Bocas del Toro & Panama City | From Behind The Lens..

Rob Molyneux
Apr 1, 2020
4 min read

Bienvenidos a Bocas del Toro & Panama City!

After crossing the border from wildlife coated Costa Rica, we really didn't know what to expect from its more mysterious neighbour Panama. Our first stop was the tropical archipelago of Bocas del Toro, now in our minds we were imagining these islands on the Caribbean coast to have glorious sunshine bouncing off the crystal white beaches that fall into the turquoise waters.. But what we were greeted with was the type of weather that you would expect to find in the north of England! Putting our freshly bought ponchos to good use we battled against the paintball-like rain drops to find our hostel in Bocas Town on Isla Colon. Disheartened, we now needed to plan for our next few days here, fearing the fact that this downpour may never stop, I mean what is there to do when it rains on a tropical archipelago?

...Drink!

Luckily for us and our livers, the weather finally subsided and the sunshine peered through the clouds to illuminate its beauty! Although Bocas town is very touristy and personally not our 'cup of tea', we used this as our base to get water taxi's to the other islands and beaches, and there are plenty to choose from.. Isla Bastimentos, Red Frog Beach, Starfish Beach, Sloth Island, Zapatillas Beach & plenty more! Our personal favourite was Starfish Beach, a beautiful beach with surrounded by crystal clear waters that are filled with Star Fish! Coming a close second, we would say that Red Frog Beach is definitely also worth a visit. Surrounded by a jungle filled island, spend your time drinking ice cold beers watching the surfers take on the waves and then get your 'Sherlock Holmes' on trying to find the infamous Red Frogs! One of the main highlights from our time here has to be spending time out on the water, especially during sunset riding the waves with dolphins!

Bocas del Toro is a very backpacker orientated hang out and therefore there are many places to eat (try Alberto's Pizza!), drink (try Boca's Brewery) and party, and even if you are not into that sort of thing, I would definitely still recommend visiting Aqua Lounge and our personal favourite place, Blue Coconut! This little gem can be found in the middle of the ocean, a small hut sat on stilts is a great place to spend the afternoon drinking, snorkeling & playing basketball in the water (watch out for the sharp corals!).

Sadly, our time here was tarnished by the weather but once the sun comes out, so did its beauty! This is still a must visit place in Panama, but your experience may be very well weather dependent!

Next stop, Panama City!

The Miami of Latin America, a city of have's and have not's, and a complete contrast to the rest of Central America! This cities main attraction is the colossus that is the Panama Canal, a ginormous man-made wonder that is pretty breathtaking to see, albeit you may be waiting a few hours for a ship to pass through if you don't check the time schedule (Yep, we didn't check)..

You can also gaze up at the skyscrapers that don the skyline of the city, take in the big city lights, shop till you drop and then finish off with a fresh seafood restaurant to fill the stomach!

Away from the built up concrete jungle you have the Cinta Costera, which connects the big city to Casco Viejo. This joggers paradise is a long stretch of pathway which is lined with palm trees and surrounded by green spaces, outdoor gyms, tennis & basketball courts, football pitches and great views overlooking the ocean!

Make sure that you also get your pulse racing by cycling the Amador Causeway & hiking Cerro Ancon! This winding hike is rewarded with beautiful views over the city and you may even catch a glimpse of a sloth! So keep your eyes peeled!

Now for our favourite part of the city.. Casco Viejo! The old town is aesthetically beautiful, cobbled streets, pristine pastel-coloured buildings, small eateries, high end restaurants and roof top bars overlooking the sky-scraping buildings of the city in the distance. I would also really recommend the hostel that we stayed in here, Luna's Castle, set inside an old colonial mansion this is probably the most popular hostel in Casco Viejo, maybe even Panama City as a whole amongst backpackers, and for good reason! This place is huge with plenty of places to chill out, some great food cooked for you, great location, great atmosphere and it has its very own bar (Relic Bar) downstairs with 50 cents beers, which is like gold dust in this city! However, like with everything that is good with a place, there is also the bad and this couldn't be more the case here. A perfect example of this can be seen from Luna's Castle, looking through the window at the front of the building you can see the beautiful buildings, the pristine ocean and the skyscrapers in the distance. Although, take a look from the rear of the building and you can see a completely different side of Panama city, which is severe poverty.

Before you visit these beautiful places, here is a look from behind the lens..