Archipiélago de Bocas del Toro : PANAMA
The Archipiélago de Bocas del Toro consists of six densely forested islands and scores of uninhabited islets. The islands are covered in dense jungles of vine tangles and forest palms that open up to pristine beaches fringed by reeds and mangroves. Beneath the water, an extensive coral reef ecosystem supports countless species of tropical fish. Welcome to Bocas Del Toro Panama known locally as just Bocas. Bocas Del Toro translates to, Mouth of the Bull. Some say the name comes from the last indigenous Cacique that had been named, Boka Toro. Others insist that Columbus named the area from the sounds of the powerful waves smashing into the volcanic rocks, making sounds mimicking that of a roaring bull. Bocas del Toro Panama : Pristine tropical rainforests slope towards the Talamanca and Central mountains. The province is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Veraguas province to the east, Chiriqui province to the south and Costa Rica to the west. Offshore lay wait to a wonderland of coral reefs teeming with marine life surrounded by an Archipelago of mangroves and white sandy beach Islands and some surf. Here is a surf video from bocas del toro. The 1,684 square mile/ 4,632 square kilometer province is made up of primarily four main towns Chiriqui Grande, Changuinola, Almirante on the mainland and Bocas del Toro Town the province Capitol. Bocas province population of 90,000 represents a more diverse mix of ethnicities and nationalities than anywhere in the country outside of Panama City. The islands have long been home to four indigenous tribes the Ngobe, Bugle, Bri-Bri and Naso. Due to Bocas rich history of Spaniards, pirates, banana plantations and now burgeoning expatriate community the ethnic mix also includes banana and canal worker descendents from Africa, Columbia, Jamaica, and the French Antilles, and an International Expatriate population that was tallied in 2003 to include 50 Nations.
One is more likely to hear English spoken here than in any other Panamanian province, however predominantly Spanish is spoken and some Guaymi and Teribe from local Indians lending to a unique Bocas slang. This unique melting pot of food, music and cultures creates a laid back Jimmy Buffet, Paradise. Previously only know by some Panamanian tourists, adventuresome surfers and a trickling of a few brave backpackers, Bocas has become the hottest new tourist spot in panama. Where have 12 countries filmed their Survivor series including France, Spain, Italy and Russia? The answer is the exotic Bocas del Toro Archipelago. During the last few years bocas has seen an explosion of new settlers from Europe and the US, establishing a new infrastructure of quaint hotels diverse restaurants and exotic resorts. The Investment opportunities have been amazing and will continue to draw both Entrepreneurs and those desiring a near perfect retirement option for years to come. The charm of Bocas del Toro Panama is found not only in the people and the aquatic paradise but also in the laid back life style it affords. The all wood structures many weathered by age bring you into a world both Jimmy Buffet and Humphrey Bogart would fell right at home in. Bocas offers a true flash back in time when life was simpler with fewer stresses and no problems man. If you're looking to do nothing or be very adventuresome you have found your perfect spot. Bocas is one of Panama's top tourist attractions and with good reason. Where else can you enjoy beautiful beaches with scarcely a soul in sight and rainforests so fine Lonely Planet Guide calls them "a biologists fantasy". Bocas del Toro flaunts all of the country's complex geographical and topographical features. Here, lowland tropical rainforests as uninhabited and pristine as before Columbus ventured here in 1502 slope upward to an interior dominated by the cool cloud forests of the rugged Talamanca Mountains and Cordillera Central. Offshore, a wonderland of coral reefs teeming with marine life surround an archipelago of white sand and mangrove-fringed islands and cays.
Tucked into Panama's northwestern corner, "Bocas" is bordered by the Caribbean on the north, Costa Rica on the west, Chiriqui on the south and Veraguas on the east. Only about 90,000 people live in this sparsely inhabited 1,684-square mile/4,632-square kilometer province, which has just three principal towns. Changuinola and Almirante, in the midst of vast banana plantations along the northern Caribbean coast, exist solely for the banana trade. Only the provincial capital, Bocas del Toro town, on 23.5-square-mile/61-square-kilometer Isla Colon, is developed for tourism. Unless you're fascinated by banana production, you'll head straight for the islands, where the prevailing atmosphere is laid-back Caribbean and natural adventures abound. Pristine rainforests still cover 92% of the archipelago's six large islands and almost 60 smaller islets and cayes, which are inhabited by 57 mammal species, more than 200 bird species and a variety of rare amphibians--including two species of tiny, neon-bright poison dart frogs that exist nowhere else on earth. Fully 74 of the Caribbean's 79 known coral species have been identified in the magnificent reefs here. Come for the beaches and delicious tropical ambiance, and you'll also find scuba diving, surfing and snorkeling, birding, wildlife watching, sea kayaking and more. Ride a rickety rental bike through "Bocas" town or to a nearby beach, get up close and personal with a bat colony, watch nesting sea turtles, and bend elbows with a parade of foreign transients and friendly, offbeat locals in a seafront bar. Bocas del Toro Panama : Pristine tropical rainforests slope towards the Talamanca and Central mountains. The province is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Veraguas province to the east, Chiriqui province to the south and Costa Rica to the west. Offshore lay wait to a wonderland of coral reefs teeming with marine life surrounded by an Archipelago of mangroves and white sandy beach Islands and some surf. Here is a surf video from bocas del toro.
