Bocas Del Toro Things To Do

Activities and Things To Do in Bocas Del Toro
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Bocas del Toro Things to Do

Go on a Boat Tour - The standard tour is $15-$20 and takes you to Red Frog Beach, Dolphin Bay (to see dolphins), and Crawl Cay (a good snorkeling spot.) This is definitely worth the money. There is also a tour offered to Isla Zapatilla which is so beautiful. This is a $20 boat tour. Zapatilla is a national park so there is often a guy collecting $5-10 a person. Hopefully you’re lucky and there’s no one there. Be sure to organize this fee beforehand because there are some captains who can get this price down to $1. You can also customize a tour depending on how many people you are with and sometimes even get the price down.

Go Snorkeling - Hospital point is a good spot, especially if you only want to go out for a few hours. It will probably be around $8 a person to get there and back, depending on how many people you are with. Punta Manglar is also a good spot. It costs about $6 round trip. Crawl Cay is the spot you go to on a boat tour.

Go Scuba diving - There are three very good dive operators. Bocas Water Sports, La Buga and Starfleet Scuba. Each of them offers two-tank dives for $50. They both offer a full day tour and two dives for $60. The tour includes stops at Dolphin Bay and Red Frog Beach as well as the two dives. You can get certified in only three days.

Kayak around the island - You can rent kayaks at Barco Hundido or Restaurant Dona Maria on Carenero island.

Go on a bike ride - The best bike ride is through the island to Boca del Drago. It is a paved road with lots of hills. It’s a beautiful ride and a great way to get exercise while you’re here. There is a restaurant at Drago where you can get out of the heat and relax. You can also bike to Playa bluff. It is a great ride but can get really muddy if it has been raining. Bike rentals are usually $10 a day or $2 an hour.

La Gruta (The Cave) - Explore the cave full of bats and water up to your waist. Good fun. It is one dollar to get in, and they give you a flashlight. Take the road to Drago, and the cave is about 6 km in. Make sure you hit up both caves.

Go fishing - There are a couple of tour companies that offer deep-sea fishing but it is pricey. For the budget traveler, talk to a few boat captains to see who has fishing lines and would like to take you fishing. The hand line method that they use locally can be tricky, even for the most experienced rod fisherman. And if even that breaks the bank pull up to a dock with lots of activity under it and toss your line out. For best results, get up with the sun or be prepared to miss happy hour.

Swim - Boca del Drago is nice for swimming if you want to go spend the day. Isla Carenero has some good swimming spots as well. Red Frog is great for swimming whereas Wizard Beach is fairly dangerous. The main beach is a pretty good swimming beach if you’re just looking to get wet.

Learn Spanish - There is a great Spanish school called Spanish by the Sea. They offer accommodation as well.

Enjoy the people, the culture - Bocas is a place full of great people with many different traditions and backgrounds. Take a walk through the residential parts of town when the sun is going down. There are tons of people relaxing on their porch, and kids running in the streets.

Trek the Mimbi Timbi - Recommended only for the brave and those with excellent directional skills. Take the road past Bluff and continue on the trail that skirts along the water. The Mimbi Timbi is a nature lovers dream; the area is flush with caves and caverns housing stalactites, stalagmites, spiders, snakes, and bats. Along the way, be sure to swing from one of the vines while pounding your chest and yelling in monkeylike wails, “Bocas del Toro es mi amor.” Do not attempt this trek without at least six hours of daylight and plenty of water to spare. Recommended with a bike (but you’ll be carrying the bike part of the way…remember no whiners.) Towards the end of the adventure, if you’re not lost, you should cross a river and wander into a home site with dirt road access; follow the road in the direction that you’ve been traveling and you will reach Boca del Drago. Bring food, water and a flashlight just in case.