The Best Things to Do On Isla Bastimentos - Bocas del Toro, Panama
by Rebecca Hollman
updated Feb 25, 2019
Bastimentos is the largest island of the Bocas del Toro archipelago, and is a much more laid-back alternative to the streets of Bocas Town on Isla Colon. Bastimentos has one small town, but is mostly jungle, remote beaches, indigenous villages and a few hotels and lodges. Part of Bastimentos is also covered in the Bastimentos National Marine Park - which includes 13 hectares of ocean, 11 hectares of land on Bastimentos, and the Cayos Zapatillas. This park preserves the many mangrove forests and coral reefs of the area. Check out all the best activities and things to see on Bastimentos below.
1. WIZARD BEACH
ABOUT: Wizard Beach is a remote and beautiful beach on the eastern side of Bastimentos. It has no infrastructure and very few visitors per day and so is a great way to really feel like you are on a remote tropical island. The walk to Wizard Beach is about 40 minutes through the jungle from the dock where a water taxi would drop you off. The walk is mildly steep and extremely hot during the peak of the day but gives you a nice view of the interior jungle of Bastimentos. Make sure to bring plenty of water with you, and maybe also food depending on how long you will be there.
GETTING THERE: You will need to take a water taxi from Bocas Town to Old Bank on Bastimentos. Old Bank only has one sidewalk as the main “road” so follow this sidewalk to the right from where the boat drops you off until you reach a sign that says Wizard Beach with an arrow to the left. This sign is about 15-20 minutes from the dock and the sidewalk goes underneath the sign. If you follow the trail to the left where the sign is, it will wind through people’s yards and can be a little bit confusing. Try to stick to the bigger trail if it splits. There is one split where they look the same size - stick to the left and go up the concrete block stairs. Eventually you will go out of Old Bank and the rest of the trail is obviously marked and through the jungle. You can come back on this same route, or you can take an alternate route to stop at Up in the Hill - an organic coffee and cacao farm. If you want to reach Up in the Hill, start walking back on the same trail and split off to the right when you see a painted flower made out of plastic nailed onto a tree. These flowers are the trail markers for Up in the Hill and will be on trees every so often on the way. The split off doesn’t seem like a well-traversed trail, but if you see the first flower then this is the right way. Eventually you will step over a root and go through a tiny break in a barbed wire fence and the trail will continue through rolling pastures. You will reach the jungle again and the trail will start to incline until you reach a wooden fence with a Up in the Hill sign. Pass through the fence and take the last steps up to the cafe. To get back to Old Bank from Up in the Hill, leave out to the right (the different entrance than where you came in) and follow the big trail all the way down the hill past some other homes and businesses until you come out directly in the heart of Old Bank. Boats from Bocas Town to Old Bank cost $4 per person each way.
OTHER IMPORTANT INFO TO KNOW: A tourist was murdered walking on the trail to Wizard Beach in 2016. Because of this, the Panamanian government brought in a military presence to Bocas and enlisted police to always be present along the trail. This event was truly a one-off situation and nothing has happened along the trail since. However, I would strongly advise not to walk on the trail alone (especially as a solo female) and to not walk along the trail after dark. I would not let this fact discourage you from visiting Wizard Beach because it is safe, but it is good to know to be aware of your surroundings and to also not bring valuables.
Learn more about Wizard Beach here.
2. RED FROG BEACH
ABOUT: Red Frog is technically the same beach as Wizard Beach, just farther down along the same side of Bastimentos. It’s not possible to walk to Red Frog from Wizard, you would have to take a boat from either Bocas Town or Old Bank to Red Frog. However, this beach has all the same beauty as Wizard but much more amenities. There are many hotels, hostels and restaurants scattered along Red Frog Beach. Many people spend a couple of nights at a hotel on Red Frog while they are in Bocas. The waves and currents here are still pretty aggressive, like most places in Bocas, but you can swim at this beach if you are aware of your surroundings and careful. There is also a chance to surf at Red Frog depending on the swell. This is a great beach to spend the day in the sun and water, with the opportunity to walk to a restaurant and grab a smoothie or a bite to eat.
GETTING THERE: To get there you will need to take a water taxi from either Bocas Town or Old Bank to Red Frog. Depending on where you are going, you can either go to Red Frog Marina or “the shortcut to Red Frog.” If you are just spending the day on Red Frog, the driver will most likely drop you off at the shortcut. You will follow the trail from the dock about 15 minutes to the other side of the island where it will open up into a big expanse of beach. Right when you get off the dock, you will need to pass by a stand where they charge you $5 to enter Red Frog for the day. Alternatively, if you are staying at a hotel on Red Frog, they will likely drop you directly at the Red Frog Marina. Boats from Bocas Town cost $5 per person to Red Frog each way.
Learn more about Red Frog Beach here.
3. UP IN THE HILL COFFEE AND CACAO FARM
ABOUT: This organic cacao farm is nestled up in the jungle in the middle of Bastimentos. It is a super cute cafe that serves coffee, cacao drinks, wraps, veggie burgers, and amazing banana cake. They also sell coconut oil, coconut oil products, cacao products, and beeswax products for all sorts of uses - moisturizer, shampoo, bug spray, etc. Besides being a cute cafe to hang out at, they also do tours of the farm and explain the process of growing cacao and turning it into cocoa powder and other products. Tours only go at certain times of the day. You also have a very high chance of seeing strawberry poison dart frogs around the gardens of the cafe. This type of poison dart frog is only found on Bastimentos, out of the entire world. The lady who owns Up in the Hill will most likely help you find a frog to take photos of.
GETTING THERE: If you are going to just Up in the Hill and not Wizard Beach, then you will take the first direct route to Up in the Hill. When you get off the water taxi at Old Bank, you will walk a little bit along the sidewalk to the right but will almost immediately see a sign pointing to the left that says Up in the Hill. Follow this sign along the marked trail all the way to the cafe. If you are going to Wizard Beach, you can either go to Up in the Hill first and then go to the beach or go to the beach first and then to the cafe. If you go to Up in the Hill first, follow the same path as mentioned before and then leave Up in the Hill out the back entrance, down a path lined with pink hibiscus and other flowers. From there the path will descend out of the jungle and into more open pastures. The trail is always marked with painted flowers made out of plastic that are nailed to trees. These trail markers will be every so often so make sure to look out for these and stay on the path with these markers. Eventually this trail will run into the Wizard Beach trail and you will walk along the normal Wizard Beach trail for 5 minutes before reaching the beach. If you want to go to Wizard Beach first and then Up in the Hill, read the directions under the Getting There section of Wizard Beach above. Water taxis from Bocas Town to Old Bank cost $4 per person each way.
Learn more about Up in the Hill here.
4. POLO BEACH FULL DAY HIKE
ABOUT: There are a good amount of beaches on Bastimentos that are pretty much inaccessible to people, and are therefore completely empty and remote. Polo Beach is one of those beaches. The only way to reach it is by hiking through the entirety of Bastimentos on this guided tour, or to hire your own water taxi to take you all the way there and wait for you while you chill on the beach. This full day hike takes you hiking through the entirety of Bastimentos - which is really the only chance you would have to walk along the interior of the island and explore the jungle. After hiking, you will reach Polo Beach where you can lay on the beach and swim. Then a water taxi will take you back around to Old Bank. You can organize the tour with Bastimentos Alive (bastimentosalive@gmail.com). The tour is $45 per person and includes lunch, tropical fruit tasting, info on medicinal and edible jungle plants, and transportation back to Old Bank by boat.
GETTING THERE: All communications should be made with the tour company, Bastimentos Alive. You will have to provide your own transportation to and from Old Bank. Water taxis from Bocas Town to Old Bank are $4 per person each way.
5. BAHIA HONDA BAT CAVES (NIVIDA CAVES)
ABOUT: Bocas del Toro has a surprising amount of cave formations - made out of reef that have risen over time. Bocas also has a surprising amount of different species of bats. Together, this provides the opportunity for many bat caves to exist across the archipelago, and they do. The biggest and most known is the Nivida Bat Cave in Bahia Honda. You can take a tour that will go from Bocas Town through the mangroves to Bahia Honda, on Bastimentos. From there you will hike about 30 minutes up to the entrance of the cave. You can then explore the cave with a guide and a headlamp. There are many stalagmite and stalactite formations and thousands of bats. The water here is about chest deep so you will be walking through deep water the entire time inside the cave. Wear clothes that can get wet and either bring a water-proof bag for your other stuff, or don’t bring anything with you. The total amount of time spent in the cave is about an hour.
GETTING THERE: You can arrange a tour with a few different companies in town. Habla Ya (the Spanish school) does tours for $35, but there are a few other tour companies as well. All tours will leave directly from Bocas Town and transportation will be included in the cost of the tour.
6. SALT CREEK INDIGENOUS TOUR
ABOUT: On the southern part of Bastimentos there is an area called Salt Creek - which is home to an indigenous village of the Ngabe-Bugle peoples. A company called Allianza Tour Group takes small tours to this village once a week so people can learn about the traditions and cultures of these people and also about the nature of Bastimentos. The tour includes a presentation of traditional dance, traditional food tasting, a sale and workshop of artisan crafts, a tour through the jungle plaths, and a chance to see jungle animals like capuchins, caimans, night monkeys, sloths, poison dart frogs, bats and medicinal plants. The tour costs $49 and includes lunch and transportation from Bocas Town. There is a minimum requirement of 4 people for this tour. Some tour companies will also take you to Playa Larga, a remote beach about an hour walk from the Salt Creek village.
GETTING THERE: If you are interested in doing this tour call or text Allianza Tour Group at +(507) 6155-0614. Please make your reservation at least 2 days in advance. Tours go every Friday and leave Bocas Town at 9 AM.
