I have been to Bocas del Toro a couple different times over the last few months. The place is really chill and I plan on spending a few weeks there in October. The people are mellow, the place is beautiful, the waves are SICK. If you aren’t a decent surfer you probably shouldn’t go, however, as the shallow reefs are the real deal. I got multiple tube rides along with multiple reef cuts and multiple dings in my board.

If you live in Costa Rica, I suggest driving through San Jose to Limon on the Caribbean side, then turn right and head south until you reach the border. From Tamarindo it takes about 8 hours to make the drive, from San Jose it takes about 4 – 4.5 hours. You can drive your car across the border if you want, but since Bocas del Toro is a series of islands a car is kindof useless, so I prefer to keep my truck on the CR side in a car park right next to the border crossing. I figure if my truck gets stolen, if it gets stolen in Costa Rica I’d have a better chance of finding it. Plus I don’t think my INS insurance would be helpful if my truck was stolen or in an accident in Panama. The parking cost is about $8/day, and it seems pretty secure (lotsa big dogs). Make sure to get to the border between 7am and 5pm or you are screwed because the border closes, and there is NOWHERE decent to stay nearby. Trust me, because I found this out the hard way. Check out of Costa Rica, walk across the border bridge, check in to Panama. The time difference is 1 hour ahead in Panama, so instantly you lose an hour. From here you can take a private taxi for $20 or so, or jump on a shuttle for $5-10/person, going to the port town of Almirante, specifically to the water taxi depot. From here there are boats leaving every 30 minutes that go to Isla Colon, the biggest island of the Bocas del Toro island chain. This boat taxi costs $4 plus $1 for each surfboard and takes about 20 minutes. The other alternative to driving is flying on Nature Air, they have 3 or 4 flights to Bocas del Toro weekly from San Jose, Costa Rica. The price is about $330 round trip from Tamarindo the last time I checked.

Buy a round trip ticket to Panama City. I use kayak.com all the time, seems to get me cheap flights last minute, plus they have a good iphone app so I can check ticket prices on the go. From Panama City you can book a round trip ticket flying Air Panama. Boards cost only $10 each way, the total price each way is about $100. The alternative is to take a bus from Panama City to Almirante, this is 10-12 hours vs. 1 hour flying. You decide your budget and time issues, I thought Air Panama was great and I’d fly them again.

OK, so why go to Bocas del Toro? A few reasons… the place is beautiful. The water is clear, with tons of fish and starfish. It reminds me of a little pirate town. There are only a few square blocks of roads on the biggest island, some of the smaller islands like Isla Carenero only have a walking path around the perimeter. There is a total Caribbean vibe, houses are painted teal and pink and purple and built on wooden posts over the water. Beers are cheap, so is the Abuelo Rum. Like I said, the waves are insane and it is more consistent than you would think. The breaks closest to Isla Carenero are accessible by boat taxi and cost $4-5 each way. There are lots of waves further away from civilization accessible only by boat.

I have a small (30 ft) sailboat sitting in a small marina on a small island in Bocas del Toro. This is an ideal method for seeing more of the coastline and exploring new waves and beaches. Bocas del Toro is an archipelago consisting of ten islands, with the ones further south more isolated and unsurfed. To help pay the slip fees and maintenance costs of owning a sailboat in Bocas del Toro, I offer her as a rental to select individuals with extensive sailing experience. She is available with a captain as well, though as I said it is only a 30 ft sailboat. It is great for a couple, or a few friends, looking to sail the Caribbean, go snorkeling/diving/fishing/surfing. There is a forward double V berth, a table that extends to a double berth, a bench that folds to a half berth, and two aft quarter berths. I wouldn’t go anywhere on the boat with more than a total of 4, it just isn’t very big.

The waves are serious, the people are friendly, the place is great. If you’re looking for Indo and don’t want to pay Indo rates, consider these islands instead. December through March is the peak swell season, although there is surf throughout the year. Waves can get BIG and can break in shallow water over sharp reef. If you are a learning surfer, there is a surf spot near Isla Carenero I can point you towards, though I’d suggest going to Tamarindo instead because most every spot will be out of your league. You can visit Bocas and do the budget trip by staying on Isla Colon in a cheap hostel, hiring boat taxis to surf daily, and cooking meals. You can go pimp and stay in a nice eco lodge outside of town with your significant other. You can go adventurous without spending a ton and rent a boat with a couple of friend and explore the outer islands.