Visit Bocas del Toro!

Bocas del Toro is a province of Panama. Its extension is 4,643.9 square kilometers comprising the mainland and nine main islands. The province consists of the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Bahía Almirante (Almirante Bay), Laguna de Chiriquí(Chiriquí Lagoon), and adjacent mainland. The capital is the city of Bocas del Toro (Bocas Town) on Isla Colón (Colón Island). Other major cities or towns include Almirante, and Changuinola. The province has a total population of 121,959 people (2010).

Christopher Columbus and his crew discovered the area in 1502. Bocas del Toro borders the Caribbean Sea to the north, Limón Province of Costa Rica to the west, Chiriquí Province to the south, and Ngöbe-Buglé Comarca to the east. The Río Sixaola forms part of the border with Costa Rica. An old railroad bridge spans the river between Guabito and Sixaola, Costa Rica. The bridge is a border crossing used by tourists going between destinations in Bocas and Costa Rica.

The province contains two national parks: Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park and La Amistad International Park. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute operates a research station on Colón Island just northwest of Bocas Town. There are many banana plantations in Bocas del Toro, often called the oro verde or green gold of Central America.

 History 

Christopher Columbus explored here in 1502, while searching for the passage to the Pacific ocean. Columbus's original name for the island was Isla del Drago. In colonial times, Bocas del Toro was part of Veraguas. It was originally part of Costa Rica until, in one of the many territorial disputes, Colombia took control of it with armed forces. The then government made a reservation called Bocas del Toro in 1834. In 1850, Bocas del Toro became a part of Chiriqui, then was separated from it and became part of Colon. On November 16, 1903, Bocas del Toro was separated from Colon and became its own province. In 1941,

Bocas del Toro was divided into 2 districts, Bocas del Toro and Crimamola. Four years later, in became into the same division as before. In 1970, Bocas del Toro district became Changuinola, eliminated the district Bastimentos and added three new districts to what it is today. The extensions of the districts changed in 1997 when the reservation Ngöbe Buglé was made.

The Panamanian province of Bocas del Toro is located on the western Caribbean coast and is surrounded completely by water. Overall, the province consists of 9 major islands plus a couple of hundred islets and cays; the latter being uninhabited and made of primarily coral and/or sand. If you're planning on visiting this exquisite land, use the Bocas del Toro Travel Guide provided to help plan your vacation and activities.

Things to Do
Go to one of the luxurious beaches of white sands and turquoise blue waters for a day of snorkeling, surfing, scuba diving, body boarding or just swimming. Spend time swimming with dolphins and viewing other wildlife at Dolphin Bay or hike to a bat cave and walk through water while you admire tons of bats hanging from the cave ceilings. You could also rent a bike and make your way to the other side of the island for a day trip. Or go island hopping and explore some of the outlying smaller islands 

off the coast as these are part of the Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Sites.

 

Visit Bocas!