Making the best of a very short time in Bocas del Toro

Has it ever happened to you that you visited a place but just did not have enough time to do everything you wanted? It happened to me, and here is how I made the best of it

Bocas del Toro is a province in the north of Panama, and it consists of mainland a chain of islands. I wish I would have visited all of the area, but unfortunately I did not have much time, only 2 days. For this reason I will concentrate mainly on Isla Colón, the main island that also has the capital of the province with the original name of... Bocas del Toro! I did love it there, and I highly recommend to spend much more time there than I did.

Go diving or do other water sports

This was my main reason coming to Bocas del Toro, diving in the Caribbean is always fun! There are plenty of dive centers around the island (and the other islands as well). I chose the Diving Pirates as I liked their vibe the most. I did was diving both days I was there, the water was clear and there is plenty to see, and if you are there it is highly recommended to do the sunrise dive, even if you are not a fan of night dives!

Learn some Spanish

It is always better to speak Spanish when you are traveling through Latin America,

so if you are up to learning something just find the closest school and go for it! I did a few lessons at Habla Ya Spanish School, they did a quick test to determine my level and gave me a teacher starting the same day.

Rent a bicycle and go around the island

Most of the island is a natural reserve, and you can visit and see the wildlife (I saw a sloth!) and the wild beaches. There is an option to do an ATV tour in the reserve, which looked fun but I didn't feel like doing it on my own. It is also hikeable, but as I was with a time limit I chose the faster way to get around. Just make sure your bicycle is in a good condition, because mine broke down on the way, lucky for me I was on the road already and a nice person with a pickup truck gave me a ride back.

Have a beer and mingle with the people.

Choose your favorite bar and get friendly! My personal choice was the local brewpub, Bocas Brewery, which sold local craft beer as well, they had a live concert and the best staff ever. Unfortunately, I heard closed down since I visited there. But worry not, you have plenty of options as the island is just filled with food and drink places and the people like to go out.

Visit the other islands!

There are boats leaving from Isla Colón to the other islands. I did not manage to take those boats as they usually all leave in the morning while I was busy diving (hey, priorities!), but the stories from the people that went just make me want to come back for more time.

Final thoughts

I had a time limit of 2 days and I had to prioritize what I want to do, but I would definitely want more time, even just to do more of the things I did. I hope this post gives you some insight into the island and makes you want to visit. Just remember that the weather is tropical so it can rain on you any moment.