Bocas del Toro is a Province of Panamá, Central America.  Panama shares borders with two countries.  Costa Rica to the north, with the provinces of  Bocas del Toro and Chiriqui and Columbia to the south, with the province of Darién.  There are two border crossings with Costa Rica.  Paso Canoas in the province of Chiriqui and Guabito in the province of Bocas del Toro.  There are no border crossings with Columbia, as the province of Darién is pure jungle, at least along the border area.  There is no road access between Columbia and Panamá.

 

The archipelago of Bocas del Toro is 11 miles from the mainland, with some islands a bit closer and others a bit further away.  Three water taxis offer transportation between Almirante on the main land and Bocas island.  They are leaving in 30 minute intervals from 06:00 am until 06:00 pm.

 

A car and passenger ferry is leaving for Bocas Island from Tuesday to Sunday.  Ferry Schedule.

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Many international airlines offer non stop flights to Panama City (PTY).  Air Panama has flights between Panama City and Bocas del Toro, Bocas Town and Changuinola

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In the last 15 years Bocas del Toro and Panamá in general have become an expat destination for many different nationals.  Mainly citizens of the US, Canada and countries of the European Union are represented strongly here.  Until about 15 years ago Panamá was mostly just known for it´s canal and the US invasion of 1989.  While most people were familiar with Costa Rica as a tourist destination, Panamá was not well known.

This has changed considerably and even expats living in Costa Rica have been moving to Panamá. 

 

To put this in perspective, in the year 2000 Bocas town had three hotels, namely Hotel Bahia, Hotel Laguna and Hotel Las Brisas.  One grocery store and one butcher that offered meat products.  One bakery, two restaurants and no paved roads.  

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Amongst the residents of Bocas we also have quite a few amazingly talented artists. 

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The Bocas Breeze is reporting about local issues and events.

 

Today Bocas Town counts more than 30 grocery stores, the roads in town are paved, hostels from $ 8.00 per bed to hotels with rooms up to $ 200.00 or more.  Tourist season is from November through April/May and Bocas has become very popular with backpackers and conventional tourists alike.  Bars, restaurants, street food, buses, taxis, water taxis, tour operators and travel agencies are offering their services. 

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Construction of a new hospital is almost finished and it will hopefully open in 2020.

 

From snorkeling to scuba diving, from bird watching to dolphin watching, from visits to chocolate farms and indigenous villages, horse back riding, quad rentals, car rentals, bike rentals, electro bike rentals, jet ski rentals, paddle boards and kayaks, there is a wide range of activities available to tourists and residents alike.  

Eco resorts, hostels and hideaways on the surrounding islands of San Cristobal, Solarte and Bastimentos, for nature lovers and families that want to stay away from the discos and bars in the town of Bocas and want to discover the natural environment of Bocas del Toro.

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The Smithsonian Institute is maintaining a tropical research center on the island of Bocas del Toro.

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In the last 20 years several organizations have been founded and are enhancing the environment and daily lives of the local population.

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Businesses and Services that fall in general categories.

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