Panama- Isla Bastimientos

Isla Bastimientos is a magical place. There is so much wildlife here it is utterly breathtaking and you can see many different species in just one afternoon. There are tours from Bocas Del Toro that do the tourist thing but I recommend hanging with the locals, as always, to really see the interior. The Dolphin Bay Hideaway Inn offers an affordble and comfortable place to take in the nature that is in this area. Erika and Jose are great guides and Jose's family will take you on a walking tour through their patch of rainforest that is still pristine. A trip to Isla Bastimientos is a must during your stay in Panama.

In 1988 Panama designated 32,700 acres of Isla Bastimentos and its surrounding marine area as a national park.  A corridor through the middle of the island forms a land bridge of some 4,100 acres between the windward and leeward coasts of the island.  The largest portion of the park, approximately 28,600 acres, is marine habitat.

The Zapatilla Cayes, also included in the park, are two beautiful uninhabited islands which make up part of the barrier reef which protects much of Isla Bastimentos.

The interior of the park is primary and secondary rainforest.  Wildlife in the lowlands of Bocas del Toro includes species endemic to the region such as  white-faced capuchins, night monkeys, two and three toed sloths, conejo pintado, margays, armadillos, exotic birds, bats, turtles, caimans, frogs, lizards, butterflies, and rare tropical insects.  The park is also home to thousands of plant species including hardwoods, forest palms, vines, brophytes, ferns, bromeliads, orchids among others.

On the windward side of the park, the jungle canopy goes all the way to the edge of the beach.  This area is a nesting site for four species of sea turtle.  It includes a dramatic landscape with large rock faces, coves and inlets, spring fed creeks, offshore rock outcroppings and long stretches of beach.

Ocean impact reef and deep ocean reef meet to form a dramatic underwater topography just offshore from the island.  Rock chutes, crags, pinnacles and tunnels converge to make shelter for over 200 species of tropical fish.  There are also many different formations of hard and soft coral.

The leeward side of Isla Bastimentos has coastal forest merging with lush tangled mangrove which plays an important role in the ecology of the nearby reef.  Mangrove cayes dot the Bastimentos National Marine Park.  Sea grass covers the shallow flats of white and pink coral sand.  Both the health of the mangrove and the diverse coral reef is dependent upon the sea grass.

Patch reefs of staghorn, brain coral and sponges provide a habitat for tropical fish, sea stars, sea cucumbers, crabs, conch, octopus and lobsters.

Dart Frogs:  Red, Orange, Yellow, Green and White. Big spots, little spots and sometimes no spots. What is unique about this island is that all of these different colored frogs were found living side by side.  Two “red” parents, or any combination for that matter, can produce a range of color in their offspring.  There were sections of the island that had frog populations that exhibit this “range” of color, but most populations on Isla Bastimentos do not produce drastic color diversity. The dominant coloration in these populations seems to be red or orange.