CASA OCEANA - PANAMA VACATION RENTAL

The Bocas del Toro Archipelago is close to the border with Costa Rica. The islands offer the visitor a number of attractions: luxurious rain forests with an abundance of fauna and flora, sunny islands, beaches that compete with the Caribbean best, coral reefs in crystal clear water, mangrove islets in a lake-like scenery, guaymi indian villages and a national marine park that protects examples of the ecosystems and natural resources coexisting within the Archipelago boundaries.

The main city and the most common place of arrival is Bocas del toro town. There are two main beach areas on the Island, both at opposite ends of the town. The first one is Bocas del Drago, and the other one is Bluff Beach, favored by surfers from all over the world.

Getting to Bocas del Toro
Transportation
Food
Climate
People
History

Getting to Bocas del Toro

GETTING FROM PANAMA CITY TO BOCAS DEL TORO
After arriving at Tocumen International Airport you can either drive or fly to Bocas del Toro. Unless you want to visit the Pacific coast beaches, I would recommend flying, as the drive is a very long.

At Tocumen Airport you can take a $25 taxi to the domestic airport, Albrook Airport. It takes about 40 minutes, so be sure to leave enough time between the two flights. It takes less than an hour to get from Tocumen airport and Bocas del Toro and there are only two airlines that make the flight: Aeroperlas and Air Panama. Try and get a window seat as the views are spectacular!

GETTING FROM COSTA RICA TO BOCAS DEL TORO
Nature Air and Air Panama both fly from San Jose to Bocas del Toro. Nature Air flies through the domestic airport, so you will need to transfer from the San Jose International Airport to the domestic airport, about a 30 minute taxi ride, for your flight to Bocas, which takes about 45 minutes. Air Panama flys out of the International Airport, so no transfer is needed, but the flight goes through David, Panama, so it takes longer.

You can also take a comfortable 6-8 hour bus ride from San Jose through Limon along the Caribbean side to Bocas.

Transportation
A car is not necessary when you are staying on Bocas del Toro. Pretty much anywhere can be reached by walking, biking or taking a water taxi. Water taxis can be found on the water front just by walking down there, or you can call them to meet you.

Food
If you would like to cook at home, most foods can be found at the local grocery stores or markets. Food is a bit cheaper here, but they wont have the same variety of foods that can be found in America.

When you get tired of cooking and you just want a night out... There are an abundance of great restaurants on Bocas and the surrounding islands. It tends to be a bit more expensive on Bocas because it is more touristy, but is is still significantly less expensive than restaurants in the US.

Climate
The yearly average temperature is 27 Centigrades or 82 grades Fahrenheit. Rainy seasons from May to August and from November to January. Dry seasons from February to April and September/October.

People
The official language in Panama is spanish but english is widely spoken in Bocas del Toro. There are 9,883 inhabitants (2000 census). The people of Panama are friendly and hard working. They take time to enjoy their lives in paradise. There is a very comfortable mix of Spanish, Caribbean and indigenous folks who graciously accept us Gringos into their communities. There has been and continues to be a comfortable meeting of the ethnic groups.

There is very little crime, what little there is is mostly petty theft. You can comfortably walk the streets anywhere at any hour without safety concerns.

History
Guaymi, Teribe and Bokota indians were the primitive inhabitants of Bocas del Toro, when Christopher Columbus, in 1502, navigated with his two ships into the bay called by the indians "Caroboro", today Admiral Bay. Isolated from Panama but open to the rest of the world and the Caribbean, Bocas had an interesting history during the three following centuries.

During the colonial period (16th to 19th centuries) the spanish didn't have established populations in the region almost forgotten by their government. The english took advantage of this fact establishing settlements like in Boca del Drago where it was reported, in 1745, that they were growing cattle and chickens.The english presence played a very important role in the life in the Archipelago.

In the beginning of the 19th century, english ships from Jamaica, make an active commerce with the Central America coast, Bocas del Toro included, where traded goods by carey (marine turtle shell), live marine turtles, cocoa, mahogany wood and zarzaparilla.

In 1826 Bocas del Toro town was founded by Jamaica, San Andres and Providencia immigrants, but still during the first years after this foundation, the town was a camp of traders in carey, some of them coming so far as the United States. Most of the population were trafficants and adventurers of different nationalities, attracted by the new commercial opportunities.

In 1837 was created the Bocas del Toro canton, and during the next 50 years Bocas was part of the provinces of Chiriqui, Panama and Colon, this time as a district.

In 1880 begins the history of the banana in the region, being created Snyder Banana Co in 1890 and United Fruit Co in 1899. Apart of banana, big land extensions were designated to grow sugar cane, cocoa and coconut. Still was very important the exportation of carey and live turtles. Also other businesses surged in the region like the shipment of merchandises and passengers to Colon and other caribbean ports, by the Surgeon Brothers company.

After the separation of Panama from Columbia, when Bocas was scenery of some confrontations, was created the Bocas del Toro Province, in 1903, and this period, until 1930, was when Bocas del Toro economy flourished due to of its agriculture, fishery, commercial and industrial grow, leading the province to be the third in importance in Panama.

At that time, in Bocas existed consulates of England, Germany, Costa Rica, United States and France, while three journals were published: The Telegraph, The Citizen and The Central American Express.

In 1981 a road from Gualaca was built to connect the Interamerican Highway to Chiriqui Grande, the only way to reach Bocas del Toro by land. Paralell with the road Petroterminals Co started to transport oil from Alaska, in the west coast to the west coast of USA, using the oleo duct that still runs along the road.

This oil transportation was suspended in 1995, when the company started to build the new containers port, transforming the route Puerto Armuelles-Chiriqui Grande in a transistmic dry channel. A new road, now connecting Chiriqui Grande with Almirante, completes the union of this province to the rest of the country by land, ending the isolation of the region.

Tourism now is a new alternative that had arrived to the islands, and due to the natural richness of the Archipelago, looks like it is an alternative to stay.