The real draw of Bocas del Toro is that it is undeveloped. It’s a great place to go if you want to nest, but you’ve got a big project to get done, and you want a quiet place to do it.  It’s also great if you want to learn how to dive, sail, fish or even surf. There are other things to do when you want a break from work or visiting the beach, but it’s not a place that will keep you busy – and sometimes that’s exactly what you want!

Here are things we found to do while we were there.

Learn Spanish! We spent most of our time in Bocas at Habla Ya, an international school to learn Spanish. We spent twenty hours a week in class. It was highly immersive and fairly challenging – the teachers only spoke Spanish in class. We attended for five weeks, and felt that it was about equivalent to a semester of college. The teachers spoke very little English, which could be problematic when they were trying to explain grammar rules, but it did force you to use the Spanish you were taught and grow more confident in using it. If you are interested in studying Spanish while you are there, we suggest bringing some good grammar books with you that have English explanations so that you can follow along better. Also, load Google translate into your phone.

One of the great things about Habla Ya was that they arranged outings and events every afternoon for their students. Unfortunately, most of our classes were also scheduled for the afternoon, so we weren’t able to go on most of them, but we did attend a few, and it would be a very good reason to request morning classes.

Another thing that Habla Ya offered was volunteer opportunities. I am sure they would be happy to tell you about them even if you were not taking classes there. They arranged for volunteers to teach English, to help in a local elementary school, and to help out in a local nursing home.

There are several catamaran sailboats that offer day trips out of Bocas. We went on a few, and by far, the best one was Jager Knights Tours.  The boat was clean and comfortable, easy to climb up on from the water, and with lots of room. A hot lunch was cooked on board, and they supplied high quality snorkel equipment. It was head and shoulders above the other catamaran tours we took.

Nivida caves on Bastimentos Island – Want to feel like Indiana Jones? This is it. You’ll need a guide, but if you ask around a bit, it shouldn’t be hard to find. (Try the Old Bank.) They will take you in a boat down a river on Bastimentos Island that will travel through mangroves and then, as the water turns fresh, into a jungle paradise. Finally you’ll arrive at a small farm and you’ll hike through very unspoiled jungle for about fifteen or twenty minutes to a large cave. You’ll be given headlamps and you’ll wade in water chest deep through a cave until you reach a huge room, totally dark, where you can swim. And yes, bats are flying all around. It’s creepy and very cool at the same time. Be advised that the hike can be very muddy and the cave involves some climbing on wet rocks, so make sure you’re up for the adventure. But it’s something you will never forget.

Chocolate Tour – Every place we’ve nested so far lays some claim to the chocolate industry, but this is pretty indisputable. Panama actually GROWS the stuff.  You’ll be taken up into the mountains (on the mainland) and you’ll see a chocolate plantation and talk to chocolate farmers from the Ngobe tribe. Not only will you have a fascinating day, you will be helping to support these indigenous people by taking the tour. You’ll get a chance to taste chocolate straight from the tree, learn about the process of harvesting and producing the cocoa and learn about the Ngobe local life and customs. They’ll even feed you lunch.

Navos indigenous tour – You may or may not be able to do this, but Oreba at times offers the opportunity to go deep into the jungle and spend a night with the indigenous Navos tribe.  (Lee write more)

Starfish beach – Probably one of the most beautiful beaches you’ll ever see. One of the reasons is that it’s quite remote, and so not very crowded, even on perfect days. There is a bus that can take you there, but a water taxi is probably a better idea. Once you get there, you’ll find crystal clear water with lots of starfish. There will also be beach chairs and hammocks you can rent, a few little locally run restaurants and beach bars, and some folks selling local crafts. After a day there, it will probably forever be your image of the perfect beach.

Bocas Dive Center – Bocas is a good place to learn how to dive. While the water can be a bit silty, there’s lots of nice, shallow dives and lots to see. We liked Bocas Dive Center, especially if you want to learn how to dive while you’re there. They’ve got a sunken airplane right off their teaching dock that attracts a lot of interesting fish, so your very first dives will be something to get excited about. Not only that, their instructors were patient and professional and they were scrupulous about taking care of their equipment.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute – While you can tour the research center, it also may be possible to volunteer while you are there. My niece tagged fish for them. There is a lot of wildlife on their compound.

Cine movies – When it’s a rainy day and you just want to get out, Cine Movies could be your best option. It’s a hallway full of small rooms filled with bean-bag chairs. Reserve a room and pick a movie, and they’ll show it for you on the wall, complete with popcorn.