By Michael Siegfried and Yorleny Fernandez

The town of Colon is very pretty and laid back

We took this trip ( packaged tour ) on July 2005. It was a 3 nights and 4 days trip at a very good price. It included transportation from San Jose Costa Rica and back, lodging in a very nice hotel ( Laguna ) and local tours. The local tours included a tour to the famous Crawl Key with snorkelling included, a local guided tour to see the dolphins ( and we actually saw plenty of them ) and a guided tour to Bastimentos Island and Red Frog Beach.

The beaches are beautiful

Actually their original package was only 2 nights and 3 days but we extended the trip for one more day to explore a little bit more of Isla Colon the largest Island. So we rented bicycles and started driving around the island until we reached Bluff`s Beach. It was quiet long so you might also want to rent a scooter from a local scooter rental, they are everywhere in Colon.

The food is great in Isla Colon. the seafood is a mix between North American Style and Local Caribbean Culinary Arts. There are many restaurants in Colon, from budget " Sodas " to Exotic and Gourmet Restaurants.

Touring the canals of Changuinola

The easiest access is by plane from Costa Rica or Panama. However, we took the land option. It was very good." The boat ride through the canals between Finca 60 and Boca’s del Toro’s Islands is en extra plus " we thought

Ngobes, Bri bri, Guaymi and Cunas inhabit the rest of the islands

One of the things we liked the most was the large population of indigenous inhabitants. We were told the Ngobes were the original inhabitants and that the other tribes moved in from time to time, but we are not really sure. The homes are built from local wood and palm leaves. We saw some crafts but could not get to the place they were selling them.

The Dolphins Bay

We did see plenty of dolphins. They live in this " Lagoon " which has a rich abundance of molluscs and crabs they feed from. We saw many dolphins jumping and playing with the waves created by the boat we were in.

Cute little local boys showing a poison dart frog

The frogs are only dangerous if their venom touches open parts of your skin or wounds. This is one of our favourite pictures. This was taken on Bastimentos Island on half way between the little dock and Red Frog Beach.

The snorkelling was great

Snorkelling and Scuba Diving are tow of the things that made Bocas famous for. There are many sites, including Crawl Key, Hospital Point, Punta Vieja, The Garden and so many other. The water was really as clear as being in a swimming pool.

This was the Package we took and it was really worth evey penny.

Nights and 3 days Package ( WE TOOK AN EXTRA DAY AT LEISURE )

Day 1: Departure early in the morning from San Jose until Sixaola, where we will cross the border into Changuinola, Panama From Changuinola we will take the boats through the jungle canals until we reach Isla Colon, the main island. Check in your hotel and overnight.

Day 2: Tour to Crawl Key ( Cayo Coral ) for amazing snorkeling. Later we will visit the DolphinBay to watch the large population of dolphins that inhabit this area. After, we will visit RedFrogBeach to see the poison dart frogs living in these islands and at last we will spend 2 relaxing hours on the beach at RedFrogBeach. Afternoon return and overnight.

Day 3: After breakfast, departure back to Changuinola and after a stop in Puerto Viejo de Limon, we will go back to San Jose.

Recommendation: Information Sources for a good trip to Bocas

www.bocasdeltorotravel.com

www.bocasdeltoro.com

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