Welcome Aboard! Thank you for taking the time to visit. Panama Yacht Tours is a Panama based maritime tour operator and maritime service provider. We have a fleet of 16 boats to choose from and many, far too many to mention, destinations to explore within Panamanian waters. Our yachts range in size from 29’ to 118’ and everything in between. Panama Yacht Tours prides itself on unprecedented service while aboard any one of our yachts. Our packages are all inclusive from fine foods and beverages to state of the art fishing equipment. Panama is blessed with a variety of ocean activities to choose from. We have world class fishing, incredible dive sites and breath-taking islands to explore as you will see in the following pages. Oh, and do not forget a Panama Canal Transit! Panama Yacht Tours also enables our clients to see the Panama Canal up close and personal on either our private or a fixed departure transit. We transit the Canal in style aboard our larger luxurious yachts (please see the attached calendar for special departure dates aboard the luxury yachts). Again, all meals (gourmet) and beverages (open bar) are included as well a professional Panama Canal Guide. The Private Transit is perfect for large groups, corporate events, incentive travel groups and/or if you just want to live the life of the rich and famous for a day!
A Panama Canal Transit is a Trip of a Lifetime
Partial Transits of the Panama Canal: Panama Yacht Tours provides weekly departures every Saturday to passengers who would like to transit the eighth Wonders of the World. Please see our web site for specific dates and availability. $99.00 for adults and $45.00 for children (12 and under). We have several options available and will depart from either the Flamenco Yacht Club (at the Duty Free Shop) in Amador or Pier 19 in Balboa to go north through the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks to Gamboa, or south from Gamboa back to the Pacific Ocean. An air conditioned, luxury coach will transport passengers to the point of departure and pick them up at the end of the transit. This tour includes a Professional Panama Canal Guide, Hot Buffet Lunch, Open Bar for Sodas and Water, Beer and Wine available for sale, Transportation to Gamboa from Flamenco Marina, Transportation to and from Flamenco Marina is not included though can easily be arranged.
43′ Lagoon Catamaran Yacht
Full Transit of the Panama Canal: We will depart from either Pier 19 in Balboa or the Flamenco Yacht Club at 7:30 am and will return to Panama City at 7:30 pm. Passengers transit all three locks (Miraflores, Pedro Miguel and Gatun locks) and disembark in Colon on the Atlantic side. Passengers are transported back to Panama City via air conditioned, luxury coach to either Flamenco Yacht Club or Pier 19. Cost: $149.00 Adult, $55.00 Children.
118’ Twin Deck
Private Transits of the Panama Canal: Panama Yacht Tours specializes in a unique and intimate way to transit the Panama Canal - a Private Panama Canal Transit aboard your very own, private luxury yacht. We can accommodate groups up to 120 passengers aboard one of our 3 vessels that operate in the Canal. This one of a kind tour is fabulous for family reunions, tour groups, incentive travel, corporate events or a small group that desires something different than the “cattle car” services offered. Private Transits are available any day of the week but require advanced notice (at least 14 days in advance). Panama Yacht Tours can provide everything imaginable to make your Panama Canal Transit a guaranteed success. All private transits include the yacht, captain, mates, all ACP Canal fees and deposits, line handlers and fuel. Optional items include professional guide, gourmet catering, open bar and fruit bar, musical entertainment, transfers or even a fireworks display if you wish for those evening transits! Menus and open bar can be economical to extravagant. Please contact our office for more details concerning our exclusive Private Panama Canal transits.
Corporate Events and Private Parties: Panama Yacht Tours has had the pleasure of entertaining many distinguished guests aboard our yachts. Whether one is entertaining out of town clients or rewarding employees, an event aboard one of our larger vessels is a splendid way to reward or entertain. Evening bay cruises aboard our 118’ Twin Deck, 70’ luxury defender or 61’ Defender, with an elegant meal and an open bar, is one of our more popular events. Seeing the sun set against the Bridge of the Americas is a sight to behold! We can accommodate up to 120 passengers at one time. Private Panama Canal Transits are also a great way to entertain clients or reward employees for a job well done.
Black Marlin Fishing in Panama
Fishing in Panama: Panama, in its native tongue, means an abundance of fish. Our forefathers were right on the mark with this moniker. The Pacific is a playground for the angler. Many world records have been set or broken within our waters. Panama Yacht Tours and their crews bring year of experience on our charters. From state of the art tackle and gear to the knowledge of the crew finding the fish, your chances are excellent landing fish. The Pacific offers many fertile fishing grounds.
The World Famous Piñas Bay: In season (January-March), Piñas Bay is arguably the best place in the world for His Majesty, the Black Marlin. Zanes Reef is located just a short distance from the Bay and the fishing is nothing short of spectacular. Over 180 world records have been set or broken in Piñas. The Tropic Star Lodge is located here as well. The only problem with the Lodge, if there is one, is during the peak season it is 100% sold out through high season. Panama Yacht Tours gives you the ability to fish these waters during peak by staying aboard your yacht. All our crews are made up of excellent fishermen and captains. Both the captain and the crew are an extremely important component while fishing for big game. We cannot guarantee a world record but we know you will enjoy the magnitude of the fishing in Piñas Bay. Inland fishing here is also incredible. Every vessel will come equipped with equipment, an experienced captain and experienced mate.
65’ Ocean SS Sportfish
Our Fleet: We have a fleet of sixteen boats to choose from and many, far too many to mention, destinations to explore within Panamanian waters. Our yachts range in size from 29’ to 118’ and everything in between. We can accommodate your group no matter how large or small.
Isla Coiba: Once thought of as an inaccessible slice of nature’s heaven, Panama Yacht Tours now offers our clients access to one of Panama’s most breathtaking venues…Isla Coiba. Situated off the coast of western Panama (the eastern Pacific), Coiba boasts some of the world’s best fishing and diving. Coiba and the surrounding islands are virtually uninhabited. Whether you are a fisherman, a spear fisherman or a nature lover, Panama Yacht Tours has a package that combines the right vessel and accomodations for you to explore these pristine islands! Fish, scuba, snorkle, or explore Coiba with us.
The pristine beauty of Isla Coiba
* Off-Shore (combo) Sport Fishing: The waters around Coiba Island are protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site and fishing in the area is strictly regulated. We respect and follow all Panamanian laws and limits with regards to protecion of the natural environment. The area is remote and difficult to access which is why we recommend living aboard our mother ship the Cebaco Bay for Big Game Fishing in the area. The waters near Coiba are teeming with Black Marlin, Blue Marlin, Sailfish, Rooster Fish, Wahoo, Dorado and huge Yellowfin Tuna. Panama Yacht Tours has a few different options for the avid angler. Cebaco Bay is the new home to a unique concept of fishing in Coiba. Panama Yacht Tours has partnered with the 2003 Black Marlin Catch and Release World Champion to bring our client a world class fishing experience in Cebaco Bay. Cebaco Bay is located on the southern end of Isla Cebaco which is an uninhabited island made up of pristine, white sand beaches and thousands of coconut trees. “Uninhabited” made these fishing grounds near impossible to fish for there were no sleeping accommodations nor were there facilities to refuel or re-supply. Until now…PYT now has the ability to send anglers to fish the hottest reefs in Panama with all accommodations and sundries readily available.
The 47′ Buddy davis “Aguja” anchored next to the 110′ “Cebaco Bay” mothership near Coiba.
* Live Aboard the Mother Ship and Fish From the Yacht: We offer a 47’ Buddy Davis and a 55’ Ocean Yacht that are professionally equipped with crew and state of the art fishing gear. Spend the day fighting a monster Black, an enormous Tuna, feisty Wahoo or behemoth Cubera Snapper or giant Grouper. After a full day of fishing, the yachts will moor next the Cebaco Bay mother ship. The 110’ mother ship sleeps 12 comfortably with a full galley, 2 full baths and a covered deck that is 90’ long! Enjoy your day’s catch cooked out on the deck on the BBQ while you relax in the tropical, star filled evening while trading “fish stories” with your buddies or other anglers aboard. We offer fishing on the Hannibal Bank, Aguja Reef and El Roncador in the Coiba area. These waters boil with schools of Bonito and Blue Runners which the large billfish feed upon in frenzy. Waters of 1,000 feet are found only a mile off shore in the Azuero Peninsula.
* Coiba Island Adventures (ECO and INSHORE FISHING PACKAGES): 31’ Wellcraft - This sleek, very well equipped vessel is perfect for groups up to 6 passengers. This trip will originate from Puerto Mutis in the province of Veraguas. The boat will be waiting for you at the dock and you will depart immediately to the waters that surround Coiba. Lodging will be in the cabanas on the Island of Coiba itself. There is a Ranger Station that is staffed 24 hours a day and the cabins are available to visitors throughout the year. This 2 day minimum trip can be tailored to your interests. The crew is a very capable fishing crew and the gear and tackle is state of the art. On the other hand, if nature is your primary focus, your crew will guide you through the history and nature of the Coiba National Park. The snorkeling around Coiba is spectacular and all the gear you require is supplied for your use. The trip includes visits to Coiba, Canales de Afuera, Bahia Honda, Rancheria and Granito de Oro. This vessel is well equipped with all radio and satelite equipment necessary to ensure safe navigation. This package is an ALL-INCLUSIVE excursion. Tour includes: land transfers, food, beverage (beer, wine & liquor included), boat and fuel charges, captain, mate, ice, cabana accommodations and all National Park fees.
28′ Sea Ray near Coiba Island
* 28’ Sea Ray with Lodging at the ANAM Cabanas on Isla Coiba: Enjoy the daily use of our 28’ Sea Ray with twin 200 Mercury Optimax (4 stroke) as you and your friends fish, snorkel and tour the breath taking islands in and around Coiba. Your captain and mate have years of experience in these waters and will ensure a memorable trip with their “local” knowledge. This vessel can accommodate up to 8 passengers with sleeping and meal accommodations on the Island of Coiba itself. There are a number of cabanas located right on the beach with air conditioning, electricity and private baths. The electricity is run off a generator that operates from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. There is also a dining facility and full kitchen. There is a chef to prepare all meals while on the island. Box lunches, snacks and a cooler will be prepared daily and taken with you on board the boat as you enjoy the day on the water with plenty of food and drinks. This package is an ALL-INCLUSIVE excursion. Tour includes: land transfers, food, beverage (beer, wine & liquor included), boat and fuel charges, captain, mate, ice, cabana accommodations and all National Park fees.
25′ Eduardono - Running on the open ocean near Coiba Island.
* 25’ Eduardono with Lodging in the ANAM cabanas on Isla Coiba: This vessel will also start its journey to Coiba from Puerto Mutis on the main land. This boat is captained by an ex Panamanian police man whose post was the Island of Coiba and his job was to provide water transportation his fellow officers and superiors. Needless to say, Cappy knows the waters quite well. Whether you are fishing, diving, snorkeling, spear gunning or just enjoying nature, this is an economical and well guided excursion to take. The boat has the capacity for 6 adults. Please see the above details for lodging in the cabanas, meals and what is included. The boat will be at your disposal each day you spend in the islands. This is our most affordable package to Isla Coiba. We hope you can come and discover a slice of heaven with Panama Yacht Tours. This package is an ALL-INCLUSIVE excursion. Tour includes: land transfers, food, beverage (beer, wine & liquor included), boat and fuel charges, captain, mate, ice, cabana accommodations and all National Park fees.
World-Class scuba diving and snorkling.
* Diving Excursions: Panama Yacht Tours has teamed up with a local Dive Operator that is second to none in diving the waters of Coiba and the surrounding islands. They are the only land based dive operator in Chiriqui. There are multiple dive sites in the national park. There is the island of Coiba, Canal de Afuera, Jicaron, Uvas, Contreras, Pajaros and Bincano. Panama Yacht Tours offers tours from 2 to 8 days. Multiple dives during the day are the norm. All tours are ALL INCLUISVE and many options are open to you to meet any planned budget whether tight or extravagant. Anything is possible when traveling with Panama Yacht Tours!. All tours are accompanied by a PADI Certified Dive Master and the trips are ALL INCLUSIVE. Lodging will be on either the mainland, at the cabanas on Isla Coiba or for an an all out sea experience, you can stay aboard our 118’ mother Ship which is anchored in Cebaco Bay, Isla Cebaco from the months of November through April.
Exclusive VIP and Celebrity Relaxation Tours
Top Notch VIP Treatment for Celebrity Get-Aways: We have top-end luxury yachts operating out of Panama City that can take you offshore to dive, fish, swim, snorkel or tour with all of the luxuries of a live-aboard yacht. Panama is just a short hop away from the United States by air, and we have the connections and experience to accommodate any need or requirement with the utmost discretion.
SOURCE: Don Winner @ Panama-guide.com
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THERE was a time, back in the mid-70’s, when the tiny island of Contadora was an ”in” place, the kind of trendy tourist mecca that Panama is now desperately eager to recreate. Hollywood stars and international jet-setters — John Wayne and Christian Dior among others — visited. An international treaty was signed there. In 1979, the shah of Iran lived for a few months in a private villa on this small paradise in the Pacific Ocean, some 40 miles off the coast from Panama City.
These days, Panama is looking inland, along the once off-limits Canal Zone, as it makes its bid for foreign tourists. Its latest attraction is the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, a stunning $30 million hotel on the banks of the Chagres River that offers eco-tourism with 24-hour room service, a very 21st-century mix of self-indulgence with a nature-friendly touch.
For a New Year’s holiday, a group of us — two families, with two adults and two children each — set off to try out Panama’s tourist destinations, old and new. After a five-hour flight from Newark International Airport, we arrived late at night in Panama City and by the next afternoon we were on a small plane, taking the 20-minute flight across the Pacific to Contadora.
The island is still largely unspoiled, although in truth, there isn’t much to it. It is all of half a square mile, big enough for several dozen villas (more are being built), a school, a church, a ‘’supermarket,” several boutiques, a cafe, a disco, a few bed-and-breakfasts and two hotels. Both hotels are perched on the northern end of the island, near the airstrip.
The island’s attractions can’t be explained by what is on it but by what is around it: clear calm turquoise waters that lap up onto smooth white beaches, a combination usually associated with the Caribbean and rarely found along Central America’s Pacific Coast. The Pacific has big tides and on Contadora, low tide is a dramatic sight, tripling the size of beaches and turning rocky shorelines into steep cliffs.
The shallow waters are ideal for young children. Older children will want to wait for high tide to get on one of the Jet Skis available for rent at the hotel beaches. Our best afternoon was spent on a two-masted sailboat hired through Las Perlas Sailing, which is run by a French couple. (They also offer other tours, including a spin on a banana-shaped tube pulled by a Jet Ski for $15 a child).
At a cost of $35 per adult, $20 per child, we set off with a three-member crew who took us to some of the outlying islands in the Las Perlas Archipiélago, our eyes peeled for possible dolphin or even whale sightings. Altogether the archipelago has 220 islands, but only a dozen are occupied. One, San José, was recently depopulated abruptly while the United States began to clean up chemical waste left there during World War II.
The guidebooks told us that the snorkeling would be good, and on our stop near one uninhabited island, we found that to be true. We saw large blue parrotfish and other fishes of various stripes and colors. What we didn’t see were the ”golden hair” jellyfish, which are virtually invisible but can be felt as they brush against your skin, leaving a rash that itches intensely for 10 minutes or so. And we never did see dolphins or whales.
Other excursions are possible — for instance, in a glass-bottomed boat that charges $15 a person per hour, but that we never did try out. Another outing we didn’t try was parasailing. There was also a local fisherman who picked up the enthusiasts among us in a motorized dinghy early one morning, and returned them three hours later with three fish (one caught using a wrench, rather than a lead weight, on the line). Another fisherman promised to pick up a slightly less enthusiastic group at dawn on another day and then failed to show up, leaving us to watch the pelicans rise to meet the sun.
There are several beaches on the island, some of which are most easily reached by boat. But the best is Playa Larga, which stretches out on both sides of the Hotel Contadora and ends in a point of land where pelicans like to roost.
In the old days this 350-room hotel, with its dozen buildings, green lawns, tennis courts, two swimming pools and a nine-hole golf course, was the center of the island’s buzzing social life, and the clue to its international reputation.
But the Hotel Contadora’s glory days are long over, and that is putting it kindly. The main restaurant, where waiters used to stand four deep to serve an elegant clientele, is now open for institutional-type buffet service: the one exception was a varied breakfast that quickly became our favorite meal of the day. Evening entertainment is provided by the hotel staff, which puts on ribald skits in both English and Spanish, and leads the guests in overamplified shouting.
There were other deficiencies — a periodic lack of hot water, sudden flooding, missing toilet seats and most remarkably, over the New Year’s holiday, no telephones except for two public phones — one in the front lobby, beneath the dusty skeleton of a fish, the other behind a door marked ”for staff only.”
The point is that the Hotel Contadora is unapologetically bad, although it must be said parenthetically, it is also cheap: at $150 a night per couple, everything included, which, besides meals and carefully controlled access to beach towels, means ”unlimited national drink” (as it turned out, this was alcohol in gallon jugs and wine in wax cartons, served up in white plastic glasses). The champagne ran out years ago.
Luckily, there is a decent hotel on Contadora, which just opened in September. The Hotel Punta Galeon is owned by one of the two partners in the Hotel Contadora, but the contrast couldn’t be more stark. Unlike its sprawling neighbor, the Punta Galeon, with 48 rooms, is very compact. It was built almost at treetop level on a rocky point of land, with a series of wraparound terraces that provide various stunning sea views.
THE rooms are small, simple and whitewashed, with built-in beds and bedside tables and little balconies attached. The bathrooms (showers only) are attractive and clean, and the water takes only minutes (as opposed to days) to warm up. And the telephones work.
Still, this is a hotel best suited to adults: there are good places to read, and not many to run around. The swimming pool is right next to the outdoor bar and restaurant, and thus not too tolerant of shouting and splashing. (At the Contadora, the opposite is true: no matter how loud your children, they will not be heard over the hard-core Caribbean rock ‘n’ roll played over the loudspeakers.)
The two restaurants at the Punta Galeon are à la carte, one outside for lunch, and one indoors and open only in the evenings. A lunch costs about $20 (for sandwiches, salads, chicken-in-the-basket sort of fare), while dinner, which could include sea bass grilled, fried or, more colorfully, ”run over by flour and eggs” as well as lobster and shrimp, could run as high as $50 to $60 a head, including wine.
The best restaurant on the island lies between the two hotels, up a slight hill. Called Gerald’s, it has good fish, good meat (amazing for an island) and some German dishes, and the service is swift. A New Year’s Eve meal for a family of four came to $110, including drinks. For dessert, the Café Angelina, on the other side of the airstrip, is recommended for very good Italian ice cream.
The Punta Galeon’s beach is smaller than the Playa Larga and a lot more public. Not only do the planes fly overhead but this is also where the island’s occasional ferry docks, picking up passengers right off the shore.
Ferry is rather a grand word for the Soviet-made hydofoil that makes the two-hour trip from Balboa, the port that marks the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. We happened upon this rather incongruous vessel (which began life as part of the Soviet river fleet) almost by accident, after we decided to leave the island a day early. However, since the fare for the boat and the plane are virtually identical — $56 for a round trip, it is advisable to stick to the plane, which is more predictable and quicker.
With our extra day, we were able to spend more time at the Gamboa, which was the exact opposite of the Contadora. In the heart of what was once the Panama Canal Zone, where the River Chagres flows into Lake Gatún, this 110-room hotel provided both total luxury and total quiet. The main building has gigantic three-story windows that look over an exotic landscape that could be out of Africa, with a savannalike park set against a river bounded by tropical forests.
Each one of the hotel’s rooms has the same view, best seen from the hammock that hangs on each of the balconies. Down at the bottom of the garden is a giant attractive pool that is fed by a waterfall and also looks onto the river valley view.
Besides a marina with its waterfront restaurant and its own spa, the resort offers a number of excursions that justify its eco-status. They include a sunrise birding tour, an evening wildlife boat tour, a ride on an aerial tram that provides a treetop view of the rain forest, a hike up a trail used by the conquistadors, sports fishing on Lake Gatún and kayaking on the Chagres. Most of these excursions cost at least $50 for an adult, which can quickly add up.
The resort is built in an area that was once the headquarters for the canal’s dredging operations. The old buildings, built in the 1930’s and once used for the American staff, have been converted into apartments, 45 one-bedroom and 20 two-bedrooms. These were largely empty when we were there, giving the whole place a strange aura of an abandoned colonial plantation.
The canal itself is perhaps the most intriguing, and certainly a unique, part of any visit to Panama. Leaving aside the awesome engineering feat and the sight of container ships the size of a midtown Manhattan block, a journey through the old zone — once off limits to ordinary Panamanians — is an excursion into a part of United States history that many of us have forgotten.
Island and mainland havens
To call Panama, dial 011, then the 507 country code.
Contadora
The island is an 18-minute plane ride from the Marcos A. Gelabert Airport in Panama City on either Las Perlas Airlines, (507) 315-7500 in Panama City, (507) 250-4026 on Contadora, or Aviatur, (507) 315-0311 in Panama City, (507) 250-4192 on Contadora. Island information: www.isla-contadora.com.
At the Hotel Punta Galeon, (507) 214-3719, fax (507) 214-3721, www.puntagaleon.com, a double is $127 a night, plus 10 percent tax.
Villa Romántica, (507) 250-4067, www
.contadora-villa-romantica.com, offers six air-conditioned rooms on the sea; at the restaurant, guests are invited to cook for themselves on hot stones or in fondue pots. Rooms range from $80 to $100.
Restaurant Gerald’s, on a hill above the Hotel Contadora; (507) 250-4061. A meal for two, with wine, costs approximately $40.
Gamboa
At the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, (507) 314-9000, fax (507) 214-1694; www.gamboa resort.com, a double costs $175 plus tax,
but there are a number of package deals that include transportation from the airport, excursions or treatment at the in-house
spa.
The drive from the Tocumen International Airport takes about an hour.
On the Atlantic coast there are paradisaical resorts and beaches from Isla Grande, Colon, to the Bocas del Toro Archipelago. You can choose between a day trip or a week long adventure.
The San Blas Islands, home to the indigenous Kuna Indians, total 367 islands with white sand beaches, some of them totally uninhabited in which you can swim or snorkel observing the most amazing underwater life. The Kuna Indians have been the subject of many articles and books. Since Panama is one of those few countries that has treated their indigenous people with respect, the Kuna live in harmony with the rest of the population, and have all the protection from the government of Panama. San Blas is considered to be one of the most photographed places in the world for its unique beauty.
A visit to the ruins of Spanish forts in Portobelo located in Costa Arriba, Colon, and you find yourself in the past when the Great Trade Fairs were held in that fortress, gold, spices and goods were traded and it was often victim of the attacks of pirates, the ancient cannons are a living proof of those dangerous times. On saturday nights you can witness the Congos of Portobelo, a group of AfroAntillian dancers keeping their tradition alive. A few minutes farther by car you will find Isla Grande or Big Island, located inside the Ecological Park of Portobelo. This area has incredibly clear waters and coral reefs full of colorful marine life, an all inclusive resort, some eco hotels with all commodities and a Caribbean chilled lifestyle that will make you want to stay. For those who like surfing, there is a great break at one side of the Island, fishing is awesome and other breaks and diving spots are readily available by water taxis.
Bocas del Toro - Sea, Nature and Fun
Bocas is one of Panama’s top tourist attractions and with good reason. Here you can enjoy beautiful lonely beaches and visit the rainforest, called by Lonely Planet Guide “a biologists fantasy”. Bocas town has much history, a very active nightlife and friendly, mostly English speaking population.
The first person to anchor in the peaceful waters of Bocas was Christopher Columbus in 1502. He repaired his boats on Carenero Island, named by him. Later on, English pirates thought of Bocas as the perfectly safe haven and later in the 1800’s it became a commercial center for trade in cacao and bananas. You can still find the rich hand made Bocas Chocolate, traditionally made. Since Bocas was populated mainly by Jamaican Immigrants, it became an English speaking province in a Spanish speaking nation.
The TV Show Survivor has been filmed by 12 different countries including France, Spain, Italy and Russia, in the exotic Bocas del Toro Archipelago. Aqua blue water beaches washing up against nature dense rainforest and a relaxed, friendly town, these are some of the attractions Bocas del Toro.
In the last few years, Bocas has experienced a real estate boom. Prices of land have skyrocketed. Still, they represent some of the best buys in the Caribbean. Mostly Americans, Italians and other European people are buying in Bocas, the best way to avoid scalpers (you don’t want to end up spending your lifetime’s savings on an property that either does not exists or will never be yours) is to have a Panamanian guide you through the process and show you around. Remember, even on a retirement income, in Bocas you can enjoy “the good life” in safe and beautiful surroundings.
These islands are home of well preserved rainforests, healthy coral reefs, white-sand beaches and dozens of mangrove islets, as of a great diversity of flora and fauna. The region, which has been referred to as the “Galapagos of the Caribbean“, is also focus of several scientific and ecological projects of great importance to maintain the biodiversity as a heritage for the future. The Panamanian government has recognized the uniqueness of the area by designating Bocas as the most important ecotourism development region, of national priority.
The investor is offered a host of incentives through Tourism Law 8, including tax and interest breaks, customs exclusions, special equipment depreciation schedules, and a variety of resident visa statuses.
Bocas is easily accessible by the new Bocas del Toro International Airport, with three daily flights to and from Panama City, and one daily flight to/from David, the second largest city in Panama. There is another flight now from the all new Boquete Airport (another paradise on its own category). By road is accessible from Panama City and David. Regular water taxi and ferryboat services, connect you to the mainland.
In Panama, you can go white water rafting today and sea kayaking tomorrow…Roam the cloud forest with quetzals or witness a giant leatherback lay her eggs… Scuba dive pirate ships wrecks…even snorkel some of the oldest reefs in the Caribbean.
