy to use! Sign up here and use code jessicak148 for $$ off your first few rides!

Here’s a quick synopsis of our travels throughout Panama:

• flight from SFO to Panama City (Uber around Panama City)
• shuttle bus and speedboat to San Blas Islands
• return to Panama City via speedboat and shuttle bus
• flight from Panama City to David → taxi to Boquete → taxi around Boquete
• shared van and shuttle boat to Bocas del Toro → taxi and boat around Bocas del Toro → walk to airport (for real)
• flight back to Panama City → flight back HOME.

Phew, told you we were moving!

You’ll want to book your inter-country flights as soon as possible, as there aren’t tons of flights per day and I’ve heard the prices jump exponentially the closer the dates get. We paid approximately $100 each per person per flight within Panama (all one-ways).

If you follow this Panama trip, you’ll need a flight from Panama City to David (for Boquete) and then Bocas del Toro to Panama City.

Do note that the airport in Bocas is prettyyy much the smallest one I’ve seen to date, with one waiting room, one “gate”, and 1-2 bag scanners. That’s pretty much it. Don’t expect to be able to grab food here, that’s for sure.

WHAT TO PACK FOR PANAMA

Panama is a country of all climates: dense, misty jungles, stunning sunny islands, and humid cosmopolitan cities.  Within this itinerary, we’ll be doing tons and tons of exploring, so you’ll want to make sure you’re completely prepared for those 10 days. Don’t worry, I gotchu.

• Because of its hot, sticky climate, you’ll want light, airy clothing.
• Comfy footwear- you’ll be walking ALOT!
• Sandals/bathing suits for the islands
• MORE DETAILED LIST COMING SOON!

Currency in Panama

Those coming from the USA will be pleased to know that Panama uses the same currency as the States, so there’s no need to worry about an exchange rate or getting foreign bills! It’s important to note that you’ll undoubtedly come across some Panamanian coins, called Balboa, used around town and on the islands in the form of coins.

With that being said, the US dollar is accepted everywhere and you don’t need to worry about exchanging dollars for balboa. Just be sure to use up any balboa you receive (when receiving change) as you obviously can’t use them in the States!

Communicating in Panama

The official language of Panama is Spanish, although quite a few Panamanians know basic English as well. We had no trouble communicating with hotel staff, taxi drivers, and/or restaurant staff, either using our limited Spanish or since they knew English. There’s also quite a few expats as well.

We had the most difficulty in the San Blas Islands, and wish we had brushed up on our Spanish a bit more before visiting (many of the locals speak their native language and Spanish, but very minimal English).

And now, what you’ve been waiting for, my complete 10 day Panama vacation itinerary!

Things to do in Panama: My Ultimate Panama Vacation Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Panama City and Explore

Fly into Panama City! You’ll find most international flights to Panama will fly into Panama City, which is perfect as it’s the first stop on our Panama itinerary!

The flight isn’t as long as I had originally thought – just over 7 hours from San Francisco (which is just over my usual flight time between SFO from JFK where I frequent for long weekends).

We chose to take a red-eye flight (so, the night before) in order to arrive in Panama City mid-morning (we landed around 10:30am, FYI), allowing us ample time to explore the city our first day.

If you’re tight on time like we were, I highly recommend you take advantage of flying the night beforehand and arriving into Panama City in the early morning.

Check into your hotel, drop your bags if ya room ain’t ready yet, then we’re directly off to lunch in Casco Viejo! There’s a whole slew of restaurant options, but we loved both the ambiance and food at Tantalo Hotel and Kitchen. The rooftop terrace was divine, and that watermelon juice was the perfect way to start our oh so lovely Panama vacation.

Panama Canal | Miraflores Locks

We’re getting right to it on the first day (don’t wanna waste any time), so the Panama Canal it is!

Ahh, the connection between the Atlantic and the Pacific – how could you miss this super popular attraction in Panama City? Ya can’t! We took an Uber from Casco Viejo to Miraflores Locks for about $15 (something like that?), which took roughly 35 minutes or so.

Out of all the things to do in Panama, the Panama Canal is at the top of everyone’s list, and for good reason. It’s utterly fascinating.

Upon arrival, you can opt to pay for a $20 ticket to all the attractions at Miraflores Locks (the museum, exhibition halls, short films, highest viewing platforms, etc), but if you’re fine with reading about the canal yourself, head up to the restaurant and watch the ships pass through for the price of a beer.

We enjoyed a few drinks while basically getting the same view as everyone who bought a ticket (woop woop). And since we didn’t have much prior knowledge on the whole Panama Canal system, we googled some fun facts and read them over a few beers.

Things to know before visiting:

• Miraflores is just one of three sets of locks in the Panama Canal, and it’s the most popular one to visit (due to its close proximity to Panama City).

• The ships don’t pass through every minute of every hour. You’ll be able to watch the ships between 9am-11am, and then again from 3pm-5pm(ish). If you’re here at a different timeframe, you’ll have to wait! We arrived at the canal around 2:45pm after getting lunch, and only waited a few minutes for the first boat to start making its way through the Miraflores section of the canal.

• Oh and trust me, you won’t want to stay the entire 2 hours or so, as the ships pass by super slowly and it takes quiiteeee a long time to set everything up. We watched 2-3 ships pass then had enough. Do keep your eyes peeled on the locks and water levels prior to a ship passing through – it’s wild!

Afternoon Stroll on the Cinta Costera

Once you’ve had enough of the Panama Canal, make your way to the Cinta Costera. We had planned to visit around sunset, but arrived early due to how quickly we got over the canal – it’s intriguing the first 2 times a ship passes through, but then kinda monotonous going forward (you’ll see). And it literally takes foreverrrr (10 hours for a ship to fully pass through the canal).

The Cinta Costera is essentially a pedestrians walkway and complex park next to the water. We enjoyed strolling around for about an hour or so, picking up some raspados from a street vendor (kinda like the Panamanian version of a shave ice) to cool off.

Walk far enough and you’ll find the iconic Panama sign – a giant colorful piece of artwork (which we unfortunately missed). If you finish early like we did, don’t fret – just watch the sunset from the next spot!

Sunset drinks at Finca del Mar

Cocktails and ceviche with a view of the sun setting on the water with a gentle ocean breeze? Sounds like the perfect way to finish off the day, am I right? The atmosphere here is very fun, with outdoor seating, string lights, and colorful seating (including a few swinging chairs at the bar). Tuna ceviche was very tasty, as were the mojitos we ordered.

If you’re still hungry → consider Cafe Coca Cola for a fast and simple dinner

This unassuming restaurant is actually the oldest cafe in Panama City! I heard that the Coca-Cola brand let the restaurant keep its name due to how long they’ve been in business! While the ambiance was nothing to write home about and the food was decent at best, it’s a quick and easy spot if you’re exhausted (like we were).

Where we stayed: Hotel Casa Panama → we loved the trendy and open-air leafy vibe of the hotel. The room was basic with funky decor touches, and the shower was heaven on earth! Located right in Casco Viejo, which is a great location to base yourself in while in Panama City!

There’s also a rooftop plunge pool if you find yourself with some time to enjoy it! It’s known to get kinda noisy on weekend nights since there’s a bar on the roof, so just keep that in mind! We slept like babies though!

Day 2: Off to the San Blas Islands!

Hopefully you went to bed early last night, because you’re getting picked up bright and early this morning! 5:30am to be exact. Alllll your tropical island dreams, coming right up (you can sleep on the bus, I promise, although the last hour is kinda bumpy)!

Note: You’ll want to have your hotel in Panama City hold your luggage – you only need to pack a small bag for your few nights in San Blas. Suitcases are unheard of on the islands, and you’ll be getting to your final destination via tiny speed boat, so leave that large luggage behind.

We packed a few bathing suits, shorts, and tank tops, and that’s all we really needed besides basic toiletries. Ladies – leave your makeup and beauty bag behind (I couldn’t even find a mirror on the island and there’s no place to plug in items for doing your hair)! DO take lots of SPF though!

Yes, the San Blas Islands are kinda a pain to reach → you’ll need to take a 3 hour shuttle ride to the Kuna Yala port, then hop on a speed boat for 45 minutes or so to reach your island of accommodation. Worth the hassle? Easily. My advice- book a tour and everything will be taken care of for you.

P.S. → We booked with San Blas Dreams and had a lovely experience. We opted for the 2 night, 3 day experience, as you can choose to spend only 1 night on the island, or even do a day trip to San Blas (although I recommend staying over at LEAST 1 night). Alternatively, if you don’t wanna stay on the islands for 2 nights like we did (read my FULL recap over here), you can spend the extra time in the rainforest in Boquete.

→ Read next: everything you need to know about visiting the san blas islands

We reached our island of accommodation around 10ish or so, and had the option of lazying around or going straight out on a tour. We opted to stay put and soak up the sun, swing in the hammocks, read our books in the sand, and just enjoy each other’s company with zero distractions that first day. Oh, and get a few coconuts – the freshest water you can get!

A few things to note about the San Blas islands:

There’s really no best time of year to visit the San Blas Islands, but the Kuna’s (the indigenous people on the island) informed me that the least rainfall occurs in January, February, and March. Rainy season begins in April, comes out in full force in May, and basically lasts until the end of the year.

However, if you’re planning on heading to San Blas in the rainy season, don’t fret – you’ll still find beachdays with hours of sun even when the clouds aren’t cooperating. The weather can be tricky and unpredictable, so just hope for the best!

Accommodations are basic at best, with super simple thatched huts with literally only a bed in a single room. You won’t find any pools, sun loungers, or anything remotely luxurious on the islands (not even hot water or the amount of electricity you’re used to).

It’s very possible you’ll be sharing bathrooms with other guests (our island had one set of shower stalls and toilets for everyone), will have to charge your devices at the few outlets at the restaurant, and will eat the same meal time and time again.

You will, however, find untouched beauty, starfish in their natural habitat, tons of healthy fresh fish and coconuts, and luminous turquoise waters.

The islands are not a culinary experience; you’ll have minimal meal variations and given a choice of fish fillet (my meal of choice), fried/grilled fish, mixed seafood, prawns (when available), and chicken (on occasion). The food wasn’t half bad, we just ate mostly the same thing for 3 days.

The Kuna’s and San Blas in general are a cash society. Plan to take some small bills with you to buy coconuts and beers, and purchase any handicrafts you may wish, as well as to supply a ~$23 Kuna tax and port fee.

Read my very thorough post about our experience in the San Blas islands to help decide if you want to add a few days on the islands to your Panama vacation.

In my opinion though, no trip is complete without visiting these glistening palm tree ridden islands (just suck it up and rough it for a few days, you got this!. Make some room in your itinerary and you’ll come home with glistening golden skin and feel relaxed as ever.

Where we slept: Beach bungalow in San Blas! Be sure to go for a night walk and look up – the stars are so bright over here!

Day 3: Get some Sun on San Blas

After a hectic first few days on this Panama vacation, it’s finally time to just relax and soak up some sun. Hopefully you slept ok, as I woke up hot and sticky each morning (allll the more reason to jump in the sea, right?)

Here’s a typical day-in-the-life on San Blas, and what you can expect during your time here:

• 7:30ish: Wake up to the birds happily chirping (your ears off)
• 8:15ish: Hot Breakfast
• 9-10: Lounge on beach, read, free time
• 10:15ish: Island hop (tour of the day)
• 1:00: Lunch back on your “home” island
• 2-7: Free time/showers (snorkel, nap in hammocks, read, swim, laze around)
• 7: Dinner
• Night: beers and card games, stargazing and short beach walks

Those San Blas tours we took each day for a few hours took us to nearby islands, natural swimming pools (previously sunken islands), and sand bars, where we wandered around the islands taking photos, going for swims, snorkeling, and hanging with other people from our boat.

The Kuna’s provided rum and cokes for us to enjoy, and we even saw a bunch of exceptionally large orange starfish in the shallow waters!

I talked about this in my big San Blas blog post, but I think it’s important to mention again. Starfish are living creatures, you guys. They need to be kept in water – do not lift them out! They are extremely sensitive and should be handled with care, for the least amount of time possible.

Our Kuna guides said we could lift them up for a quick photo (still halfway submerged in water), then place them right back. Don’t go moving them all around for your perfect IG shot, just don’t do it. They’re so delicate – we want to keep these little sea beauties alive!

Where we slept: Beach bungalow in San Blas!

Day 4: San Blas in Morning/Afternoon, then back to Panama City

Last Morning in Paradise

Another day in paradise it is! Well, most of the day at least! Depending on what tour company you book with, and which package you choose, you’ll either leave San Blas at 9am or 3pm. We chose the latter, and enjoyed exploring other islands before leaving our new favorite place.

If you think you’ll want to explore a bit more of Panama City (we’ll have another ¾ of a day before leaving the country later on in this itinerary), you may want to choose the earlier San Blas departure. The beach is sooo our thing, so we opted to stay as long as possible without staying another night.

Make sure to drink alll the coconuts, revel in the warm, luminous waters one last time, and take your last nap under the palm trees!

It was a breath of fresh air to have limited amenities and zero wifi availability. After 3 days in San Blas we were oh so relaxed, although any longer and I think I’d have been longing for a hot shower more so than actually enjoying the picturesque beaches.

Back to Panama City and Dinner at Ocho y Medio

Say goodbye to San Blas, because it’s back to Panama City we go! And yes, you’ll have to head back the same way you came → a 45 minute speed boat ride back to the port, then ~2hr, 30 min van ride back. If I remember correctly, we got back to Panama City around 6:30pm or so, then headed out to dinner at Ocho y Medio before picking up our suitcases at our first hotel, Hotel Casa Panama.

→ We booked a super early morning flight to David in order to have as much time as humanly possible in Boquete, so we chose to stay close to the airport at the Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel, which is roughly a 5 minute drive to the airport.

We’re definitely not morning people, and when there’s a sliiiiight chance we may oversleep, we like to stay as close to the airport as humanly possible, while still having a comfy bed.

Where we slept: Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel (highly recommended)

Day 5: Coffee Tasting in Boquete

First things first, get yourself to Boquete

Okay, so in order to get to Boquete at a normal hour, you’ll need to take an early morning flight to David. Our flight left Panama City at 7:30am, arrived in David around 8:50am, then we took a 45 minute taxi straight to Boquete for $35 (standard price). There are no ubers in David or Boquete, so you’ll need to find other ways to get around (hence the taxi).

Note that you can also take a bus to Boquete from the David airport, but you’ll need to get yourself to the bus station first (for only a few bucks or so). If we weren’t so exhausted I think we would have attempted to take the bus as it would have been the much more cost-effective option, but oh well, we were tired!

And not to stress you out, but be sure to book early as there’s only a few fights to David per day. We booked on COPA airlines and noticed there were only two flights a day from Panama City to David, at 7:30am and 4:30pm. I’m pretty sure Air Panama has flights as well, but no more than 2-3 either (7ish, 11ish, and later on in the day).

If you want to follow this Panama vacation itinerary exactly as I have laid out, you’ll NEED to get yourself on an early morning flight. If you have an extra day or two, getting into Boquete later on in the day will be fine, but we didn’t have this luxury.

Morning Stroll through Boquete Town

As soon as we checked into our hotel (yay for early check-ins), we dropped our bags then set out for town. Honestly, we were kinda surprised at how dirty and downright sad the town looked from an outsiders point of view (I didn’t even take one photo – there wasn’t anything really to photograph). I wondered out of all the things to do in Panama if I had made a bad choice by coming here, but nope, I’ll explain below!

It’s a pretty small town and I have to admit, the walk from The Haven (our hotel) to town was much, much nicer than the actual town itself. There was tons of construction going on, a mildly run-down main street, and a few unattractive shops.

BUT, let’s not dwell on the negatives, because there are SO many positives to this luscious green area that makes Boquete so appealing. (Plus – we learned that there’s even a large expat community here, so Boquete must be more than it’s tiny unassuming little town).

So, what is Boquete known for? First of all, after one look around, it’s evident all the lushness surrounding the town more than makes up for the complete lack of charm within the town itself. With its towering mountain views, blankets of flowers, and oh so much greenery, you’d be hard pressed to find a more stunning natural scenery in the mountains.

Venture outta town and you’ll find pristine waterfalls, an ancient volcano, and treetops full of birds! If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to spot the stunning Volcan Baru through the misty clouds.

Boquete is located on the Caldera River, within the Chiriqui Highlands, which is home to coffee plantation after coffee plantation, and is known as more of an adventurous mountain village for those wanting to take part.  

If you have an extra day or so, you can climb Volcan Baru, go ziplining, go on epic waterfall hikes in the jungle, go rafting, and partake in a chocolate making class (among other things).

It’s high elevation in the mountains provides a cool, enjoyable climate, so you’ll want to dress a tad warmer during your day in Boquete. We thankfully were blessed with an absolutely beautiful day in the mountains, only needing a light jacket at times.

In town we had some brunch at Sugar and Spice (the most popular breakfast spot in Boquete which we LOVED) and tried the famous gesha coffee at La Viuda del Cafe (The Coffee Widow)!

The coffee, originating from a village in Ethiopia, is said to be the most expensive cup on Earth. It commonly sells for about $9 a cup, but would found it (albeit a very small cup) at The Coffee Widow for about $5. A bargain if you ask me!

We actually saw it selling for $9 a cup in Panama City later on in the week. It’s said to be smooth, fruity, silky, and aromatic, tasting a bit more like tea than coffee, and we enjoyed our few sips.

We attempted to go to Fresas Mary for some famous Boquete strawberries and whipped cream, but they were unexpectedly closed (what a bummer – we even took a taxi there!) Hopefully they’re open when you go!

The walk back to our hotel was exceptionally scenic, as we found ourselves high above the town taking in all the lush greens and fuscia-colored flowers.

Afternoon Coffee Plantation Tour

Boquete is widely known for their mass coffee production, and boasts some of the best and most expensive coffee in the world. Yup, the world!

There are plenty of coffee plantation tours to choose from, but after doing a bit of research, Finca dos Jefes sounded like the best one! And I have to admit, I think we chose correctly. The story of the farm is just so moving and inspiring!

We walked through the fields, learned about coffee cherries and traditional organic farming, were given a brief education of the coffee industry (oh, it’s so fascinating you’ll see), and learned how to properly roast coffee beans. And of course we tasted a whole bunch of freshly brewed coffee (both a medium and dark roast blend)!

Unlike other coffee tours, there were only about 8 of us in total, so we felt like we were given a more personalized experience and had allll our crazy coffee questions answered.

I especially appreciated how the tour spoke a lot about economics; the realities of the global coffee economy and the impacts made on the farmers and workers were especially eye opening and really makes you think.

And plus, the dogs on site were the absolute cutest (we’re a suuuuucker for pups!) The farm was covered in plants, flowers, and hummingbirds, and I just couldn’t get enough. Towards the end of our tour a rainbow appeared above the fields, which made for such a beautiful end to the day. A well-spent $30 (each).

Note that there are two options for tours each day, at 9am and 2pm. We obviously chose the 2pm tour since we weren’t even in Boquete by 9am! The tour lasts for roughly 3 hours, so we got back to our hotel around 5ish or so.

Private pool time and some dinner

If you’re staying at The Haven and Spa, take advantage of the pool before dinner! You’ll have to make a reservation, but this just ensures you have the pool to yourself! We were bummed it wasn’t heated, so just enjoyed putting our tired feet in.

If you’re looking for a good dinner option, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Boquete Fish House – you can never go wrong with some fish and chips, yucca fries, and fresh fish sauteed in white wine lemon garlic butter. Oh, and their house margs were a-okay and only a few bucks.

Where we Stayed: The Haven, and it was just like I imagine heaven to be. As soon as we arrived, I was overly wowed – the grounds are so incredibly luscious and green, and the outdoor space was so inviting. I desperately wish we had another night here.

Note that the hotel is an adults-only resort, so if you’re traveling with kiddos, you’ll have to find another place to stay. We loved the indoor pool, and we even took advantage of the fully equipped gym and sauna/steam room. The included room-service breakfast was lovely, and we ate on our outdoor patio in the garden every chance we got!

Day 6: Arrive in Bocas del Toro

Today we’re making our way to Bocas del Toro, another one of Panama’s hot spots with a chill, surfer vibe and gorgeous islands off the coast, oh, and a jungle too! Bocas is kinda the best of both worlds, allllll rolled into one archipelago of beautiful islands.

Before we dive into the Panama vacation itinerary of the day, lemme explain the geographical makeup of Bocas del Toro for a hot second (as I was semi-confused when initially researching).

Bocas del Toro is made up of a few different islands, with Isla Colon being the most popular and consisting of Bocas Town, where the bulk of visitors decide to stay, and Starfish Beach (very popular spot as well). Next you’ve got Isla Solardo, which is only a few minutes off the coast of Isla Colon, and an island not many choose to visit.

Finally, there’s Bastimentos, which is the largest of the archipelago and where you’ll find Old Bank, Up in the Hill, Red Frog Beach (very popular), and other secluded resorts/hotels. We chose to base ourselves out of Bocas Town on Isla Colon, which I’ll explain in more detail below.

→ Read Next: A Comprehensive Guide to Bocas del Toro

Transfer to Bocas del Toro

It’s semi-complicated (yes, again) to get from Boquete to Bocas del Toro, as you’ll need to take a 3.5 hour shuttle to Almirante (a port town), then a 30 minute marine taxi (which was essentially a speed boat) from there to Bocas Town. Thankfully, there are organized transportation services that will take care of everything for you.

We booked with Hello Travel Panama through Mamallena Hostel, left Boquete around 9am, and arrived in Bocas del Toro around 1:30pm or so. Make sure to schedule this transfer in advance as the shuttles get booked up beforehand.

With that being said, there’s absolutely no reason to attempt this transfer yourself, as prices weren’t half bad: $30 per person, including the boat transfer from Almirante. Our shuttle was comfortable, air-conditioned, spacious, and safe, with enough room for all luggages (on top of the shuttle actually).

Wander Bocas Town -or- head to Starfish Beach

Since we arrived in Bocas around 1:30pm, we had quite a bit of time to explore on the first day! And with so much going on this area, you’ll want to make sure to use your time wisely!

You’ve got a few different options for your first afternoon in Bocas del Toro:

1. Wander around town; get some ceviche and cocktails (the lazy man’s choice)
2. Head to Starfish Beach (the need-to-see-and-do-it-all choice)

Since we were feeling a bit sluggish (and hungry) after our transfer to Bocas, we kept things pretty casual by wandering around Bocas Town. We opted to miss out on Starfish Beach since I had read tons of negative reviews, with many even saying they hardly saw any starfish, or none at all.

And since we had suuuuch a wonderful experience seeing the starfish in San Blas, I felt okay missing out on Starfish Beach in Bocas del Toro. Do your own research though, as the reviews are mixed at best.

However, if you think you’ll have FOMO (fear of missing out), getting to Starfish Beach on the outskirts of Isla Colon isn’t all that difficult from Bocas Town. You’ll need to take a 45 minute bus ride from the park in the middle of town to Drago, and then you can either take a quick water taxi to Starfish Beach or walk 20 minutes.

Where we Stayed: Azul Paradise Bocas Town (not to be confused with the location on Bastimentos). After doing tons of research (it’s what I do best!), we ultimately decided on Azul Paradise Bocas Town, as other hotels looked a bit run down and not in the best shape.

Bocas is kinda like a party town so be prepared for late night shenanigans and loud music, although we didn’t experience any of these things.

The hotel was modern, fresh, and in a wonderful location. We splurged and booked the King Luxury Suite, and it was roomy to say the least. With floor to ceiling windows with views of the sea, a soaking tub, and a superrr comfy bed, we couldn’t have picked a better spot.

→ There are two main options for accommodation in Bocas del Toro. You have the option of staying in Bocas Town (close to lots of bars and restaurants), or spending a few nights on Bastimentos, the island next door and much more secluded. Up to you, but we highly prefered being in the middle of everything and having dinner options (after basically eating the same thing for 3 days on San Blas).

After visited Bastimentos (later on in the itinerary), we quickly learned the sheer seclusion of the island just wasn’t for us. Up to you!

Day 7: The Ridiculously Gorgeous Zapatilla Islands

Intoxifying. Serene. Wild. Enchanting. There’s no words significant enough to describe the Zapatillas. It’s say to safe that I’m low-key obsessed with this place I had never previously heard of.

If there’s one stop you can’t miss while in Bocas, it’s the Zapatilla Islands, also known as Cayos Zapatilla. These two uninhabited islands are located east of Isla Bastimentos and are quite honestly, one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been (same level as Bora Bora I might add).

While many say that San Blas is way more beautiful than Bocas, I’d have to disagree, as long as you make your way to the Zapatillas. We booked a tour the day before with Hello Travel Panama on a whim, and I’m obviously more than glad we did.

All was (more than) fine in the end, as we not only got to visit Zapatilla Island, but also visited Sloth Island, went snorkeling and anfibia boarding, and had a fresh seafood lunch overlooking the sea.

1st Stop: Searching for Sloths at Sloth Island

We first visited the protected mangroves of Sloth Island to, well, you guessed it, look for some sloths! Despite how difficult they are to spot, we found a whole bunch! Our guides were experts at spotting them, and thankfully made sure everyone on the boat got a few glimpses! They’re kinda hard to see in the photos, but look for the hornet’s-nests-looking things! Makes me wanna go to Costa Rica (they’re known for them, right?)

2nd Stop: Snorkel and Anfibia Boarding

Next up, it was finalllyyy time to jump in the refreshing waters with some snorkel gear! We had about 45 minutes or so to snorkel, where I saw tons of colorful coral (many that I had never seen before!), schools of glistening silver fish, sea fans, parrotfish, and so much more. It’s hard to keep your eye on one thing when you’re underwater – they’re just so much to see and I get distracted quite easily.

The water was calm, clear, and sheltered from debris from land – we were out in the middle of the Caribbean Sea! I so wish I had brought my go-pro with me to photograph all the lovely underwater life.

Since we were already in the water, anfibia boarding it was! It’s kinda hard to explain what anfibia boarding actually is, so I’ll just leave you with this: it’s oh SO much fun. You’ll feel like you’re flying underwater. Move the board up and down and you’ll see what I mean.

3rd Stop: Seafood Lunch

A fresh seafood lunch over the water? Yes please! Plates start at $15 per plate, so thankfully we had brought exactly $31 with us…enough to cover two lunches and nothing else. Take a bit more cash if you want more lunch choices. Kinda expensive for what it is, but hey, they’ve got little to no competition out in the sea so they can charge as much as they want.

You can plan to pack your own lunch, but the food was surprisingly really tasty and a hot lunch after being in the water for a while was appreciated.

We had some time to explore the restaurant on stilts, and some people chose to snorkel around as there’s known to be starfish nearby.

4th and Final Stop: Zapatilla!

In my opinion, Zapatilla is by far the best beach in Bocas del Toro, and all of Panama I might add. Yes, we LOVED San Blas more than anything, but if you get a perfect day weather-wise on Zapatilla, you’ll see exactly what I mean. This serene island paradise is absolute heaven and then some. It’s actually where Survivor Panama was filmed!

Out of all the things to do in Panama on this itinerary, spending the day on Zapatilla was by far my favorite. <3

It was soooo nice to just relax on a (nearly) deserted island and soak up the sun for a few hours. Oh, and that crystal clear water didn’t hurt either – I spent a decent chunk of our time wading in the shallow waters offshore, just admiring that gorgeous turquoise Caribbean water.

Note that there are zero facilities on this stunning and untouched uninhabited island, but our tour company set up a gorgeous spread of tropical fruits for us to enjoy. The Zapatillas are actually part of the undeveloped national marine park, so you can expect to find lots of little fishies under the water, as well pay a $10 National Park entrance fee if you aren’t part of a tour.

Thankfully it was quite isolated when we were there so didn’t have to share the palm-tree lined beach/waters with too many others. There was tons of space to lay out our towels, and we chose a shady spot underneath a few palms.

With sooo many shades of turquoise and oh so many palm trees inland made for an absolutely wonderful day. It was almost unreal how perfect the day was. Just don’t forget the sunscreen!

Where we Stayed: Azul Paradise Bocas Town (not to be confused with the location on Bastimentos)

Where we ate dinner: Restaurante Azul (6 course tasting menu for $20 and very tasty!)

Day 8: Explore the Jungle and Beaches of Bastimentos

Ahh, back to the jungle it is! If you’re kinda sad you only had one day in Boquete, now’s the time to make up for it! We found Bastimentos SO incredibly different from Isla Colon and Bocas Town, so make sure you hit up this spot when you’re in the area as well! And despite their close proximity, they’re like different worlds!

Quick Note → Bastimentos is another island in the Bocas del Toro archipelago, and is roughly a 10 minute boat ride from Isla Colon. If you’re staying in Bocas Town like we were and want to follow the days activities I planned out, you’ll have to first get yourself to Bastimentos Town.

You can do so by basically asking anyone on the street in Bocas for a water taxi ride (they’ll probably come right up to you and offer their services). We paid $5 each to get from Bocas Town to Old Bank, which was our first stop of the day.

Wander throughout the sleepy town of Old Bank

When we first stepped off the water taxi, we instantly knew that Bastimentos was much more rugged and real that Bocas Town. We explored Old Bank, an Afro-Caribbean community which is right off the dock from where our boat let us off. There’s not as much tourism in this area, and you’ll get to see first-hand how the people live.

We saw roosters, baby chicks, lots of laundry hanging to dry, and tons of colorful old wooden buildings amongst lush vegetation. Just follow along the main dirt path directly from the port, and you’ll come across all this and more. With flavors of the West Indies, and being the second largest town in the Bocas archipelago, don’t miss it!

(P.S. pop into any market and you’ll find cans of rum and coke – my husband loved that!)

Up in the Hill Organic Chocolate and Coffee Farm

And now the main reason we popped on over to Bastimentos for the day – to learn all about how chocolate is grown/processed! When I first heard about Up in the Hill, I knew we just had to include this on our longgg list of things to do in Panama. An organic chocolate and coffee farm with jungle tours – sign me up!

Up in the Hill is a fully sustainable farm, producing zero waste and using every last bit to better their efforts. There’s a tour through the family farm everyday at 11am, which we signed up for the night before.

But beware — Getting there is an activity in and of itself! Start making the short trek from Old Bank around 10:15ish, and keep going up, up, and up into the jungle and through the woods. They’ll be signs, don’tchu worry. The hike/walk wasn’t difficult per say, we were just super hot and sweaty from the intense humidity and heat.

Be sure to take ample amount of water, and forget about having a good hair day (I had just washed and blow dried my hair the night before – biiiiig mistake).

On the tour we saw poisonous red frogs (harmless to look at, but no touching allowed), huge spiders with insanely strong webs (you can touch these to see what I mean), parades of ants carrying leaves (just wow!), yellow tailed birds, and chocolate cocoa trees!

We learned the reasons why they’ve chosen to live off the land, how the plants work together to help the others grow, and how they go about creating and sustaining a permaculture organic farm. It’s all very fascinating stuff, and quite inspiring to say the least.

Our guide carried a machete with us throughout the jungle (don’t be alarmed), which he used to chop down plants and show us some of the fruits of his labor. At the end of the tour, we were served a delicious spread of jackfruit, plantains, banana with fresh cocoa, chocolate drinks with coconut milk, pumpkin soup, coconut brownies, and more, all made with fresh ingredients from the farm.

→ Practicalities: $25 per person; tour starts at 11am; we emailed the lady the night before to register for the tour; put on LOTS of bug spray beforehand if you don’t want to get eaten alive (I warned you)

Red Frog Beach

Beach time, finally! After making your way back down to Old Bank (it’s sooo much easier going down, trust me), take a water taxi straight to Red Frog Beach ($5 per person). We chose to get dropped off at Palmar Dock, and took a 15 minute walk to the beach through the “shortcut” for another $5 each.

It didn’t quite seem like a shortcut, but it is what it is!  On the nature walk to the beach we saw lots of monkeys playing in the jungle (ahhhh I was exceptionally excited about this) and passed a pond with caiman (in the alligator family) which royally freaked me the F out (we didn’t see any thankfully).

We unfortunately didn’t find Red Frog Beach to be anything that spectacular; considering we had already spent time at both San Blas and the Zapatillas, Red Frog was just so-so comparatively. Nevertheless, our veggie bowls and fresh fruit smoothies made for a fantastic lunch at Palmar Resort.

And after our tiring morning hiking in the jungle to Up in the Hill, laying out on the beach was an afternoon well spent. Oh, and seeing those monkeys out in the wild totally made the short trek to Red Frog Beach worth it.

You’ll have to cough up around $8 to get back to Bocas Town from Red Frog Beach.

Where we Stayed: Azul Paradise Bocas Town (not to be confused with the location on Bastimentos)

Where we ate dinner: El Ultimo Refugio

Day 9: Cocktails at Blue Coconut (or the “Floating Bar”)

Chill out for a while, then it’s off to the airport to head back to Panama City!

Cocktails and Tacos Over the Sea

On our last day in Bocas, we chose to take it easy and had a relaxing brunch at Francine’s, where we had the most delicious breakfast crepes and coffees. We wandered around town a bit more before we set off for the Floating Bar, which is essentially just that – a bar floating in the middle of the Caribbean sea!

We took a $5 water taxi here, and it only took a few minutes or so to reach the freestanding bar surrounded by water.

It was kinda dead when we went (probably because of the unfortunate foul weather), but I heard that there’s usually live music playing and people snorkeling around in the surrounding waters (to see the nearby starfish). Although we didn’t make use of all the amenities (hellooo pool floats), we still had a relaxing time. The fish and chicken tacos were bomb, don’t miss them!

Psst: you can also head to the famed Blue Coconut (closed on Fridays), which is a bit farther away but still the same vibe, so we ultimately decided on the Floating Bar because of the mix of clouds and rain.

Fly Back to Panama City in Late Afternoon

Our flight was at 6:10pm, so we had the better portion of the day to see the last of Bocas. If the weather had been more cooperative, I’m sure we would have appreciated this extra time in the area, but we were itching to get back to Panama City.

Up to you if you want to book an earlier flight or not. We flew into PAC (Albrook International) on Air Panama, but there are flights to PTY (Tocumen) as well.

Note that the airport in Bocas is supperrrr tiny and located directly in town! We even chose to walk from our hotel in town to the airport, it was that close! As noted earlier, there’s only one waiting room, one “gate”, and 1-2 bag scanners. Make sure you eat beforehand (or take along a few snacks) because there’s no restaurants over here!

Night in Panama City

We had our last official dinner in Panama at CasaCasco, which was quite delicious, although a bit pricey I might add! There’s also a night club at top, in case you’re feeling a bit frisky and wanna dance your heart out on your last night.

Where we stayed: The American Trade Hotel

The American Trade Hotel was quite possibly our favorite accommodation of our entire Panama vacation, and we wish we could have at least stayed another night. Located smack dab in the historic center of Panama City right in the heart of Casco Viejo, ATH boasts lovely marbled tiled floors, tall ceilings with large windows (oh that natural light <3), and such charming architecture.

The old world charm of this place just makes it that much more appealing. And plus, it’s part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World collection, so you know this place will not only have beautiful decor, but wonderful service as well. We were lucky to be given a room with a cute flower-filled balcony overlooking the square, which we enjoyed using both night and morning.

Day 10: Wander Casco Viejo and head home!

After a short sleep in, we hung by the pool for a bit then made our way downstairs to brunch at The American Trade Hotel. The decor is just lovely and the husband had to literally put my camera down for me. Even if you’re not spending the night at The American Trade Hotel, I highly encourage you to check out the restaurant for brunch/lunch, and grab some liquid fuel at the adjoining coffee shop (Unido Panama Coffee Roaster).

Stroll Around Casco Viejo

Out of all the things to do in Panama City, going for an aimless wander around Casco Viejo was by far my favorite! This historic district and UNESCO World Heritage Site wasn’t always what it is today, but has now revitalized into Panama City’s center of art and nightlife, with tons of hip cafes and restaurants.

Oh, and the colonial buildings are to die for. To. Die. For. The absolute cutest. It’s beyond instagrammable → trust me. You’ll find boutique hotels, rooftop bars, crumbling facades, and cobblestoned streets. Swoon.

Psst: you may hear this area being called Casco Antiguo or San Felipe – they’re all the same beautiful spot.

A few things not to miss out on your wander in Casco Viejo:

• Grab a quintessential Panamanian ice cone, known as a raspado to keep cool
• Check out La Michoacana and try out their condensed milk popsicles
• Enjoy fresh ceviche at the Fish Market
• Head to Weil Art for a traditional Panama Hat
• Lunch at Mahalo (loved this trendy spot)
• Admire the hand sewn molas (by the Kuna’s!) at Plaza de la Independencia

It’s important to note that Casco Viejo lies on the border with El Chorrillo, known to be a bit seedy and not highly recommended to walk around. I’m pretty sure we unknowingly ended up here, and it was quite obvious the distinction between the two areas. Note: after doing some research, I learned that El Chorrillo is one of the city’s most famous ghettos – whoops.

We were butt tired by this point, so just carelessly strolled around the city looking for buildings to admire and had some lunch.

If you want to eat all the things, I highly recommend booking a Panama City food walking tour, which will take you to the best restaurants in town to sample local coffee, chocolates, beer, cocktails and ceviche. You’ll also wander around Casco Viejo with a local guide who can explain the history of the area better than I ever could.

If you have additional time in Panama City (we would have loved another night at the American Trade Hotel and quite possibly another day or so to see the monkeys on Monkey Island), be sure to check out these highly-rated activities:

Say Goodbye to Panama and Head Home

Be sure to book a flight later in the day or evening (our flight was at 6:30pm) so you can properly explore on your last day in Panama! It’d be an absolute shame to miss out on Casco Viejo – we loved it oh so much!

Phew! Hopefully that answers all your questions about things to do in Panama and how to carefully plan an itinerary for roughly 10 days! We were absolutely blown away by the country and can’t wait to return!

The post Things To Do In Panama: A Complete 10 Day Panama Vacation Itinerary appeared first on A Passion and A Passport.

It’s true island living. We fell asleep to the gently swaying palm trees and ocean waves, and woke up to the birds (loudly) chirping right outside our bungalow. We ate freshly caught fish for every meal, and didn’t need to wear shoes (not even sandals) the entire duration of our stay.

I’ve never had an experience even remotely similar. And would I do it again? Yes, in a heartbeat.

My 3 days in the San Blas Islands off the coast of Panama will be 3 days forever ingrained in both my brain and my heart. We were completely off the grid- no cell service, no WiFi, no contact with the outside world. And it was absolute perfection.

Most people only visit for a day (and at most 1 night), so I wanted to provide you guys, my lovely readers, with some up-to-date information about the islands and my experience on my San Blas Tours.

I’ll say this to preface the entire blog post: it seemed like everything in San Blas was organized chaos at its best. But that’s just how they roll, and it works. Must be all that salty air and fresh coconut water. Go with an open mind and zero expectations.

In my opinion, no trip to Panama is complete without visiting the San Blas Islands. Make some room in your itinerary and you’ll come home with glistening golden skin and relaxed as ever.

→ Read Next: 10 Days in Panama (A MASSIVE Itinerary + Guide)

San Blas Logistics and Important Info

Introduction to San Blas (understanding the islands)

What and where are the San Blas Islands? San Blas is an archipelago off the coast of Panama comprised of approximately 365 islands (one for each day of the year!), with only about 49 being inhabited.

The islands vary in size, with some super tiny with no more than some sand and a few palm trees, while others are more developed and are home to large communities, schools, and churches.

We visited the more remote islands, although were able to see one of the larger communities on the way over in order to pick up a few beers!

Who owns the San Blas Islands? Nope, not Panama! This group of islands are owned and inhabited by the Guna Yala indigenous tribe of Panama, who have spent centuries protecting and supporting themselves on these lands.

They own a portion of land on the mainland, and a whole heap of spectacular islands out in the middle of the Caribbean sea. The Guna’s are in full control of the San Blas Islands, protecting their lands against massive tourism which in turn keeps them healthy and downright beautiful.

Who are the Gunas? They’re the native people living on the San Blas Islands, and call themselves either Kuna’s or Guna’s. The region in Panama where you can find them is now officially renamed to Guna Yala, but most still refer to them as San Blas.

They’re actually the first indigenous group in Latin America to gain political autonomy, and have their own laws, norms, and values which is completely different than traditional Panamanian culture.

They were the ones who cooked all our meals, took us to different islands, and provided us with accommodations. They’re friendly people but many don’t speak much English, so we had a difficult time communicating with them beyond the typical course of the day’s activities.

Some only spoke in their native tongue (known as either Guna or Tulekaya), so communicating with our limited Spanish was impossible as well. If you want to wow them, learn a few basic greetings in their traditional language (na is hello, dot nuet is thank you).

How to get to San Blas:

Most people head to the San Blas Islands from Panama City via tour company, which is what we did. One way takes about 4 hours or so, so keep this in mind if you’re headed there just for a day trip (it’s a lot of traveling for just a few hours on the islands, in my opinion).

I read that the road to San Blas was an absolutely treacherous one, and I was a bit skeptical at first. However, after making the trip, I’m here to say that it wasn’t nearly as bad as everyone made it out to be. It does take some time though, so be prepared for that.

First, you’ll need to take a 2.5-3 hour shuttle bus ride from Panama City to the port. The last hour or so of driving is up and down a pretty windy, bumpy road, but it’s not so terrible, and you’ll need to show your passport and pay some Guna fees, so don’t be alarmed. You’ll likely stop at a grocery store on your way to stock up on snacks, supplies, and other items you may want/need for your trip.

Once at the port, you’ll catch your boat to your island of accommodation, which takes roughly another 45 minutes or so, depending on how far out you’re staying.

Psst – alternatively you can fly to select air strips in San Blas, but they were about $100 round trip without tons of options. And since we booked with a tour company, we were more than happy to just go with the flow and have everything transportation wise taken care of for us.

Before we move on, I think it’s wise to have your expectations in check when staying in San Blas Panama, as it’s not the luxury experience you may think it is.

What to expect in San Blas:

peace and quiet • shared bathrooms • no hot water • wide, pristine beaches • minimal meal variations • tropical, somewhat sticky air • no mass tourism • lots of down time (take advantage of the hammocks!) • sporadic and unpredictable weather • gently swaying palm trees • kinda roughing it • no hotels or resorts • no chain restaurants • bright turquoise water teeming with wildlife • fresh seafood lunches • super basic accommodations • coconuts for days • starfish

Notice how I intentionally threw in a mix of what many would perceive as positives and negatives? Decide for yourself if the San Blas Islands are right for you. We absolutely adored it and can’t wait to visit again.

How Long to Stay in San Blas

We stayed for 2 nights which we found pretty perfect. I can’t imagine only going for the day, as it’s at least 4 hours there and 4 hours back (from/to Panama City). It’s the perfect add-on to a longer 10-day Panama itinerary.

And one night seems alright (if that’s all you have time for) – but we were just getting into the swing of things and feeling super relaxed on our second day, and it would have been a bummer to leave right then and there.

Any more than 2 nights and I think we would have been longing for a hot shower and variation of food more so than actually enjoying the picturesque beaches. So in my opinion, I vote for 2 nights!

As noted above, it’s not a luxury experience, and you’ll be kinda roughing it for as many nights as you spend on the islands (which is why most prefer to go as day trips or for only one night).

When to Visit the San Blas Islands

There’s really no best period to visit the San Blas Islands, but I heard that they experience the least rainfall in January, February, and March. Rainy season begins in April, comes out in full force in May, and basically lasts until the end of the year.

However, if you’re planning on heading to San Blas in the rainy season, don’t fret – you’ll still find beachdays with hours of sun even on rainy days.

It should be noted that the sea is a bit rougher during rainy season since there’s more wind and possibly a passing hurricane in the Caribbean Sea. If you get seasick, be sure to pack some dramamine! And thankfully since San Blas is located outside the hurricane belt, they don’t get hit by large storms.

Since the islands are so close to the equator (around 9° degrees north of the equator), it’ll be hot year round. The temperature stays roughly 80° F (27°C) no matter the month. You will find some high humidity no matter the month, although this didn’t bother us much since we were continuously in and out of the water all day long.

We looked at the weather report before heading off to San Blas and were wildly disappointed →  rain and clouds all day, the entire duration of our stay. But thankfully, that didn’t occur (thank the Panamanian heavens), and we experienced clear blue skies with only a handful of cloudy hours, and a bit of rain on and off at night.

The weather can be super unpredictable any time of year, so just hope for the best!

Taking a San Blas Islands Tour:

When we initially started our research on San Blas, I couldn’t find much valuable information out there.

What I did come across was either outdated, written by those only taking a day trip, or from the perspective of those who went sailing in San Blas (which I’ll explain in a bit why this option isn’t your best bet, for now at least).

After doing heaps of research and comparing and contrasting different tour companies, we ultimately decided to book with San Blas Dreams. We were picked up at our hotel in Panama City at 5:30am, driven to a grocery store to purchase whatever items we thought necessary (snacks, drinks, towels, etc), then taken directly to the port via 4×4.

A water taxi then took us to our island of accommodation, where we were given our little thatched bungalow and started living the island life right away.

People who booked with other tour companies stayed on our island in the same Kuna camp as well, so I’m not entirely sure how it gets ultimately decided who goes where. I’m sure the Kuna have a system, but I don’t entirely understand it. I’m on vacation though, what do I care?

It’s definitely worth it to book yourself a tour, as a sweet couple we met on a different island booked their accommodations independently and had to (literally) beg boat drivers to let them onto tours to other islands. And they weren’t allowed to drink any rum (ackkkk). Do yourself a favor and book through a tour company.

It’s honestly not worth the possible few bucks of savings to figure out all the logistics yourself (remember you’ll need to get yourself to the port which is a 3 hour drive from Panama City and then a 45 minute boat ride to the islands).

For full transparency, we paid about $203 per person for a 2-night/3-day stay, including all meals, accommodation in a private cabin, transfers, and tours.

You’ll need to pay a $23 Kuna tax and port tax (no matter if you book independently or through a tour company), so be sure to have cash handy.

Accommodation options in San Blas:

We stayed on Diablo Island, although accommodations are available through San Blas Dreams on other islands including Chichime Island, Ina’s Island, Anzuelo Island, the Perro Chico/Barco Hundido, Fragata Island, etc. etc. the list goes on.

We weren’t given a choice and unless you specifically book accommodation on a particular island, I wouldn’t worry about it. All the islands have white sandy beaches, bright turquoise waters, and palm trees providing shade (they basically all look like versions of each other).

We opted for a private thatched hut, although there are shared cabins (6-14 people, kinda like a hostel) for rent as well, some with sandy bottoms and ocean views. A bunch of people on our island slept in tents provided by the Kunas, and we heard of others sleeping on hammocks on other islands.

Please understand, as I noted earlier, this is NOT a luxury experience. They’ll be no infinity pools (heck, not even a pool at all), no hot water, minimal electricity, and shared bathrooms. You’re essentially camping in a cabin, but under a palm tree and next to the brightest shades of turquoise water you’ve ever seen.

Worth it? I think so. It’s important to note that while the rooms are as basic as they get, we actually slept ok, although it was pretty stuffy and hot without much air circulation. It goes without saying that I couldn’t wait to jump into the sea each and every morning after waking up.

A few words about Sailing in San Blas:

We read about sailing through the San Blas Islands via sailboat or catamaran instead of basing ourselves in the little huts on the island, but heard mixed things and read about several cancelled trips (how horrible for those already booked).

I highly advise you to do your due diligence and heavy research before you decide to book a chartered sailing trip in the San Blas Islands.

It’s suspected that many of the chartered boats catering to tourists are actually illegal and not supported by the Kuna, and go against both Panamanian and Kuna law. Basically, if the charter is run entirely by foreigners, they are illegal; a legal chartered boat will use Kuna captains and/or crew.

The Kuna Congreso is trying to stop them, and I don’t disagree – these illegal sailing boats crowd their protected waters, don’t support the local development, provide no local jobs, pay zero taxes, and only increase boat traffic and trash.

With so many cancellations and uncertainty, you wouldn’t want to chance your tropical island trip possibly getting cancelled only a few days before with limited remaining options, right? The Kuna’s have protected their culture for years and years and years — don’t be part of a scam and knowingly disrespect them.

They are among the few indigenous cultures in our world which have not been destroyed. Keep it that way and help them protect their precious islands.

Just FYI – Sailing in San Blas is not banned per say, but taking tourists around via charter is. If you’ve got your own boat (ha!), you’re good to go!

Sample itinerary on most San Blas Tours:

• 7:30ish: Wake up to the birds happily chirping (your ears off)
• 8:15ish: Hot Breakfast
• 9-10am: Lounge on beach, read, free time
• 10:15ish: Island hop (tour of the day)
• 1:00pm: Lunch back on your “home” island
• 2-7pm: Free time/showers (snorkel, nap in hammocks, read, swim, laze around)
• 7pm: Dinner
• Night: beers and card games, stargazing and short beach walks

Those San Blas tours we took each day for a few hours took us to nearby islands, natural swimming pools (previously sunken islands), and sand bars, where we wandered around the islands taking photos, going for swims, snorkeling, and hanging with other people from our boat. The Kuna’s provided rum and cokes for us to enjoy, and we even saw a bunch of big starfish in the shallow waters!

Quick note on starfish: Starfish are living creatures guys. They need to be kept in water – do not lift them out! They are extremely sensitive and should be handled as carefully as possible, for the least amount of time.

Our Kuna guides said we could lift them up for a quick photo (still halfway submerged in water), then place them right back. Don’t go moving them all around for your perfect IG shot, just don’t do it. They are so delicate – we want to keep these little sea beauties alive!

Rinse and repeat for the next day. It’s really a simple way of life, and we reveled in it oh so much.

What you’ll Eat in San Blas, Panama:

Basically whatever the locals catch or buy off of fishermen that morning! I ate a whole lot of white fish, rice, coconuts, and plantains. Visiting the San Blas Islands won’t be a culinary experience, but you’ll definitely be living off the land (and sea!).  

• Lunch and Dinner: You’ll be given choices of fish fillet, grilled or fried (entire) fish, mixed seafood, prawns (when available), and maybe some chicken. I had the fish fillet almost everyday for both lunch and dinner, and it was absolutely delicious (even on day 3). Sides of either rice or plantains are provided, with a mini salad of lettuce and a few slices of tomato. You’ll get used to the limited variety rather quickly.

• Breakfast: no choices here, as everyone eats the same thing, although they switch it up a bit morning to morning. We had fried eggs and some sort of fried dough pancake one morning, and hard boiled eggs and potatoes the next. Wasn’t half bad!

• And just FYI, besides coconuts, fruit is mostly imported from the mainland and will be in scarce supply. We were given a few pieces of pineapple and brought some mini bananas with us, but we were bummed we didn’t bring more of our own.

What to bring to San Blas:

• Snacks (you’ll be fed 3 full meals a day, but if you get hungry between meals, you’ll want to have your own food to snack on as there’s literally nothing to buy – except water, rum, coke, and beer lol). We stocked up on chips, bananas, granola bars, pretzels, and Gatorade from the grocery store before arriving on the islands.

• Towels (as previously mentioned, there are super limited amenities on the islands, and you won’t find any bath or beauty products here). We used the same towels for both the beach and showering (no one really cares, trust me), and hung them out to dry outside our hut when needed. Don’t feel like lugging towels from home and around Panama? Buy inexpensive bath towels beforehand in Panama City or at the grocery store you’ll stop at on the way to the San Blas Islands.

• Snorkel gear: you’ll be provided with snorkel gear on some of your tours, but we heard they aren’t the greatest so some people just brought their own.

• GoPro: the underwater life here is prettttyyyy amazing, so if you want to take photos underwater, you’ll obviously need a waterproof camera

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• Battery pack: they’ll most likely be no power outlets to charge anything, so its wise to bring along a few already fully charged battery packs. We had the option of charging our devices at the restaurant, which provided a few power strips, but they were crowded at times. And plus, there’s no cell service or WiFi, so your cell battery will probably last a few days anyways if you aren’t using it to take video and photos (like I was).

• Minimal clothes: We brought along too much, and found all we really wore were bathing suits, shorts, and sleep clothes. The San Blas Islands are not the place to bring along your fancy schmancy sundresses or heels of any nature. This just ain’t the place for it! I felt too hot and sticky to even think about taking cute twirling photos in front of the swaying palms.

• Backpack, duffel bag, tote bag, or super small carry on luggage (not recommended) with all your required items. You definitely should not bring along your entire suitcase, and we had our hotel in Panama City store our luggage for the 2 nights we were in the San Blas Islands. They’re quite used to this and shouldn’t be a problem at all.

• Shoes are not necessary on the islands, basically ever. Once we got to our home island, we didn’t put on shoes (even sandals) for the next 3 days. Barefoot it was!

• Flashlight or head torch: there’s not much electricity on the islands, and although we had a little light in our cabin, the walk to the shared bathrooms at night didn’t provide much light. We were fine using the flashlight on our iphones, but you may want to take along a portable flashlight or throw in a head torch if you already own one.

• Passport: very important! You’ll need to show it multiple times to the Kuna people (you may not be allowed in without it)

• Reef-safe Sunscreen (take a lot of it, the sun is extra strong here!): Please oh please do your part and bring along reef-safe sunscreen. Many people don’t realize this, but the chemicals in generic sunscreen harm the coral and other marine life in the ocean. There are plenty available these days, but I recommend this one or this one (both affordable and non-toxic to the reefs).

• Small bills: Since there is no ATM in San Blas (nope, not even one!), make sure you bring enough cash. You’ll need ~$23 per person for Kuna tax and port fees, and some extra money for drinks (water, beer, etc) on the island.

Other things to note:

• As noted earlier, electricity is extremely limited. We had no power outlets in our cabin (it’s kinda unheard of in these parts), and charged our devices via battery packs and outlets at the restaurant.

• If you’re a snorkel fanatic like me (I’m always the last one out of the water), you’ll love the San Blas Islands. The underwater world is teaming with wildlife spotting opportunities – think colorful fish, estrellas del mar (starfish- my favorite), reef sharks (don’t worry, they’re harmless), and more. Be careful of stepping on the sea urchins though! And promise me you’ll never snorkel alone or after dark (just don’t do it – it’s not safe!)

• You’ll be able to purchase some colorful molas if you please, which are decorative panels handmade by the Kunas themselves. The more intricate and elaborate, the more work went into them!

• Always ask permission before taking photos or video of a local Kuna. Many prefer not to be photographed, while others will ask for a dollar or two (especially woman in traditional dress). Attempt to strike up a conversation, feel out the situation, then politely ask to snap a photo.

• Trash has become a recent problem for the San Blas archipelago. Do your part and take as much trash out of the islands as you possibly can. For instance, before visiting the islands, attempt to minimize the packaging of whatever you’re bringing in (food, toiletries, drinks, etc). Since there is no formal trash removal on the islands, it unfortunately ends up on one side of the island with no where to ultimately go besides the stunning azul waters.

• Don’t steal coconuts! Even if there’s 20 hanging from a tree, just don’t do it! Up until recently (the late 1990s!), the Kuna used coconuts as their primary currency of the region. Nowadays, they export millions of cocos to Colombia annually in exchange for goods such as food staples, batteries, etc. So basically, stealing a coconut it pickpocketing over here! If you want a coconut, ask if they’re for sale and they’ll cut one open for you right then and there. They sold them on our island for $2.

Are you headed to the San Blas Islands in Panama soon? If not, I highly recommend you add them to your bucket list!

The post Visiting the San Blas Islands in Panama: An Idyllic Island Escape appeared first on A Passion and A Passport.