Full-Day Speedboat Tour, Wildlife, and Snorkeling in Bocas del Toro in Panama

The tour was great. Captain Edwin is the one that took us. He was great. Different activities. The lunch was superb. Highly recommend it.

It was a disorganized mess from the beginning. The day before the tour we drove to where the navigation when clicking on in trip advisor app. And then asked the man at the booth if this is where the tour for the next day was meeting and showed it to him in the app. He said yes, So the next day we went there and found out that is not where the tour was meeting. He sent us down the street to some guy who referred us even farther down the street. Now mind you we showed up a hour early. After we finally found where we need to be. It was raining and the Caribbean was starting to white cap. The boat was not a speed boat it was a skiff with a big motor that had a big motor on it. Once we got in it we hauled ass across the water picked up another couple then drove out to look at some sloths. There was no narration or any communication between the guides and the people. After that we went to a shack and ordered some food then was told we were going to Bastimentos island for about two hours while our lunch was prepared. After the island we hauled ass once again across the water slamming down so hard on the water that one girl started crying, I thought the skiff was going to break apart. After out lunch at 2:30 in the afternoon they took us back to our starting point. There was no snorkeling and all day there was no commentary about anything we saw. The ocean was too rough to be out other tour companies had canceled their tours but not ours. Can’t make money if you cancel tours. We went to one island. I have been on many Trip advisor tours but this one sucked. Some tours are to be experienced but this one was to be endured. We are explorers and pretty hearty and willing to put up with an awful lot but this one sucked. Stay away from it. Go do something anywhere but not on this one!

Services were never rendered. We arrived at the set location 15 minutes before the set departure time. We were unable to locate the company and or captain. The dock information center informed us that this company did not exist. An attempt to contact the tour operator was made before and after the start time and I have still not heard a response. Customer service requested a refund that was denied stating that it was past the cancellation policy. Despite the fact that I was at the specified location at the right time and did not intend to cancel, there was just not a person to take us on this supposed tour.

Very Good Restaurant and Charming Welcoming. Have your meal by the canal or the trout will come to taunt you ...

You should really know going in that this is an operation that needs a lot of work, and that there is a lot of room for improvements. First of all, we were instructed to show up at 9:30, told that it wasn’t departing until 10:00, and actually left around 10:30. Mind you, we had a hard time knowing boat we were going out with, and meanwhile boats with smoky, smog-spewing single stroke outboard engines drive in and out of the dock, trying to kill us all by carbon monoxide poisoning. How are those things still legal anywhere? And once we left the dock, we had to re-dock two more times, once for no discernible reason and the other for a couple being pick up a few dozen buildings away up the waterfront. We were crammed four abreast into those long boats capped at about 22 people each, and at long last, on our way to a distant island. These boats are really fast but really unstable at slower speeds, and hard to load and unload. We went some 30 minutes away to dolphin island, where we saw a couple rare dolphins break the surface over a period of maybe 10 minutes rocking back and forth in the choppy waters due to the lack of forward stabilizing motion. Not very fun. Then off for another half hour ride through the patchwork of mangrove swamps peppering the otherwise open sea. To a dock with attached wooden decking that has seen better days. Many thousands of them. I feared that my 220 pound frame was ill-suited to walking on wooden slats so fragile as some of these decks were, and going to the bathroom meant navigating a rail-less walkway dangerously elevated above the water. No operator in the US could survive the lawsuits they would face when (not if) these planks drop some people into the water. The reason for this stop? To place an order for your lunch to be served about three hours later. Why not skip this whole thing, give us a menu via email, and let us all respond with our orders? Well, then a stop to get gas at another dock—unbelievably delivered in gallon-sized plastic jugs, and poured one by one into their small onboard tank. Can’t anyone see the danger of open cans of gasoline in a boat full of people? Someone is going to bobble one of those bottles of gas one day, and in falling, spark a fire that threatens to kill all aboard unable to throw themselves overboard fast enough to escape the roaring flames. Then off to a small island called zapatilla cay with a sandy beach. On a sunnier day, this idyllic setting with palm trees would have made the trip there worthwhile. From there, it was like a film run in reverse, back to the dock, back to get gas, back through the mangroves. Short stops to troll around a starfish cay, or to snorkel for 10-15 minutes. Stuff like that. Now let’s imagine a better run organization: You sign in and are assigned a boat #, and a boarding time and a place to wait. Departures are staggered to avoid the chaos of trying to load all boats at the same time. Ban smoky outboards from the dock. No multiple stops to pick up stragglers. Fix your food dock and have some railings put in! Give out color coded bracelets to keep the boat groups together and on the same schedule.

The trip was booked online and it was difficult to find start location. We saw dolphins, sloth, and star fish. The snorkelling was just swimming- no fish - at the island. Stopped to snorkel on the way home - few fish. No guide and the Captain did not speak English. No lunch or water.

The beaches of Bocas del Toro are a true paradise, there are various excursions offered on Isla Colón where they will take you to truly beautiful nearby islands. I recommend renting electric bicycles to explore the island and especially visit Playa Estrella. There are many hotels on Isla Colón so you can choose the one that suits your budget!! Fully recommended!

AVOID THIS COMPANY, for the following simple reasons: Given our experience all over the world, with tens of trips (I wanna say over 100, but let's say tens), we xan safely say this is one of the worst possible choices. For 90USD per person, you can book a PRIVATE tour. Just you two on the boat, taking you wherever you want to go. So this trip is a rip-off, it would be worth maybe 15usd, but STILL A BAD EXPERIENCE. Panama can be a paradise, but also a hell-hole. Make the right choices, go lodge ay Red Frog, take private tours from there. You'll be living in Paradise and visiting different Paradise zip codes every day 🙂

In Panama City I rented a rent a car for a few days. I arrived in the city of David and the next day I left around 7:20 am bound for Almirante. It should be noted that to get to Bocas dwl Toro you must reach Almirante, it is a town that is where the ferry leaves that crosses to Isla Colón. The road is very winding, road in poor condition. 1-way route with some huge holes that make traffic difficult. Be careful that you may encounter police controlling you on the road, so try not to exceed the speed. I arrived at Almirante super dizzy, but we arrived at 10:45 am. Ferry departures are at 6 am and then at 11 am. Pay close attention to the guys who approach you as soon as you arrive at Almirante town. Some travel by bicycle and as soon as they see you asking about the ferry, they approach to tell you that it has already left and that they can store your vehicle for a sum of money. Fortunately, I had read another traveler's post and didn't fall for his opinions. I asked a local where the hell I could take the ferry and he told me. It's close to a fire station... but yeah, it's a little tricky to get your bearings. Well, I arrived at the ferry at 10:51 am and was the last car to enter. The rate is 40 dollars and they only charge for the vehicle. That's my experience so far, I hope it helps someone else.

This is the excursion not to be missed We see dolphins, very nice snorkeling, lunch in a nice restaurant on the water, the Zapatillas islands with their magnificent beaches and sloth sightings