the wandering spot

March 26 – April 6

The trip was well researched, but details were worked out last minute or on-the-go. It was relatively fast paced, as we covered four different locations, but we also enjoyed less physically demanding days/activities such as visiting coffee and cacao plantations, orchid show, swimming/snorkeling, boat tours. We watched Panama Canal operation at four different locations. Nature-watching was high on the agenda. Tropical forest, lake/canal, seashore. Monkeys, sloths, red frogs etc. We heard and/or saw well over hundred different bird species (☞ Table).

We plan to publish four detailed reports/posts: Panama City, Boquete, Bocas del Toro and Gamboa.

• All people we met were friendly and helpful, Panama felt safe and relaxed.
• Internal flights, water taxis and Uber worked well, we also used private transfers and a couple of times bus in Panama City.
• We hiked eight trails 2-16km long (total 55km), two on slopes of Volcan Baru were quite steep. Plus local walks.
• Went on two boat tours, one private (Gatun Lake) and one organized (Cayo Zapatilla).
• We ate one meal each day at a selected restaurant or prepared by our host. Bought groceries in stores we could find around. We had access to kitchen in all places we stayed.
• No health issues. Low mosquito and sand fly activity, but still recovering from multiple chigger bites.

Few snapshots…

April 4 – 6

Day 10 Panama Canal Miraflores, Gamboa

Heading back to Panama City, this time without stopping in town, except for quick grocery shopping at Supermercado Rey across the street from the airport and coffee at Kotowa Coffee House a block away. Uber picked us there for a short ride to Miraflores Locks Visitor Center. Museum closed for renovation. Interesting movie about canal from US perspective, complementing what we learned in Canal museum in Casco Viejo. Crowded Saturday, but still possible to find a spot on the viewing platform to watch the “ships & locks” show – we stayed longer than we thought.

Another Uber to our accommodation in Gamboa. With dinner set for 8 pm, we had enough time for walking loop including Sendero la Laguna. Perfect time for jungle sounds at dusk – birds, cicadas, howler monkeys, caymans – it was incredible. Insects were there too and sandflies liked our legs.

Our room was nice and clean with large bathroom and we could use kitchen. Very peaceful. Many birds in the garden and nearby trees, including parrots, toucans and woodpeckers. Agouties visiting the garden and wandering in town. We really enjoyed spending time with our host, talking about everything. Joanna was working on her Spanish, our host worked on her English. She prepared delicious dinners and we ate together. Our host helped us arranger a private boat tour to “Monkey Island” for next afternoon.

Day 11 Pipeline Road in Soberania National Park is the destination for bird watching, the earlier in the morning the better. After some bargaining and fast walk to the trailhead we were there around 8 am. Still many birds seen and heard, around 9 am it started getting quieter and then by noon just a few birds were active here and there. Harpy eagle flew over the trail in front of us! We also saw capuchin and howler monkeys, lizards, leaf cutter ants, butterflies (several morpho). Many people and birdwatching groups at the beginning of the road, less and less further on – we walked to Rio Frijoles with a bridge down, 14 km round trip.

For bird-watching/listening beginners it was quite a show. We returned home for late Easter Sunday lunch.

Boat trip was postponed to next morning so we opted for earlier dinner and had time for after dark visit to Sendero la Laguna.

Day 12 Our host was very nice and allowed us to use our room until 3 pm to rest, eat quick lunch and take shower before we were heading to the airport to fly back to Chicago. That allowed us to go on a private 2.5-hour boat tour from Gamboa public dock along Panama Canal to islands on Gatun Lake. The experience was great as we were able to look into the jungle and check on wildlife without hiking through it (impossible). Our guide Nelson was good and easy to communicate with even though he was trying to improve his English speaking with us. Took us to interesting palaces without rushing and found animals: crocodiles, monkeys, sloths, birds, iguanas… and explained/demonstrated lake/canal navigation system. We watched big ships passing by as we sped from bank to bank. We loved Gamboa, very quiet, peaceful and relaxed, right in the jungle, very glad we decided to spend last days here instead of the city.

Uber and even taxis work very well in Panama, most not expensive and fast. Plus we learned how to make our own arrangements with drivers. For the trip from Gamboa to the airport we hired the driver who took us to another airport a few days earlier. Everything was on time, no stress. Plus he turn out to be very knowledgable so we finished our trip to Panama with a car guided tour.

March 31- April 3

Day 6 was just transfer from Boquete to Bastimentos: 6-hour (supposed to be 4h) shuttle drive across mountains to Almirante on the coast with boat to Bocas del Toro town included, than even smaller boat to Old Bank on Bastimentos Island (rough passage), short walk to Sea Glass Cabin. We picked-up groceries and had lunch on the way in Bocas Town. We had just enough time left for short evening walk along the coast. We chatted with French tourists about what to do on Bastimentos. Joanna tried to swim a bit but surf was too strong.

Day 7 Our cabin had equipped kitchen, just what we needed to prepare coffee and breakfast. Next stop was at Pure Tree Chocolate Farm up on the hill above Old Bank. It was raining in the morning but cleared before we got to the farm. Easy walk around tropical garden, learning about frogs, plants, birds, cacao and tasting some interesting treats. And of course cacao. Nice host and good guide, even though quite young. Quick walk down back to the village and then on to Wizard Beach, observing oropendolas and other birds on the way. We walked on the beach from end to end and Joanna braved the waves (too big for swimming). Beautiful beach, very few people. Met the same French couple and their son, chatted about possible tours.

Returned to Old Bank for dinner at Restaurant Guari Guari by Nayda (recommended): Cole de langosta (lobster tails) and Guari Guary pulpo (octopus), delicious.

Day 8 Light rain again in the morning – Piotr was very happy with slow start and coffee on the balcony. Tourists we met at the farm recommended snorkeling at Polo Beach. We were anyway planning to go there via Red Frog Beach, but now had additional motivation. Packed snorkeling gear, jumped on small boat to Palmar Dock, paid entrance fee for Red Frog Trail and crossed over small hills to the other side of Bastimentos Island. Red Frog Beach was nice, some resorts and private residences, nice surf. Trail along the coast and through residential area took us to Polo Beach. Some sand flies (?), not too bad. We were on the Caribbean Sea side of the island. Big waves were crushing quite far on the outer side of the reef leaving calm lagoon for snorkeling. Very relaxed feeling. A good spot. Some corals, many types of colorful small fish, a few bigger ones. There was some current parallel to shore, we just lazily floated with it. When getting out, current pushed Joanna’s leg to fire coral – quite painful for one day (maybe vinegar we bought helped), very itchy several days later. We returned home the same way and whom did we meet on the way?

This time we talked longer to our French acquaintances, returned on their prearranged water taxi to Old Bank dock. Next day good weather was forecasted and we wanted to take a boat tour. They already booked a trip to Cayo Zapatilla and we were lucky to get reservation for the same tour.

We stopped for dinner at The Firefly just next door to our cabin. Very tasty food and nice presentation: Caribbean pulled pork on toast, gnocchi with shrimp in coconut-ginger sauce (interesting composition) and seafood curry. Portions on the small side (more like tapas) after all the walking and swimming.

Day 9 We knew Cayo Zapatilla is a popular destination, but it was also a holiday and very good, sunny weather (after few days with some rain) – extra crowded. Current along the beach was very strong, so rather than swimming we were snorkeling while floating fast as in a river. Had to land, go upstream and float downstream again. Decent swimming, but not much to watch underwater. Rangers kept swimmers from venturing further out on the reef as there were many boats coming to the beach (without fins the strong current felt too much for us anyway). Joanna squeezed a fast hike to calmer part of the island. Then we stopped for snorkeling from boats near Cayo Coral – new forms of soft coral for us but not very colorful, very few fish. Stopped for lunch at restaurant on the water (lightly grilled fish and seafood stew with rice) with good view of sea cucumbers and fish hiding under decks. On the way back we were rewarder with sloths sightings (both three-toed and two-toed) and watching bottlenose dolphins playing around. Because of the crowds a private boat would work better – beaches and trail away from the dock were almost empty. Our tour with ☞ Kawi Voyage was well organized, the guide Sophie was very good, and overall we were happy with the tour (recommended).

On Bastimentos we shopped in a tiny store and got veggies, fruit and eggs from a stand at the dock. Dinner at home guaranteed. Packing to be ready for a boat ride to the airport next morning – flying back to Panama City. We had great time in Bocas del Toro archipelago and were very happy with our choice of Bastimentos Island as a base. It was tranquil and beautiful and had many interesting places we could walk to or take short boat rides.