SNORKELING

The best places for snorkelling are in Admiral Bay (Bahia de Almirante), where the coral reefs are more protected, waters are usually clear and there are no waves. Some of the snorkelling sites are also scuba diving sites, because many of the reefs go down up to 60 feet (20 meters). Notable are HOSPITAL POINT and THE GARDEN, at the tip of Solarte Key; MANGROVE POINT, BIG BAIGHT and BOCA DEL DRAGO, on the Bay coast of Colon Island; the reefs surrounding CRAWL KEY; CRISTOBAL LIGHT and CRISTOBAL ONE, on the shore of Cristobal Island and ZAPATILLAS KEYS, in the Bastimentos Island National Marine Park. The reefs in this sector of Bocas del Toro islands are very healthy, with a great population of corals and colorful sponges. Most of the reefs drop very gently to the bottom. On the open sea side of the archipelago, visitors can snorkel in the small coral reefs of Bastimentos Island, that lie beyond the beaches, such as OLA CHICA, and nearby WILD CANE KEY. The outer part of the ZAPATILLAS KEYS reefs are not so easy to snorkel, because of the prevailing north wind which creates large waves that break on the reef. These reefs, facing the open sea, form walls from 10 to 40 feet high, with small caves which harbour fish and crabs. This form of reef makes it difficult for the snorkeller, to have a good view of the corals, which in any case aren't so healthy as those on the bay. A different and unique kind of snorkelling attracts some visitors to the mangrove islets of the Marine Park. Due to the clear of the waters, snorkellers can see the beauty and colors of the life on the mangrove roots: sponges, fire corals, casiopeas, starfishes, crabs, crawl and swim on or between the roots. Other fish find refuge in this impresive underwater forest, that is also the nursery of many species.

FOREST TRECKING

Walking by the forest is probably one of the less developed tourist activities less in the Archipelago. It must, probably, due to the lack of appropriate footpaths that contribute to a easier route of the forests that exist in the different islands. Inside the island Bastimentos, within the Marine Park, is one of the more valuable primary forests by the diversity of his trees that are loaded of parasite plants, giving him an incomparable beauty. Other islands share this wealth very little explored forests, standing out Popa and Cayo Agua on all the others, although also exist forests in the island exist Colón (Mimitimbi and Big Baight), in San Cristóbal and Solarte. In the fauna of these forests are species threatened like the painted rabbit, the green iguana and diverse types of monkeys like whitefaced, howling, spider and nocturnal. The only footpath built with tourism in mind is in the Major Zapatilla Key, within the Marine Park, and is called "The Forest behind the reef ". Even though its route is easy and short, it is worth to visit it. In island Bastimentos it is possible to walk the forest from the Community of Quebrada Sal, leaving to Long Beach can be crossed, or vice versa. This footpath is used habitually by the members of that ngobe indigenous community. In Bahía Honda (Bastimentos island), in Popa # 2 and Cayo Agua communities, can be contracted a villager as a guide to cross the beautiful forests of those islands. It is possible to emphasize that in Popa island it is the only forest where they will be able to observe toucans. In the near future, the construction of new footpaths beginning in the indian communities, is anticipated to facilitate the visit by tourists. In all the cases it is recommended to use guides of the neighboring communities to the forest that thinks to cross, to avoid any accident.

SIGHTSEEING

There are two ways, at present, to sightsee the Bocas del Toro Islands: by boat (the easiest and best way) and by car (only on Colon Island). For the tourist who is interested in a one day tour of the islands we recomend renting a boat and making the circuit of Admirald Bay (Bahia de Almirante): Colon Island, Cristobal village, Hospital Point, in the morning, a stop for lunch at Crawl Key and then a short trip cruising the mangrove islets of the Marine Park, on the way back, followed by a visit to Bastimentos town and a view of the Colon Island and Carenero Key. Usually, a standard tour takes you to one or two of these locations per day, allowing you more time to explore and relax than the above tour. In this plan, you can add other places, like Zapatillas Keys and the Teribes circuit, in the main land. By car, your tour begins in Bocas del Toro town, with the choice of two alternatives. The first takes you along the coast facing the open sea, with alternative rock outcrops and small beaches on the right, and undulating hills with cow farms and forests on the other side, until you reach the fabulous and as yet undeveloped beach of Bluff, with its distinctive bright orange sand. This is a great place to spend your day, swimming, taking care on rough days, laying on your back watching white-faced monkeys, or surfing the waves. Bluff Beach is also a marine turtles nesting beach, where conservation groups work during the nights, in season, to preserve nests and turtles from predators, activity open also to tourists. Otherwise you can take the half hour trip to the old settlement of Bocas del Drago, situated on a sandy beach beyond which are patches of coral, of interest to the snorkeller. Five minutes from here, toward the open sea is the bird sanctuary Swan Key. In the way back to Bocas, make a point of stopping in the middle of the island to see the Bats Cave with its beautiful grotto.

MARINE TURTLES

Historically, the marine turtles have arrived at the coasts of Bocas del Toro, for several centuries. In spite of to be hunted for many years, the tourism can contribute directly to their salvation, because it has been demonstrated that, by means of the observation at the moment of nesting, the communities can receive income often superior to which would be obtained by means of the sale of their meat or its eggs. Four types of marine turtles arrive at beaches of the islands to nest: the hawkbill, the logerhead, the leatherback and the green one. This last one makes an important migration during the months of July and August that happens throughout the coast to go to nest to beaches of Tortuguero, Costa Rica, although some of them also do it in Bocas. The observation of the nesting, during the night, requires diverse well-taken care of and for that reason specialized guides. One of the bigger enemy, nonsingle for the turtles nesting but also for the small young when being born, is the light. For that reason strictly the use of lights is prohibited when it is going away to observe marine turtles nesting. The lights, when the turtles come to nest, can do them come back to the sea. Nevertheless, when already they have nested, the existence of lights attracts them and often they take them towards the opposed side to which they must go: the sea, being a mortal trap. The same it happens to the newborn. The ideal places for observation of turtles in Bocas are Bluff beach, where an activity organized by conservacionist groups exists, or in Long Beach, in the Marine Park, where although there is no usual visitación of tourists is possible to collaborate in the protection of the nests.

SURFING

The beaches outside of the Colon and Bastimentos islands are two of the three spots. The other is the northern tip of the Carenero Key. A couple of sites in the Colon island attract more visitors: Bluff Beach and The Dump. The first is a long beach with very strong waves not always good for surfers. The long underwater dropp off makes long and continuous waves that break almost in the beach. The second site menttioned (The Dump) is the favorite of local surfers. It is dangerous because the waves break close to a coral reef and surfers must be careful to finish the ride before that point. It is also the place where more tables have been destroyed and many surfers ended with injuries. To reach both sites the only way is by car (taxi or particular), in a ride of about 15 minutes from Bocas town. The sites of Bastimentos are less visited by surfers. The first two beaches, from Bastimentos town, offer good conditiones but they are more difficult to reach: by boat from Bocas, weather permiting, or by boat to Bastimentos and then a 15 minutes walk to the other side of the island, to arrive to the first beach. The boat ride is about 15 minutes. The third site, in Carenero island, is as dangerous as The Dump, with many coral reefs close to the waves. It is visited as an alternative and to arrive there demand a short boat ride to Carenero and a walk along the eastern coast of the key. There are not surf shops in Bocas, because the activity as the whole tourism, is in the very beginning. Some local surfers repair tables to get an alternative income.

BIRDWATCHING

Birdwatching is another tourist activity not yet very developed, but that promises to expand very quickly, once created the suitable conditions, as the qualification of specialized guides. However, the tourist who wishes to practice it can do it by sea, for the observation of sea birds, very abundant, like by land, for the observation of birds in the forests. The absolute attraction over all the other birds has the Red-billed Tropic Bird (Phaeton aethereus), that nests in the Swan Cay, only place known in the Caribbean. In that same key, declared Birds Sanctuary, also nests the brown booby (sula leucogaster etesiaca), whereas other important sea birds like the brown pelican (pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis), the frigate (fregata magnificens) and diverse gulls and terns, have active presence but without nesting. In the coasts of mangroves it is possible to observe other birds, in addition to the mentioned ones, specially the sandpipers, diverse herons and egrets, neotropic cormoran (Phalocrocorax o. olivaceus), the kiskadee and king ficher. In the forests it is possible to observe humminbirds, tiles, hawks, doves, parrots, owls, oropendolas, woodpeckers, toucans (Popa island), tanagers and many others. And the list of birds could not be complete without mentioning the inhabitants of the cities and towns: the great-tailed grackle (Cassidix mexicanus peruvianus), that already has extended also to the forests, black-headed vulture (Coragyps atratus) and the sparrows.

INDIAN VILLAGE

In the Archipelago boundaries there are several communities of the ngobe indians. These communities are, in the Bastimentos Island: Quebrada Sal and Bahia Honda; in San Cristobal: San Cristobal, Bocatorito and Valle Escondido; in Solarte: Solarte; in Popa: Popa 1, Popa 2 and Isla Tigre; in Cayo Agua: Cayo Agua. If you are interested in indian cultures, is a good idea to visit San Cristobal, Popa 2 or Quebrada Sal, where any local will tell you about their communities and customs. Indian communities are very poor, depending almost exclusively from fishing, activity that it is complemented with survival agriculture. Although they are not prepared to receive tourists, they receive any visitor with kindness. Because their productive activities are decaying, some of the communities are trying to be involved in the tourism business, to diversify their incomes. Their typical homes are built in wood, over wood stilts, with floors made with the bark of the jira tree, and the roofs made with the leaves of the guagara, a palm that grows in swamps. In general, they built their huts around a central place, like a park but without any ornament, in the community. Others do it out of this center, close to their farms or plantations. In some communities women create a beautiful handicraft named chacaras or mochilas, that is a bag made with a vegetal fiber called pita, with geometric designs painted with vegetal tints.

ACTIVITIES