A brand-new day and we were off to new adventures, this time to Bastimentos Island. We wanted to get away from all the hustle and bustle and spend two whole days in nature, which was why we had chosen the island.
The island immediately impressed us with its beauty when we were approaching it by water taxi. We stayed at a house on stilts and it felt like we were in the Maldives. A dip in the water and then back into the hammock. That’s life.
Despite it being one of the largest islands in Panama, Bastimentos Island is home to a single village called Old Bank. It stretches along the coast and has only one road or path, no cars, two very small shops (kiosks) and lots of small accommodation facilities.
We spent the afternoon exploring the village, enjoying good sea food and planning the itinerary for the next day. The island is famous for its inhabitants that include sloths, poisonous red frogs, starfish, parrots, sea turtles... One can also find a beautiful coral reef. So, the plan for the next day was set, and we wanted to see as many animals and as much pristine nature as possible, and then also spend some time frolicking at the beach.
We decided to visit two places on the island, the Wizard Beach and the Red Frog Beach. We had to go on a small trek to reach the Wizard Beach, and we decided to take a water taxi to the Red Frog Beach.
The island’s inhabitants are called the Creoles. They’re a mix between Africans and the Caribbeans. They’re rather relaxed and reserved, and they tend to stick to themselves, but when you ask them for assistance, they’re kind and step in to help.
The locals told us which markings and crossroads we should stick to in order to reach our destination with as little trouble as possible.
We walked through the village and watched the children chasing and kicking a ball around by the road and in the playground. To me, it felt as if I went back in time to my childhood when there were no phones and when life was still easy and carefree.
The road soon leaves the village and continues into the tropical forest. It’s a bit steep at first and quite slippery after the rain. After an hour-long walk, which isn’t anything special, you can finally see the Wizard Beach. It’s a nice sandy beach and the sea is bright blue and wavy, but don’t let the beauty deceive you. You have to pay attention to strong ocean currents, so you don’t get carried out to the open. The beach is deserted, so you’ll have to bring your own food and drinks.
It’s the type of coast where there’s a big chance that you’ll end up alone in such a large area, or maybe there’ll be just a few people around. During our visit, the beach was surveyed by the army and the police from a safe distance and the shelter of the forest.
Another reason swimming was impossible were the waves reaching up to half a metre, but we still jumped over the waves like two kids and enjoyed the ocean, carefree.
Another day came and brought new adventures. It was time for animals or, should I say, we were hoping to see as many of them as possible.
We went on a boat ride around the island. When we first stopped for some morning coffee, we already saw two beautiful, big and colourful macaws by the cottage.
After our coffee, we continued forward to the coral reef where we swam among the colourful tropical fishes, crabs and quite unusually shaped corals that were reminiscent of human organs. After two hours had passed, we were tired from swimming and exploring, so we were happy to get back on the boat.
There were still two places to visit before heading back. We made the first stop to watch starfish that looked very different from the ones that live in our sea and that we’re used to. But we’d already seen them at the Star Beach and I’ve already written about them in my previous article. But they were still breath-taking.
Our last stop was very silent, though.
Why?
The guide first calmed us down and then pointed out that we had to be very quiet if we wanted to see the next animal. This animal I speak of was the sloth and my wish finally came true as I could see it from up close. It was completely still, resting on one of the branches and observing us just as we observed it.
The trip was a success and we managed to see a wide array of animals.
A single goal remained and that was to see the small red frogs. They’re hard to spot in nature as they grow up to 22mm. Males are very territorial and the frogs are very, very, very poisonous.
The highest chances of spotting them are at the Red Frog Beach. We took a water taxi to the beach. The path took us through the forest and it was an easy walk that lasted about 10 minutes max. The closer to the beach we got and the more we looked and searched, the less we saw. That’s why, after tiresome search, we decided to take a look at the Red Frog Beach and Polo Beach.
The first one was quite uninteresting and even a bit polluted. There was a bar on the beach and a hotel. We didn’t really like it there, so we headed to the next beach.
Polo Beach is another gorgeous, long and wild beach. Apart from two fishermen, we didn’t come across anyone, so we could freely let our inner children out and enjoy the seaside without a care in the world. I had a small accident on our way back due to my own carelessness. I ended up on my hands and knees and got a bloody souvenir. My leg was still in one piece, but the salt water quickly started healing the wound.
We went into the forest one more time, hoping to spot the little frogs. Unfortunately, our wish didn’t come true this time either and I can only trust that the frogs really do look like in the photos I found online. Our taxi driver was already waiting to take us back.
After we got back to our room, we treated ourselves to our last seafood dinner. Our host was good company and they helped us work out on our Spanish, making our conversation last long into the night.
The next morning was difficult; we knew our trip back to Bocas Town was ahead and the next day the return to the mainland followed.
Something still wanted to keep us in paradise, since a powerful storm broke during the night. It was windy the whole afternoon with heavy rain, and we didn’t know how we were going to get to the mainland. The whole thing abated a bit around noon, at least enough for the boats to start operating, even in the waves. It was a crazy ride, which some of us enjoyed more than others. But we had no choice because we had to catch the flight from San Jose which was due in two days.
Our stay in Panama thus came to an end and we only had to repeat the entry procedure at the Costa Rican border. And you probably remember how that went from the previous article.
The Bocas del Toro archipelago is a true gem all travellers look for. It’s something that erases all those bad memories and all the kilometres we’ve travelled through dust when we’re all sweaty, tired, hungry, thirsty and looking for a bathroom or simply an appropriate place to stay. It erases all those bad aspects of travelling that we usually don’t mention when we talk about all the things we’ve experienced and all the things we went through along the way, though we eagerly emphasise all those wonderful, unusual and crazy things we’ve experienced...
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