Restaurant on the tropical waters of Coral Key, Bastimentos Marine Park.

Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images

Isla Colón

The archipelago’s most developed island is home to the provincial capital of Bocas del Toro. From the mid-1990s, foreign investors flooded the island, creating hotels, restaurants and condos while infrastructure for water, trash and sewage lagged far behind. Today the island, which runs on diesel, struggles to find a balance between satisfying development and serving community needs.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • A howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus) is seen in Barro Colorodo island, in the artificial Gatun Lake of the Panama Canal on November 23, 2015. The island was declared a nature reserve on April 17, 1923 by the U.S. government. It was initially administered by the Panama Canal Company, and since 1946 it has been administered by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, forming the Barro Colorado Nature Monument together with five adjacent peninsulas. AFP PHOTO / Rodrigo ARANGUA / AFP / RODRIGO ARANGUA (Photo credit should read RODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP/Getty Images)

    Finca Los Monos Botanical Garden

    Bocas del Toro Town

    One of the joys of visiting Bocas is touring the 'Monkey Farm' botanical garden a couple of kilometers northwest of the center. Painstakingly carved out…

  • Panama, Bocas del Toro, Isla Colon, Playa Bluff.

    Playa Bluff

    Isla Colón

    This lovely beach is pounded by intense waves. Though you wouldn’t want to get into the water here without a board, the soft, yellow sand and palm-fringed…

  • Orange sea stars at Starfish Beach on Isla Colon, Bocas del Toro, Panama

    Boca del Drago

    Isla Colón

    Boca del Drago, in the northwest of Isla Colón, is one of the best beaches on the island, though the surf can be rough at times. Just offshore from the…

  • La Gruta

    La Gruta

    Bocas del Toro Town

    If sun, sand and surf isn't your thing then consider a trip to this cave in Colonia Santeña, a small village of cattle farmers 7km northwest of Bocas town…

  • Castillo Inspíración

    Castillo Inspíración

    Isla Colón

    French-Canadian Robert Bezeau crafted this four-story castle from 40,000 plastic bottles. The epitome of recycling, it's one of a kind and worth a good…

  • Playa El Istmito

    Playa El Istmito

    Isla Colón

    Playa El Istmito, also called Playa La Cabaña, is the closest beach to Bocas town (2.5km away), but as it's on Bahía Sand Fly the chitras (sand flies)…

  • Playa Punch

    Playa Punch

    Isla Colón

    Further up the coast from Playa El Istmito and Sand Dollar Beach is Playa Punch (or Paunch), which is dangerous for swimming but good for surfing. It's…

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Isla Colón and beyond

Beyond Isla Colón
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