Blog | Casa de Mono Bocas

Top 10 Things to do In Bocas

A concise list of the top 10 best things to do in the Archipelago of Bocas del Toro

Boat tour to the Zapatilla Islands

Cayo Zapatilla are 2 white sand islands that are protected as a Marine National Parks, only accessible by boat, and it's the perfect Caribbean escape.

The Tour includes a stop at dolphin bay to spot some dolphins, snorkelling at Cayo Coral, a break for lunch at an over the water restaurant and beach time at the Zapatilla Islands.

The tour takes you through the picturesque archipelago of Bocas del Toro, and is a beautiful way to explore. If this is the only thing you do, this tour is it!

Cost +-$35

Top Tip: Grab some food at La Ranita bakery beforehand and skip the restaurant meal!

Relax & Snorkel at Red Frog Beach

Red Frog beach is located on Isla Bastimentos and is a 10 minute water taxi ride from Bocas town. You will be dropped off at the Red Frog Beach Shortcut dock, with a $5 entrace fee required. The shortcut is a beautiful 15 min walk through the jungle to reach red frog beach, where monkeys, sloths and caymans can be spotted! Its an easy walk with a well maintained path. Red frog beach is expansive and offers some incredible snorkelling at the cliff side when the water is calm or great surfing when there are waves. There are several restaurants to grab some food and drinks at, or pack a picnic!

Cost +- $8 water taxi one way

Top Tip: Grab a sun lounger early in the day at Palmar restaurant and chill!

Hike around Caranero

One of our favourite things to do on a sunny day is to take a water taxi from town across to the Caranero Marina, and from there walk along the trail around the island. You will find some beautiful grassy sections with stunning vistas across the bay, a few paths that cut across the island through the jungle, beautiful beaches and surf and snorkel spots. You can follow the trail around the island or cut through the jungle. End your walk with a refreshing swim at Caranero beach which looks out onto Black Rock surf spot and end the day with a ceviche and cocktail at Bibi's or a Pizza at Coquitos. You can either continue your walk all the way to Aqua Lounge and catch a water taxi back from there, or get a water taxi from the dock by Coquitos.

Cost +- $2 water taxi one way

Top Tip: Take plenty of drinking water and bring your bug spray, Caranero is mostly marshland which means lots of mosquitos and chitre's.

Filthy Friday

Bocas is known for its vibrant nightlife, and if you happen to be here on a friday and love a good time, Filthy Friday is for you. Filthy Friday is an island-hopping day-party experience – you will stop at 3 locations on 3 different islands. Prepare to get filthy all day from 11:30am to 9:00pm, with the perfect combination of good music, good vibes, strong drinks, amazing scenery and beautiful people from all over the world!All ticket prices include a Filthy Friday T-Shirt, entrance to 3 bars, boat transportation between islands, Panama’s best DJ’s and MC’s and shots throughout the party.

If this isnt your thing, a visit to Bocas town at night is still a vibe and we can recommend several places for a bar hopping experience or a classy place to enjoy a bottle of wine!

Boca del Drago and Playa Estrella 'Starfish' Beach

Pristine turquoise blue waters, almost-white sand beaches, starfish galore... Playa Estrella has it all. Take a drive on one of Bocas's best roads at the moment to Boca del Drago, the launchpad to Starfish beach. Once you arrive you have 2 choices, either walk 15-20 min along the jungle and beach path to Starfish beach and try some sloth spotting on the way, or you can take a quick $2 water taxi ride to the beach. The walk takes you through Drago as you arrive, and you need to walk in between 2 large villas to get to the jungle path, it looks like its something you shouldnt be allowed to do, but it is as this is a public throughfare. The food at Playa Estrella leaves much to be desired, but its easy, cheap and a great day out for the whole family! Once there you can sit back and relax, or take part in some of the water activities available like parasailing or banana boats.

Walk Playa Bluff

From Casa de Mono its an easy beautiful walk along the beach road all the way to Playa Bluff. You can try your hand at sloth spotting along the way, or stop off at the many secret beaches along the way!Tesoro Escondido does an amazing breakfast for $5.50 including coffee with killer views over the ocean and a toucan that loves to visit. This is a perfect way to start your playa Bluff day. Once you pass Tesoro begins Playa Bluff. You can meander along the beach turning off occasionally to walk along the dirt path through the jungle to see what wildlife you can find!Turtle Nesting season happens between April and October and during this time you can spot many large and beautiful turtle tracks along your walk. We recommend walking all the way to Bom Bom Beach for a drink and a pizza, a bit of sun lounging and then meandering back towards The View at Oasis for a Filet Mignon dinner!

Kayak/paddle board the bay of Isla Colon

Rent a paddle board or kayak from the companies we can recommend in town, and paddle your way to Boya de Vida for a drink and chill and then on to the floating for lunch and a snorkel around the underwater mermaid and mangroves. They have a great dive board to jump off into the crystal blue water and sun loungers to bask on, with good music to boot! From there paddle your way back towards town and along the Bocas waterfront. Stop off at La Buga for a bite to eat, or continue along the way and pull up at any bar/restaurant that peaks your interest. The paddle all the way around to Bambuda is a cool way to see Bocas town from the water! Just beware of water taxis!

Go on a nightime Bioluminescence Tour

Easily one of the best things to do in Bocas is experience the bioluminescence in the waters of Bocas. During the night you will take a boat to discover the incredible bioluminescence made by 3 different types of plankton. You will get to see how they react to light and movement in the water in 3 different spots. Part of the experience that we recommend is snorkelling in the middle of the bioluminescence, a once in a lifetime experience and not to be missed! The tour company we can book for you is unbeatable at providing the best experience for our guests and we have never had an unhappy client. The best time to do this is after a sunny rain free day to ensure the best visibility and a clear sky Stars in the sky and in the ocean!

Explore Mimitimbi Nature Reserve by bike

Beyond Playa Bluff is the nature reserve part of Isla Colon called Mimitimbi. This protected area is home to all kinds of wildlife is restricted to only allow quads, bikes, bicycles and pedestrians. The general public have no right of access with a car through this area. You can ask your taxi to drop you off by the gates and take an easy beautiful walk along the jungle trail, or if taking the bus it will drop you off outside Bom Bom and from there its about a 10-15 min walk to the gate. If you are an avid walker, we recommend meandering all the way to Christian beach. a very adventurous and wildly beautiful walk to an unspoilt beach far away from anyone and anything. You will not be disappointed. The last place the quad bike will get you is Blue lagoon which are beautiful coral pools of water filled with sea life and amazing for snorkelling. La Piscina another spot worth stopping at is a greenish blue bay with a massive tree overhanging the beach. The last spot worth stopping at is Rock Beach. an unspoilt beach with crystal clear waters and a tall coconut palm tree to mark the spot.

Experience a Chocolate Tour

There are 2 great chocolate farms that we can recommend to visit during your stay here. Located on both Isla Bastimentos or the mainland, these are culinary tours that show you the local permaculture and method of chocolate making here in Panama. The tours focus on the cocoa plant and the preparation of the plant to turn it into some of the finest cocoa. Both tours include a lunch specially prepared with locally harvested produce. The locations of these tours are a beautiful way to see and experience the local area and get a different view of life in Bocas.

What to do in Bocas

A list of our Favourite things to do in Bocas