Bocas del Drago and Starfish Beach

When Christopher Columbus arrived in Panama in 1502, he landed at Boca del Drago, on the northern tip of Isla Colon in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago. You’ll find it much easier to discover this same tropical beach today. For $5 (round trip) you can take a 40-minute bus ride from the park on Main Street in Bocas Town, across the island to Boca del Drago. (The schedule when I was there was Mon – Sat 6 am, 8 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 4 pm and 6 pm, return trips at 7 am, 10 am, 12 pm, 3 pm and 5 pm. Check current schedules). The bus travels a well-paved road through the farming and fishing community of the Ngobe Indians. As you pass by the picturesque thatched roof houses that are home to many of the 300 community members you may envy the serenity and simplicity of their lifestyle. But, keep in mind, for most, there is no electricity and water is hauled from creeks.  

I was awakened from my day dreaming by the sensation of pavement suddenly turning to sand. No, we hadn’t gone off the road, we had arrived at Boca del Drago. A short distance beyond the tourist restaurants, cabinas and gift shops there was a small dock with a boat waiting to take me and a few fellow travelers over to Playa de las Estrellas or Starfish Beach ($1.00). A few minutes later we were swimming in crystal clear waters with beautiful orange and red starfish. They were magnificent and plentiful, each measuring 6 to 8 inches. Palm trees and tropical vegetation offered shade along the pristine sandy beach and small beach bars offered lounge chairs and refreshments. Of course, there were drinks in coconuts. Just what the body needs after a little snorkeling with starfish. I decided to take the beach path back to the main settlement to catch the return bus. It’s about a 20 minute easy walk. Yes, my day at Starfish Beach was magical, I could have stayed for weeks.  

Exploring the Archipelago of Bocas del Toro

When you arrive in Costa Rica from the USA and many other countries, you are “stamped” in with a 90-day Visa. This means that every 3 months you need to find somewhere else to go for a few days before returning for another 90-day visit. Because of its proximity, the Archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama, is a very popular choice for many ex-pats and “virtual tourists” who reside in Costa Rica’s Southern Caribbean towns, like us. Local tour companies offer convenient shuttles that will take you by mini bus and boat all the way to the main town on Isla Colon, usually referred to simply as Bocas or Bocas Town ($20 to $33 USD). Or, you can take a local bus to the border (about $3), walk across the bridge to Panama and pick up a taxi to the boat docks in Almirante ($10) then a marine taxi over to Bocas Town ($5). However you get there, it is worth the trip.

Gordie was taking this opportunity to get his PADI Open Water Scuba Certification at Starfleet Scuba in the center of Bocas Town. Although it rained for much of the time we were there, he was up early every morning and in the water with his instructor every day to successfully complete the course.  This also meant that I was on my own to explore the islands in the rain.

Day one I took a trip by bus to the other end of Isla Colon to Starfish Beach. This trip deserved a story of its own. See related story.

Day two, I took a marine taxi over to Bastimentos Island ($3). Although this is one of the largest islands in Panama, a large portion of it is protected, being home to the Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park, and being home to the indigenous communities of Quebrada Sal and Bahia Honda. The settlement you can see from Bocas is a town simply known as Bastimentos. This was my destination for the day. Once in the boat we were handed sheets of cardboard to hold up in front of us as splash protection from the waves. It worked. I was pretty dry when I arrived. Spent a little time exploring the main street and looking around at a number of rustic hotels and bars that dotted the coast. Unfortunately the storm clouds were gathering – not rain clouds, but STORM clouds, so I decided to cut my trip a little short. Went back to the dock and within minutes another boat arrived to make the return trip to Bocas. To me, the waves were huge and crazy. To the gentleman sitting next to me, not so. He proceeded to tell me about his adventures sailing around the world and tales of waves more than 20 feet high. I guess that made me feel safer.

For my Day Three trip I went to Carenero Island. It is so close to Bocas that you can see numerous resorts and homes lining the shore. I hopped on a marine taxi, paid my $1 and was ready to go when the driver asked WHERE on Carenero I was going. Well, I hadn’t a clue. There was a couple on board who were also visiting and they suggested we go to the marina since that was probably in the center of things. Made sense to me. As it turns out, the marina was indeed close to the Cosmic Crab, a restaurant I had heard about. But, close does not necessarily mean accessible. We landed at the marina. Everything was closed. It was Sunday. I left my companions and started on a path toward the Cosmic Crab. Within minutes I landed on my hands and knees in some of the yuckiest, smelliest mud I had ever encountered. I was forced to turn back and try the path in the other direction. The path was narrow and covered over in water and trash for much of the way. Eventually I reached an area of the island that seemed more designed for tourism. Exotic cabins over the water, tropical restaurants and beach access. I never could find a town so finally called it quits and went out to a random dock. Within minutes a boat came by to give me a ride back to Bocas. I have heard great reports about Carenero Island so I will have to try again on another trip when the weather is better.

Evenings were all together different. Since Gordie was out of class we were able to go out and try some of the many fine restaurants in Bocas. We are already planning to return and finish exploring this area. We’ll be including some scuba diving next time. 

As the crow flies…

Living in Costa Rica as “tourists” we have become accustomed to a “3-month ritual.” Every 90 days we are required to leave the country and remain out of the country for a minimum of 3 days. Upon re-entering, our passports are stamped and we’re good for another 90-days. We look at this as a great excuse to explore Panama! This time around we decided to head to the mountainous town of Boquete. Shielded from the rain by our Dollar Store ponchos, with backpacks in tow, we left the house at 6:15 AM and hiked down our dirt road to catch an early morning bus to the border town of Sixaola. There we “stamped out” of Costa Rica, walked across the old railroad bridge (see photo) and “stamped in” to Panama. The journey had begun. We took a 15-minute taxi to Changuinola -- with 90,000 inhabitants it’s the biggest commercial center of the Bocas del Toro Province. From there we hopped aboard a mini bus to David, the capital of Panama’s Chiriqui Province on the Pacific side of the country. It was now close to 10 AM. The scenic bus ride to David takes about 4-1/2 hours. From David we boarded a converted school bus to take us the last 30 or so minutes up to Boquete. By land our trip took about 10 hours. As the crow flies we were less than 100 miles from our starting point. Oh to be a crow!