We only had time to visit two places in Panama as we are on a tight travel schedule. We had a flight out of Panama City so going there was a given, and the rest of our time we opted to spend on the beautiful island of Bocas Del Toro.

It comes as no surprise that our journey to Bocas Del Toro was much longer than anticipated,however this time it was due to the longest and strangest border crossing yet. Exiting Cost Rica we had to pay $7 to two women, in what was like a replica abandoned post office, and very unofficial looking. One guy from our shuttle spoke spanish and when he queried them they were extremely hostile and rude. Sadly borders are renowned for scamming tourists, although occasionaly you have to accept it if you want to pass through. We proceeded and crossed the bridge into Panama, which we were then instructed to pay $4 to an older lady through a window-literally. Two people in our group didn’t have money and once the rest of us had paid it, they managed to blag not paying. Bizzare. You also have to prove that you will be exiting Panama, travellers a piece of advice, remember to screenshot or download your flight details to avoid keeping everyone in your shuttle bus waiting whilst you frantically wander around the border in search of wifi to show an email. This is very irritating for the other backpackers on your shuttle who are ready to leave-a girl on our bus did this and although she was apologetic it is still an annoying delay.

A few hours later after driving through Panama’s windy roads, decorated with potholes, we arrived at the boat for the last leg of our journey. Now there are often times when travelling that you just don’t understand the logic of certain cultures, especially when it comes to transport. There we were, around 10 backpackers, with our luggage, surrounded by a handful of locals, including some children eager to play games and look at our cameras. A boat which would have seated around 20 people arrived with room for our luggage too. We watched in utter confusion as they herded 5 locals on board, then sent the boat off, instructing us that the next one was for us. At this stage we were somewhat cynical about why we weren’t able to board the previous boat as there was undoubtedly room. A smaller, narrower boat arrived and they loaded it with petrol. Next our bags were thrown into the front two rows and we were then gestured to board this small, rickety boat. Laughing at the irony of the situation we climbed on, our bottoms greeted with wet seats, Hayley was even sharing hers with a tiny crab. Further to this, we were all told to move up as they squashed on more locals, cramming us in like sardines. The entire thing was bizarre, but this method of transportation still ended at our desired destination; Boccas Del Toro.

We hadn’t eaten all day and were starving, our stomachs groaning with anger. After check in we headed out for food and attempted to rehydrate ourselves. The town was friendly with a happy vibe, and pretty streets. With a good nights sleep in us we woke up later than planned the next moring, and after spending an unwilling hour having to sort out fradulent card activity, which if you think this is a nightmare at home, then travelling it is a night terror that you can’t wake up from until resolved.

Desperate for some sun and sea, we jumped in a Collectivo and headed to Estrella beach. 30 mins of road which provided more pot holes than the UK winter and more loops than a slinky, we arrived. Confused at the grass we were greeted with, seemingly in the middle of no where with one house visible and a faint pathway, we began to walk. Luckily we bumped into two backpackers we had crossed paths with in Costa Rica, who instructed us to follow the pathway for around 20 minutes and it will lead us to the beach. We ventured off, the sun glistening onto the calm clear ocean. Jungle to our left and crystal clear water on the right.

We were shaded by palm tree tunnels and a harmony of crickets echoed through the greenery besides us. It was picturesque, a fun trailway which entailed crossing the warm waters and dodging crabs. It felt like we were wandering through an enchanted tropical forest, en route to another exotic dimension.

We reached the beach, which stretches futher than we had imagined, with a few food stalls and littered with backpackers soaking up vitamin C from the beaming sunshine. We marked a section as our territory with towels and then waded into the clearest sea we have ever observed. The turqoise tinted water was crystal clear and warm to our skin. We spent a few hours snoozing in the sunshine and appreciating the paradise we were surrounded by. Panama had made a great impression, and the testing journey here was most definitely worth it.

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Later in the evening we booked a tour for the next day, then went on a hunt for some local food. Opting to explore the side and back streets as opposed to the main strip, in hope of some authentic Panamanian/Caribbean food which was low budget. We stumbled across ‘Capitan Caribe’, a small sectioned off area with a campervan kitchen, a handful of log tables and charis, with fairy lights strung at the roof of a gazeebo, equipt with a bar boasting evident fresh fruit. The menu was limited but mouth watering, every option made our taste buds tingle and it was a tough selection to pick from. Jonny opted for a ‘Tropical Burrito’, fully loaded with rice, beans and caribbean chicken curry. Hayley went for the signature ‘Caribe burger’, a beef patty surrounded by glazed caremelised onions, sweet plantain, coated in sour cream and held together by coconut bread.

Both meals were exceptionally satisfying, Jonny inhaled his burrito quicker than he wanted too but his tastebuds over ruled and he couldn’t control his chomping. Meanwhile Hayley savoured every delicate bite slowly, absorbing the unusual flavours and lasting out the delicious meal as long as she could. Jonny ordered a smoothy, freshly made by the welcoming owner at the bar, which was a sweet finish to an incredible meal.

The following day we awoke eagerly with images of the various places we would be visiting on our trip. First stop was Dolphin Bay, we patiently waited for around 20 minutes but sadly there was no signs of Dolphins, so we started to move on, when suddenly a fin dipped in and out the ocean, glistening in the sunlight. We observed two Dolphins, surprisingly smaller than expected and to be honest we couldn’t fully see them as they were just coming up briefly for air, but it was still an exciting moment.

Next on the agenda was snorkelling in the reef, we were eager to get in the water until our tour guide gave us step by step instructions of how to react should we meet a jellyfish. Suddenly we were much more reluctant, but still dived into the crystal clear sea.

Within seconds someone announced there was a jellyfish, shortly followed by others noticing them also. Jonny was unfortunately stung and got out of the water, shortly followed by Hayley and the rest of the boat were soon back inside. Unfortunately a disappointing snorkel session, the corals we had seen in Belize were much more impressive boasting more marine life and zero jellyfish!

Luckily the next stop of the day massively made up for our so far disappointing trip; Zapatilla Island. An uninhabited paradise and national park, boasting a luxurious stretch of white sand and centred with tropical vegetation. Several boats parked up with tours and the majority decided to stay and sunbathe on the first bit of sand they stood on. This isn’t our style and when we caught wind you could walk around the entire island in 45 minutes we set off on an adventure.

The sand squelching as we trudged through it, ducking and clambering through tropical forestry and broken trees. At times we had to wade through the oceans fast approaching tide to continue our quest.

The views we were surrounded by were breathtaking. Constant photo opportunities, we were speechless and breathless to be in such an exotic paradise.

This was most definitely the most beautiful beach scenery we had ever experienced.

The kind of wonderful experience that makes you realise you’ll never be able to explain what you saw to anyone else back home, but that’s the magical part, it is something you have to experience and that is why we travel. For experiences you can’t describe to others, to wander enchanting deserted islands in the middle of the ocean and be in total awe of mother nature’s beauty. Panama had truly provided us with the kind of paradise we didn’t know existed.

Ultimately the highlight of our day had been lived. We managed to walk around the entire island and still with time to spare playing frisbee on the beach and swimming in the waters before being taken to lunch and waving goodbye to paradise.

The lunch was very average, although the views were great, miles of transparent ocean, a pier with hammocks to chill in and a hotel spot to be envious of. Post lunch we drifted past the mangroves, named ‘sloth island’, in which the boat was able to linger close enough for us to spot a handful of sloths. This was less exciting for us as we had previously been much closer to sloths at the Sanctuary we visited in Puerto Viejo prior to Boccas Del torro.

It had been a wonderful way to end our visit to Boccas, and we were in high spirits. Searching for the ultimate delicious meal to finish our high streak, we wandered the streets indecisively. We sat down at a table with a menu and after browsing it for ten minutes Hayley announced she wanted to go back to ‘Capitan Caribe’. Jonny was more than willing, so we slipped out quietly, and with a spring in our step went back to be greeted with open arms by the owner. We both had Caribe burgers, and the owner even joined us for a short while, we exchanged travel stories and dreams. He was thrilled we had enjoyed his restaurant enough to return consecutively and sincerely appreciated our business.

We strolled back to our hotel, arm in arm with matching grins. We had a painfully early start the following morning although we made the most of this and sat on the water terrace at the back of our hotel, eating cereal and watching the sun rise, whilst reminiscing about the wonderful things we had experienced during our short stay.

TOP TIP: travellers you MUST visit Zapatilla Island and we beg you to walk around it, we can’t believe how many people chose 2 hours on one strip of sand when they had the option to wander around an enchanting paradise like no other. DO IT!!

Look out for our next post about the worst bus journey to date and how to blast out Panama City in just one day!

Jonny & Hayley 🙂