By Lisa Kadane Special to the Star
Sloths have a reputation as sedentary creatures with superb camouflage. But the furry mammal climbing a tree outside our rainforest ecolodge on Isla Colón refused to blend into the scenery. She slowly but surely hooked her two curved toes over the limber branches as she crept along, stopping to hang from her hind legs and give us what appeared to be a shy smile and wave.
It was one of many sloth sightings during our family vacation to Bocas del Toro, Panama, a province that extends from the mainland to an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The islands are where most tourists go, with Isla Colón and its buzzing Bocas Town, the provincial capital, being the archipelago’s main hub. When we weren’t watching the creatures from the lodge, we searched for them in the mangroves during a boat tour to see and learn about the region’s diverse wildlife.
“Sloths do everything in slow motion, even swim, and they don’t have any predators here in the archipelago,” says Emanuel Montenegro, a guide with the ecotour operator Kawi Voyage, while we watched one luxuriate in a red mangrove tree. “They are a special animal.”
Bocas del Toro, it seems, is just as special as the beloved animal it protects.
In addition to being a safe habitat for sloths — it includes the world’s only population of pygmy three-toed sloths, which live on tiny Isla Escudo de Veraguas — the province boasts swaths of primary tropical rainforest and Panama’s first national marine park, Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos. Bocas del Toro shelters an astonishing biodiversity, with everything from tiny strawberry poison frogs to giant leatherback sea turtles, making this one of Central America’s most rewarding ecotourism destinations.
So I was surprised by its backwater vibe and how few tourists we encountered. Travellers may be dissuaded, in part, by the extra effort it takes — first to fly here, and then to get around by water taxi. Many lodges remain accessible only by boat.
Beyond popular spots such as Starfish Beach, where orange and yellow starfish cover the sand in a shallow bay and attract visitors and residents who spend the day picnicking and listening to music, we often had coral gardens and postcard beaches mostly to ourselves.
But change is on its way to this slice of paradise, and the secret may soon get out.
The roads on Isla Colón were recently repaired and repaved, and a new beltway road to connect two popular beaches is in the works, along with a bike lane. There are plans to turn the ferry dock in Bocas Town into a dedicated cruise port, pending an environmental impact study. And there’s talk of expanding the airport runway to accommodate larger jets — we arrived on a 58-seat prop jet from Panama City.
The infrastructure improvements will make travel around Bocas easier, but there’s something romantic and thrilling about an island with more docks and water taxis than roads, and small family-owned lodges instead of large chain resorts.
The island’s affordable tours, meals and accommodations were also a happy surprise. Although we splashed out on an overwater bungalow for $300 U.S. a night for two nights (a bargain compared with similar bungalows in the South Pacific), we saved with meals that typically cost about $15 U.S. per person, and a full-day tour that was $200 U.S. for the four of us.
It felt like discovery is still possible, and accessible, here.
Soon after arriving by water taxi at the isolated Punta Caracol Acqua-Lodge, on Isla Colón’s protected west coast, we were snorkelling with spotted eagle rays and iridescent damselfish right from the patio of our rustic but comfortable overwater bungalow. At night, we fell asleep in mosquito-netted beds to the sound of lapping water.
At our second ecolodge, Tesoro Escondido, on the island’s east coast, we woke to the haunting cries of howler monkeys and finished the days watching a sloth negotiate trees adjacent to the restaurant patio. In between, we delighted in the antics of Rio, a keel-billed toucan who followed his nose to a bowl of fresh papaya set out by lodge owner Danielle Straub.
Straub and her family recently put down roots on Isla Colón after sailing around the Caribbean for seven years. “The relaxed vibe and awesome people make it a unique place to live,” says Straub, who bought the lodge with her husband to fully invest in Bocas and share the island’s magic with others. “We get families and couples seeking a quiet, immersive experience in nature. They’re interested in sustainable travel and want a peaceful vacation.”
A grounding holiday is exactly what we got. For five days, we disconnected from the outside world to snorkel with nurse sharks in aquarium-clear water and play in monster waves on near-deserted Playa Bluff, an important turtle nesting site. Our unhurried days of exploration ended with conversation over cold $2 Balboa beers. My kids said it was the best family trip we’ve done in years.
We were as slow as sloths to realize how profoundly the place had impacted us until we arrived back in Panama City, already missing nature’s soothing chorus of birdsong and waves — and daily sightings of our two-toed friend.
If you go
How to get there: Copa Airlines operates non-stop flights from Toronto to Panama City (about 5 hours and 45 minutes). From there, it’s a 45-minute flight to Bocas Town. Or you can travel overland to the port town of Almirante, and take a 45-minute ferry to Bocas Town.
How to get around: Once you’re on Isla Colón, water taxis can take you to remote lodges and beaches, or to neighbouring islands such as Isla Bastimentos. There are also car taxis in Bocas Town, and several bike rental shops — cycling to beaches such as Playa Bluff is a popular activity.
What else to do: Visit the Plastic Bottle Village, a thought-provoking “castle” created out of plastic bottles by Bocas resident and Canadian Robert Bezeau, to demonstrate how harmful discarded plastic is to the environment. (He also spearheaded the recycling program on the island.)
Surfing is another popular pastime here: Playa Istmito and Playa Paunch have good beginner surf breaks, and there are a couple of surf schools/shops in town.
