The archipelago of Bocas del Toro -- with its unique combination of tranquil protected bays, colorful coral reefs, verdant jungle, mysterious mangrove forests, open ocean access, and diverse cultural traditions -- offers a variety of activities rarely found together in a single place. Whatever your interests, we can help you plan independent adventures, group tours, and private customized excursions throughout the islands. We are available any time to help plan activities for the day based on your interests and weather conditions. We work with Bastimentos Alive, the top-rated tour operator on the island, and we highly recommend their jungle hike to Polo Beach and their day tours to the Zapatillas.

Water Activities

KAYAKING: Bocas del Toro is an excellent kayaking destination. From The Sea Monkey, guests can easily kayak to the mangrove forests and indigenous villages of Bahia Honda and the coral reefs and tiny hidden coves of Isla Solarte (including the famed snorkel spot Hospital Point).

SNORKELING: Several excellent snorkeling sites are within walking, swimming, or kayaking distance from The Sea Monkey, including the spectacular Hospital Point. Alternatively, snorkeling tours to Cayos Zapatillas, Cayo Coral, Hospital Point, and other sites throughout the islands depart every day.

DIVING: Surrounded by coral reefs, the islands of Bocas del Toro offer a wide range of dive sites for divers of all skill levels. Local sites feature caves, wrecks, swim-throughs, pinnacles, gigantic drop-offs, and a wide range of coral formations.

SURFING: The surf season in Bocas begins in November and lasts through April, with waves picking up again in June and July. We can arrange surf board rental, private and group surf lessons for all levels, transport to breaks around the islands, and guided trips to more remote breaks.

Experienced surfers can take a water taxi to the famed waves at Silverback and Carenero, and can access the more advanced breaks of Isla Colon – including Paunch, Dumps, and Bluff -- via a 5-minute boat ride and a quick truck taxi or easy bike ride. For beginning to intermediate surfers, the less gnarly Black Rock on Caranero and Old Man's between Carenero and Bastimentos can also be reached via a 10-minute walk and a paddle or a water taxi, while Wizard Beach/Playa Primera on Bastimentos is a 20-minute walk through some beautiful tropical forest.

SUP: The calm inner bays of Isla Bastimentos, Isla Solarte, Isla Carenero, and Isla Colon provide excellent conditions for stand-up paddling -- or what one local enthusiast refers to as "stand-up snorkeling." We can arrange SUP lessons and board rentals.

SAILING: Local sailing opportunities include daily group catamaran cruises throughout the islands, private customized day cruises, multi-day charters to destinations further afield, and party-boat trips ranging from a few hours to a few days.

JETSKIS: Jetski rentals with or without a guide are available by the hour on Isla Carenero, 5 minutes away by water taxi.

FISHING: Try your luck at fishing from shore, spearfishing, or diving for lobster and octopus with the locals! Via boat, barracuda and a variety of snappers are found close to shore, while offshore catches include tuna, kingfish, mackerel, and wahoo. Creek fishing is also possible throughout the islands. We can help arrange daily or multi-day fishing charters throughout the region.  You can also fish right from our dock with the local kids.

Land activities

BEACHES: Isla Bastimentos boasts the best beaches in Bocas del Toro. The closest beach to The Sea Monkey is Wizard Beach/Playa Primera. It is just a 15-20 minute walk from The Sea Monkey through lush jungle and is usually nearly deserted. A short boat ride from our dock is the famed Red Frog Beach. By far the most beautiful beach around — Polo, named after a colorful local charachter who has lived there on his own for decades — is just past Red Frog. You can get there via boat when it's calm or hike there through the jungle with Bastimentos Alive, sampling tropical fruits and learning about the island along the way.

A day tour to the twin Cayos Zapatillas, located at the far tip of Isla Bastimentos, includes white sand beaches and excellent snorkeling. Isla Carenero, a 3-minute boat ride away, also has several small, quiet beaches. On Isla Colon, the two most popular beaches are Starfish/Playa Estrella, which features very calm waters and a variety of casual seafood restaurants situated in the sand, and Playa Bluff, 3 miles of secluded beaches with pounding surf and a few excellent beach bars and restaurants.

BIRDWATCHING: A wide variety of bird species thrive in Bocas del Toro. Swan's Cay, at the northern tip of Isla Colon, is the only place in the Caribbean where the red-billed tropic bird nests. The Cay is also home to the brown booby. Sea birds found throughout the archipelago — and right in front of the Sea Monkey — include gulls, pelicans, and terns, as well as frigates. Local mangrove forests host egrets, herons, cormorants, kingfishers, and sandpipers, while the jungles abound with various species of parrot, hummingbird, hawks, owls, woodpeckers, and toucans, to name a few.

INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES: Half or full day tours can be arranged to one or several of the many indigenous communities in the islands, offering guests the chance to learn about the traditions of Ngobe-Bugle communities. These can be combined with chocolate farm tours and visits to remote beaches and caves on Isla Bastimentos. School supplies make great gifts when visiting indigenous communities.

HIKING: Isla Bastimentos offers a wide variety of hikes of varying difficulty. From The Sea Monkey, guests can take a moderate, 15-20 minute hike to one of the island's best beaches (Wizard/Playa Primera), stopping at Up in the Hill for coffee and snacks made from ingredients grown at the organic farm on the premises.

From Wizard Beach, it is possible to hike to Red Frog Beach and on to Playa Tortuga and Polo Beach. Boat transport back from Red Frog Beach makes it possible to avoid backtracking. Guided jungle hikes in the Bastimentos National Park can also be arranged and tailored to individual interests through Bastimentos Alive. Isla Carenero, a 5-minute boat ride away, can be circumnavigated by foot in about 90 minutes of easy hiking along beach trails.

CHOCOLATE TOURS: Bocas del Toro is internationally known for its organic, artisanal chocolate. We can arrange tours on Isla Bastimentos that will allow guests to learn about the process of growing cacao and processing it into chocolate. These tours end, of course, with treats.

CAVING: Isla Bastimentos boasts two caving adventures. The first, the Nivida Cave, is accessed via a boat upriver in Bahia Honda. After a short hike from the dock through the jungle, guests enter the cave via a waist-high waterway to find bats, stalagmites, stalactites, and a natural swimming pool. Another cave lies upriver from the Salt Creek indgenous community and a visit can be combined with a walk through the village and its surrounding forest with a local guide knowledgeable about edible and medicinal jungle plants. Highly recommended.

ZIPLINING: Zip-line tours through the canopy are offered on Isla Bastimentos at Red Frog Beach. We can help make reservations and arrange transport.

TURTLE VIEWING: Endangered Leatherback and Hawksbill sea turtles nest throughout the archipelago from March until September, while the eggs hatch between May and November. The easiest way to see the turtles nesting is via a night-time tour to the nesting sites on Bluff Beach on Isla Colon. Local guides will alert us to turtle landings and hatchings so that interested guests can be guaranteed a sighting.

CYCLING: While Isla Bastimentos is a car-free island, Isla Colon does have roads suitable for cycling, as well as a multitude of bike rental facilities. We can recommend shops with quality bikes and e-bikes suitable any activity you may have planned. Possibilities include cycling up the main beach road until it ends, or continuing on after it turns into a dirt road that leads all the way to the end of Bluff Beach. Alternatively, avid cyclists or e-bike riders) can follow the hilly road through the jungle to Bocas del Drago at the far northwestern tip of Isla Colon, about 15 kilometers (9 miles). Both routes pass restaurants and bars for breaks along the way.

BARS AND RESTAURANTS: Bocas del Toro is famous for its crystal-clear waters and casual Caribbean atmosphere, both of which can be enjoyed from a seat in one of the many overwater or beachfront bars and restaurants dotting the islands. International and Caribbean food can be found on Isla Bastimentos, as well as on the neighboring islands. We are happy to share our recommendations.

SMITHSONIAN TROPICAL RESEARCH CENTER: The Smithsonian maintains a research center on Isla Colon that opens to the public on Thursday and Friday afternoons for free. Visitors can learn about the plant and animal species present in the archipelago, and about the Institute's conservation efforts.

SHOPPING: Boutiques featuring tropical fashions, artisanal chocolate, organic Panamanian coffee, and works by local artists and artisans can be found on Isla Colon and Isla Carenero. Locally-owned stalls selling Panamanian crafts and souvenirs can also be found on Isla Colon in Bocas Town.

ATV RENTALS: ATV rentals can be arranged on Isla Colon by the hour or the day either with or without a guide. Guests can ride through the jungle to Bluff Beach and beyond to a remote and beautiful swimming lagoon known as La Piscina.

SPANISH LESSONS: Several Spanish schools offer courses to visitors ranging from a single group lesson to multi-week intensive courses. We can also arrange private lessons.

SPAS: In-room massage and spa treatments can be arranged for our guests, a great activity for a rainy day.

YOGA: Private and group yoga lessons are available on Isla Bastimentos as well as on Isla Colon.