This quick guide of the best things to do in Bocas del Toro is for adventure seekers who want a new and off-the-beaten-path experience.
These activities require that you put in some effort, energy, and cash. Bocas del Toro is an absolute playground for those who are willing to add these ingredients!
How do we know what we are talking about? We have lived and adventured in Bocas del Toro, full-time, since 2015!
Here’s the top 10 best things to do in Bocas del Toro (and the ones we recommend most to our guests!).
- Spend an afternoon at the floating bar
- Explore the Navida Bat Cave on Isla Bastimentos
- Practice Yoga in the Rainforest Canopy of Isla Solarte
- Cayo Zapatilla Island Hopping Boat Tour
- Spend the day on Red Frog Beach
- Hike to Polo Beach on Isla Bastimentos with Titi
- Explore the Rainforest on Horseback at Bluff Beach
- Take a Surf Lesson or Learn to Scuba Dive
- Tour a Permaculture Farm in the hills above Old Bank
- Ride an ATV through the Jungle past Bluff Beach
TOP Activity: Spend an Afternoon at the Floating Bar
- Cost: Cheap drinks and food
- Highlight: Live Music on Mondays, Taco Tuesday and Thursday: 2x$6 tacos (see daily schedule here)
- How to get there: Take a 2 minute/ $2 water taxi from Bocas Town or direct from your outer island accommodation.
- Open Every Day through High Season (December 1 – April 30)
The Floating Bar is, well… a floating bar! How cool is that? They’ve got cold beers, margaritas, and other specialty cocktails, plus some yummy food like tacos, ceviches, and quesadillas.
It’s one of those classic vacation destination dive bars. A hole in the wall where you can let loose free of judgment. Do some backflips off the second story and snorkel around the nearby mangrove and shipwreck (in between margaritas).
#2: Explore the Nivida Bat Cave with Rutilio Milton
- Cost: $45 per person plus $15 cave entrance and gear rental fee
- Where: Bahia Honda, Isla Bastimentos
- How to Get There: Call Rutilio Milton: +507-6726-0968 or visit the Tomorogo Website
The tour is led by Rutilio Milton, who is an elder from the Bahia Honda community and who was the first to pioneer this tour over 20 years ago.
His tour has it all: a peaceful boat ride through the mangrove forest with sloths and caiman alligators, visiting a remote indigenous village, some hiking where you can spot red frogs, and of course, the cave.
The cave has three sections, and if you only go to the first section it takes about 1 hour down and back. There’s a river running through the cave and the water can be chest-high in some places, so be prepared to get wet!
What to Bring:
- Wear a bathing suit with clothes you don’t mind getting wet and dirty.
- Water shoes or footwear you don’t mind getting wet and dirty.
- Bottle of water, sunscreen, bug spray. You can leave a bag at the cave tour house.
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#3 Practice Yoga in the Rainforest Canopy
- Class Schedule: Vinyasa on Tuesdays at 9:30AM and Yin Yoga at 5:00PM on Thursdays.
- Classes cost $5 and are 75 minutes each.
- Yoga at Roam is located 5 minutes and $5 by water taxi from Bocas Town. Contact them for help getting there if you need it!
Roam Yoga and Wellness Center has the most amazing yoga shala in Bocas. It sits on a hill just back from the ocean and overlooks the rainforest, islands, and turquoise waters below. It’s the only screened-in Yoga Shala in the islands, which is important when you want to practice yoga in the rainforest without being a mosquito snack.
Follow them on Instagram for special events, retreats, and even single-day retreats! Their center is just a $5 water taxi ride from Bocas Town on Isla Solarte. Contact them for help arranging a taxi! Classes are open to all skill levels. Treat yourself to a healthy smoothie in their overwater restaurant after the class and converse with fellow yogis and travelers!
Stay up to date on Yoga Class Schedules, Retreats, and their Lodge: Instagram | Website
#4: Cayo Zapatilla and Bastimentos National Marine Park Island Hopping Boat Tour
- Time: 9:30 – 4:00
- Price: $180 for the private tour (depending on gas and group size)
- When to go: Good weather days!
The Cayo Zapatilla boat tour is the #1 boat tour that we recommend to our guests. You’ll definitely want the right weather conditions so this tour isn’t always a good idea, but when the conditions line up, it’s hard to beat!
This adventure starts between 9 and 9:30 AM (an earlier start to beat the crowds), and we always recommend a private tour. You’ll start off with a leisurely boat ride through the back bays of the archipelago in search of dolphins and sloths. The private guide is trained in responsible animal watching and will keep the boat at a safe distance from all wildlife, especially the dolphins.
The next stop is to head out to Cayo Zapatilla for a few hours exploring the island, snorkeling, swimming, and soaking up the sun. These are the most beautiful islands in Bocas del Toro, with white sands, turquoise water, and palm trees spilling out into the ocean.
Finish up the day with a stop at Coral Cay for some snorkeling, then grab a late lunch either a the local thatch roof restaurant at Coral Cay, or come back to the center of the islands and get dropped off at The Floating Bar.
What to Bring
- Sunscreen, a hat, and long sleeve clothing for sun protection like a light shirt or rash guard. The sun here is no joke!
- The guide will have a cooler with ice, some water, soda, beer and fruit, you can bring anything else you want throughout the day.
Prices can vary with group size and gasoline prices, but $180 is more or less the going rate for 2-4 people!
#5: Spend the Day at Nachyo Mama’s on Red Frog Beach
- How to get there: Water Taxi from Bocas Town is $8 per person to the Palmar Dock + $5 trail entrance fee once you get there
Red Frog Beach is our favorite place to have a beach day and we come here almost weekly as a family.
We’ll rent a beach bungalow at Nachyo Mama’s beach bar and spend the afternoon feasting on fresh caught fish, body surfing, making sand castles, and napping in the beach bungalow.
It’s around $8 per person to water taxi down to Red Frog, then you gotta pay $5 per person to use the “Short Cut” trail to get to the beach. It’s about a 15-minute walk from the dock to the beach on a well-maintained trail, so nothing you can’t handle!
The stunning beach at Red Frog paired with the comfort of the bungalow and delicious food and drinks from Nachyo Mama’s, sets the stage for the best easy beach day in Bocas!
#5: Hike across Isla Bastimentos with Titi
- Cost: $65 PP
- Where: Starts in Old Bank on Isla Bastimentos and ends at Polo Beach
- How to Get There: Call Titi: +507-6788-1331
This is the best hiking tour in Bocas and one of the best ways to experience the tropical rainforests and beaches of Isla Bastimentos.
Titi is an Afro-Caribbean man from Old Bank who is a passionate farmer and all-around highly skilled jungle man. The tour starts in the town of Old Bank and first passes through a tropical fruits farm where you get to try some delicious and rare tropical fruits like Biriba, Jack Fruit, Star Fruit, and the Miracle Berry.
After the fruit farm comes the real physical test of the rolling hills of the interior of Isla Bastimentos. Some of this trail is open farmland and some of it is dense jungle. Titi will lead you through to several beautiful viewpoints that have sweeping views of the Caribbean Sea.
You will eventually emerge out of the jungle and onto the western side of Red Frog Beach. From here you will stick to the beaches and make your way down Red Frog and then to Polo Beach.
The tour ends after you make your way back to Red Frog Beach and to the Palmar Beach Lodge bar for happy hour. Your legs will be sore after the 10 mile hike and having a rum punch in this moment might be just what the doctor ordered.
What to Bring:
- Good shoes/ footwear for hiking through the rainforest that you don’t mind getting muddy and wet.
- Bug spray, bottle of water, sunscreen, snorkel mask, beach towel.
- Some extra cash if you want to get a Coco Loco at Polo Beach or something to drink at Red Frog Beach at the end of the tour.
Read our Ultimate Travel Guide to Bocas del Toro
#6: Explore the Rainforest and Beaches on Horseback
- Cost: $55
- Where: Bluff Beach Retreat
- How to Get There: Catch a land taxi from Bocas Town for $20, or a local bus for $3.50.
The tour takes between 2-3 hours and has a very high opportunity for wildlife sighting, including howler monkeys, sloths, and tropical birds. You’ll get to stop at La Piscina for a swim, and have the opportunity to walk to the Blue Lagoon as well (these are two very cool, very private swimming holes). It’s a slow guided walk through the jungle on horseback, so don’t expect anything too crazy – do the ATV’s instead if you’re looking for an adrenaline rush!
Wrap things up back at Bluff Beach, where you can hang out for the rest of the day, or taxi back closer to town and enjoy the afternoon at a beach bar like Skully’s.
What to Bring:
- Bottle of water, sunscreen, bug spray
- Bathingsuit, change of clothes so you aren’t riding the horse in a wet bathingsuit, beach towel, snorkel mask.
- Good shoes to wear during the horse riding.
#7: Take a Surf Lesson
Mono Loco Surf School // Promotional Video from Anna Chahuneau on Vimeo.
- Cost: 3 Hour Surf Lesson for $35-$50, Board Rentals between $10-$25 per day
- Where: Escuela del Mar, MonoLoco Surf School, La Buga Dive & Surf
Bocas del Toro, above everything else, is a world-class destination for surfers. Similar to why Hawaii and Bali became famous tourist destinations; Bocas del Toro was first made popular by surfers.
With warm, turquoise waters, breathtaking tropical landscapes, and more waves in a 2 mile stretch of coast than anywhere else in the world; it’s easy for surfers to fall in love with the islands.
Bocas is also a great place to learn to surf. There’s a handful of really good surf schools and you can almost always find surfable waves for beginners, no matter what time of year. No matter what your skill level or ability, Bocas has a wave for you!
What to Bring:
- Sunscreen! Bottle of water. Bug Spray.
- They will have rash guards.
Check out our detailed Bocas del Toro Surf Guide
#8: Go Scuba Diving
- Cost: 2 Tank Dives for $85-$90
- Where: Panama Dive School, La Buga, Bocas Dive Center
Bocas del Toro is known internationally as a world-class surfing destination, but scuba diving is right up there in popularity in the islands.
You don’t even need to be certified to go on a dive in Bocas, as 2 tank discovery dives are very common. Many dive locations are also close to Bocas Town, and in not-so-deep water where you can still see cool stuff, like sunken boats and plenty of marine life.
Another reason to go scuba diving in Bocas is that it’s cheap! You can also dive year-round and in almost any weather and wave conditions, so it’s really a great activity any time of the year. Some months are better than others, though.
We basically live like this: if there are waves, we surf, and if it’s flat, we dive! (We do freediving, which is also a great thing to do in the islands).
What to Bring:
- Sunscreen! Bottle of water. Bug Spray.
#9: Visit a Permaculture Farm and have an organic lunch at Up in the Hill (Temporarily Closed)
- This Tour is Temporarily Closed. Check La Loma Jungle Lodge or Green Acres Chocolate Farm for alternative Cacao farm tour options.
- Cost: $40 per person, minimum 4 people
- Where: At Up in the Hill, 15 15-minute hike “up the hill” from the main dock in Old Bank in Isla Bastimentos
- How to Book: Contact them here
The permaculture farm tour and lunch at Up in the Hill has been a long-standing “Best Thing to Do” in Bocas del Toro. It’s an awesome way to see a local farm, learn about permaculture, and have a one-of-a-kind dining experience. As you tour their farm, which they grew over the last 20-plus years from what was just a cow pasture, you get to learn about all of the different food and trees they grow and live off of.
There is also a good chance to see some wildlife, like poison dart frogs, sloths, monkies, snakes, birds, and butterflies. The hosts, Javier and Jeannette, are extremely knowledgeable about the plants and animals and overall this is a great learning experience!
What to Bring:
- Sunscreen. Bottle of water. Bug Spray.
- Good shoes for hiking in the rainforest.
- Beach gear if you want to walk to Wizard Beach after the tour.
Check out the 13 Most Bucket List Things To Do in Panama
#10: Explore the jungle on an ATV with flying pirates
- Cost: $70 half day, $100 full day, but call for exact pricing.
- How to do it: Call Flying Pirates: +507-6689-5050
The Flying Pirates ATV experience is one of the top-rated things to do on Trip Advisor for Bocas del Toro and we can say from extensive experience that it is, indeed, one of the best things to do in the islands.
The best thing to do with the ATV’s is to take them on their jungle trails past Bluff Beach where you will encounter some seriously rugged terrain that is as beautiful as it is challenging. Our best advice is to take it slow for the most part, as speed is what will get you into trouble. You’ll also be able to see more wildlife this way, and we also recommend stopping to swim at La Piscina and the Blue Lagoon. We also recommend bringing a change of dry clothes for after you swim so you don’t have to finish the trail in a wet bathing suit.
What to Bring:
- Sunscreen, Bottle of water. Bug Spray.
- Closed Toe shoes, driver’s license.
- Clothes that you do not mind getting completely 100% covered in mud. A change of clothes for after. Bathingsuit/ Snorkel Gear if you want to stop to swim or snorkel at La Piscina and Blue Lagoon.
Want to Learn More About Bocas del Toro?
Check out our other travel guides below to get the real inside scoop on Bocas del Toro!
Browse the guides below or visit our blog homepage here.
Getting from Panama City to Bocas del Toro (Quick Guide)
7 Best Affordable Overwater Bungalows in the Caribbean
Bocas del Toro Surfing Guide: Surf Spots, Seasons & Lessons (2024)
Surfing in Panama: Travel Guide & Best Surf Spots
10 Day Panama Itinerary for Bocas del Toro (With Costs)
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