Post - Everyday Travel Guides

by Rebecca Hollman
updated May 8, 2019

Gulf of Chiriquí Marine Park - Boca Chica, Panama

Boca Chica is one of the most underrated destinations in Panama, often getting frequently overlooked for places like Bocas del Toro. This one street tiny town deserves a mention of its own and was one of the more off the beaten track places I went in all of Panama. If people do visit the town, it is usually one a one day tour from Boquete. Boca Chica is a popular destination for sport fishing but it seemed like we were the only tourists in town. However small Boca Chica town might be, the Gulf of Chiriquí National Marine Park is a jaw-dropping destination and is only accessed from Boca Chica.

This marine park is made up of 25 uninhabited islands that serve as homes and refuge for howler monkeys, hawksbill sea turtles, leatherback sea turtles, and many exotic fish. These small islands all have beautiful white sand beaches and many snorkeling spots. Boca Brava is the biggest of the islands and has a few hotels on it, while all the others have essentially no infrastructure.

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About the Tour

Since these islands are remote, the only way to reach them is via tour. Tours can be arranged from your accommodation or made online. A good tour company is Boca Brava Adventures. Many people come on a full day tour from Boquete, and this is also an option if you don’t want to spend the night in Boca Chica.

COST: If there are 7 or more people going on the tour, then the tour costs $20 USD per person. If there are less people, prices will be higher.

ITINERARY: Depending on the tour you choose, you can reach a few different islands. I have seen tours that just go to Isla Gamez or just Isla Bolaños. However, the tour I went on (that was booked with Residencia de la Marina) visited three islands in one day - Gamez, Bolaños and Partido. The tour starts with a 40-50 minute boat ride from the Boca Chica marina to Isla Bolaños where you can get out and sit on the beach for about an hour. There is only one white beach and none of the rest of the island is accessible via foot. Most people just laid down their towels and sat in the sun, a few climbed palms to chop down coconuts and others went swimming. After leaving the beach, the boat stops at a snorkeling spot farther down Bolaños where you can snorkel for about 45 minutes. This was some of the best unique coral formations and fish I had seen in Panama - much better than in Bocas del Toro. After that, you head to Isla Gamez, which is a long skinny island. Both sides of the island can be reached via a short walk. The side you are dropped off at is white sand with very bright blue water, whereas the other side of the island is black sand/large rocks and dark deep, blue water. You can walk along the rocks to either direction on this side. The side that is more sandy is usually quite crowded with Panamanian families posted up in chairs and grilling out. I found it was actually much nicer on the rocky side where not a single other person was. I saw a ton of iguanas walking among the rocks. You are at Gamez for about 2 hours. After this, you head to the last stop - Isla Partida. This is a relatively large island and has one restaurant on the island. Again, it is a white sandy beach lined with palm trees. This beach is the longest of them all. We were here for about an hour before heading back to Boca Chica.

TIME FRAME: This is a full day tour, usually departing at 8 AM and getting back around 4 PM. Please bring sunscreen, a towel, snorkeling gear (some are also provided), plenty of water, and lunch (!!). I can’t stress enough that there are no facilities the entire day so you will need to bring everything you need with you.

Find Your Tour

Most tours leave from Boquete (the much more popular tourist destination) very early in the morning and drive you to Boca Chica, where you will get on your boat in the marina, and then take you back to Boquete in the evening. This is a good option if you don’t have your own form of transportation and you are based out of Boquete for your travels. However, if you can, I think it’s worth it to spend 2 days in Boca Chica. This is a true Panamanian small town with virtually no other tourists and is a unique experience in it’s own right. Visiting the islands of Golfo de Chiriquí and also Boca Brava make for a great trip. There is also amazing deep sea fishing in the area, and this is another large draw to Boca Chica. Almost any hotel you stay at will be able to arrange the tour for you (usually at a locals discount). I highly suggest this as it can be confusing to try to book the tour on your own.

TOURS FROM BOQUETE:

Anywhere Boquete

TOURS FROM BOCA CHICA:

Boca Brava Adventures

Learn More About the National Park

The Gulf of Chiriquí National Marine Park is one of the protected national marine areas in Panama. Most of the park encompasses open ocean, as well as a chain of 25 islands and islets. It was established in 1994 to protect these islands and their unique mangrove and coral reef ecosystems. The park has 19 coral reefs in total. The park is known for its wildlife including: green iguanas, humpback whales (from August to October), hammerhead sharks, white-tipped reef sharks, manta rays, dolphins and multiple species of sea turtles that nest on the beaches of the islands.

The sea is rich in marine life, providing scuba divers and snorkelers with the opportunity to see huge schools of colorful tropical fish, as well as hammerhead sharks and white-tipped reef sharks. Scuba divers and snorkelers will need to book a boat tour to get to the offshore islands, where visibility is better than it is near shore (expect up to 15m/50 ft. off shore). The shore near Boca Chica and the pier is shrouded in mangrove and the water is cloudy, not suitable for underwater sports.

The most popular island in the park is Boca Brava, which has a few different accommodations on it - ranging from rugged campground spots to luxury hotels, there is a handful of different places catering to different types of travelers. Don’t expect much in terms of facilities on Boca Brava though, there are no restaurants. You would likely eat in the restaurant attached to your hotel. However, Boca Brava offers two different beaches as well as hiking trails around the island. You can also see many monkeys and iguanas up close and personal on the island. A boat can take you across from Boca Chica for $1 USD. This is another good option rather than staying in the town of Boca Chica.