Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOURS FROM BOCAS
Generally, you get what you pay for in a
tour
, in that the more established, pricier ones
tend to use better and safer boats, take fewer people and show greater customer service and
respect for the environment and the indigenous communities. Make sure you establish the
itinerary and what's included in the price. Of course, it's often cheaper for a group to nego-
tiate a deal with one of the boatmen hanging out around the dock.
The standard day-trip excursions combine snorkelling with other activities, and cater pre-
dominantly to budget travellers ($20-30/person for a minimum of 4-6 people), depend-
ing on the destination and boat quality. Most leave at around 9.30am, returning about
4-4.30pm and stopping off for a seafood meal (not included) at a local restaurant along the
way, though some trips include a picnic lunch. Be aware that bad
weather
can result in a
change of itinerary or cancellation and that the seas further out can get very rough. We of-
fer a selection of the town's best
tour operators
in Bocas' listings section.
THE ITINERARIES
There are three popular itineraries offered by most operators. The first takes you to
Laguna
Bocatorito
(Dolphin Bay), where you have a good chance of seeing the rather shy
bottle-
nosed dolphins
that live there year-round. This can be a hit-and-miss experience, to be
boycotted in high season when the place is overrun with boats, many engaging in poten-
tially harmful practices. The next stop is the gorgeous, rainbow-coloured soft coral of
Cayo
Crawl
, where lunch is at one of the three over-the-water restaurants (from around $9-10),
before returning to lounge on
Red Frog Beach
($3 entry), sometimes with an additional
spot of snorkelling nearer home.
Another similar but pricier option takes you on from Cayo Crawl to the national marine
park and
Cayos Zapatillas
($10 entry fee on top) for further snorkelling and beach loun-
ging, stopping off at another snorkelling spot, such as
Hospital Point
, on the way back.
Alternatively, boats head round Isla Colón to the easy shallows of
Boca del Drago
, with
lunch at a restaurant on the beach, and to marvel at the wonderful starfish of
Playa Estrella
as well as heading out to see the sea birds at
Swan Cay
before donning the snorkel mask
once more at
Punta Manglar
on the way back. Endless possibilities exist for boat excur-
sions further afield as well: up one of the rivers into the rainforests of the mainland to visit
isolated
indigenous communities
or east around the Peninsula Valiente to the remote
Isla
de Escudo de Veraguas
, which aficionados consider one of the best diving spots in the
whole Caribbean -
La Buga
offers overnight camping dive trips, though the seas are too
rough to reach it most of the year.
