Bocas Town Beaches

Bocas Town in Panama has become a popular tourist destination in recent years. It should come as no surprise that the primary attraction of a group of islands in the Caribbean would be its beaches. There are a large number of outstanding beaches in Bocas. Because the area doesn't get the tourist traffic of other Caribbean islands and because the government of Panama have made a serious effort to maintain the pristine conditions the beaches are some of the most spectacular in the area. Some of the beaches can be a little bit difficult to get to but the trade off is that they will be almost empty for the people who do make the effort to get there.

There are no actual beaches in Bocas Town itself you will need to go outside of the town to find the beaches. Far and away the most popular beach in Bocas is Red Frog beach. The beach gets its name from the red frogs that live there; this is the only place on earth that they live so a visit to the beach is worth it just to see that. Red Frog beach is a short water taxi ride from Bocas Town, a large part of its popularity is that it is so easy to reach from town. It also happens to be one of the most spectacular beaches in Panama. There is a restaurant and a bar on the beach so the tourist is well catered to at Red Frog beach.

For people who don't like the crowds Playa Tortuga is located just east of Red Frog beach and is much more secluded and has much smaller crowds. The beach is surrounded by rain forest and has trees growing right out of the sand. Although not nearly as popular as its neighbor it is just as beautiful and only slightly more difficult to reach. For those people who really dislike the crowds Bluff Beach is located about a half hour drive from Bocas Town at the end of a dirt road. It is almost always entirely deserted, but a very nice beach nonetheless.

One of the primary attractions of Bocas is the snorkeling and the best beach for that is Cayos Zapatillas. This beach is actually spread over two islands inside the national marine park and is an excellent place for snorkeling. There is all kinds of sea life to be seen underwater here. North Beach is another popular snorkeling spot because of its coral reef and calm waters.

The other major attraction of the Bocas beaches is surfing and the best option for this is Playa Larga. This beach is located inside the national marine park and it is a harder to get to than most other beaches. This tends to keep the number of visitors down which is great for surfers. The beach is also a popular nesting area for turtles so that is another attraction. Paunch beach which is the closest beach to Bocas Town is also another popular beach for surfing.