Flights to Bocas del Toro, Panama from Costa Rica

Flights to Bocas del Toro, Panamá

Fly to Bocas del Toro

From $40*

*Restrictions, taxes and fees may apply

Bocas del Toro has remained a unique and unspoiled place, only recently having been discovered by international travelers.

Bocas del Toro is an outdoor lover’s paradise with unspoiled coral reefs, deep-sea fishing, boating, kayaking, snorkeling, surfing and white sandy deserted beaches and coves. The local people of the province are made up of mainly indigenous tribes and descendants of slaves from Jamaica, which contributes to Bocas' diverse and lively culture.

Driving vs Flying in Costa Rica*

Distance:	132km
Driving time:	10 hours
Flying time:	1 hour

*Relative to our hub in San Jose, Costa Rica

Reasons to Visit Bocas del Toro, Panama

Locals and travelers alike travel leisurely between the islands in dugout canoes and kayaks. The islands each offer something different in terms of wildlife and bio-diversity. Sloths, monkeys, toucans, parrots, iguanas and tiny brightly colored poison dart frogs are just some of the islands' many inhabitants.

For those that love a more active and challenging trip, Bocas offers some of the best untouched deep-sea fishing in the region. Scuba diving in Bocas del Toro is in some of the best and most diverse waters in all of Central America. Yet the cost is about half what you would expect to pay in places like Roatan, Honduras. Other activities include world class surfing between December and April, sailing, kite-surfing, bird watching and turtle nesting.

Book Your Flight to Bocas del Toro, Panama Today!

Quick Facts

Christopher Columbus dropped anchor in Bocas del Toro on his final visit to the Americas in 1501, as he headed south from Costa Rica. A couple of stories claim Columbus named the archipelago Bocas del Toro or "Mouths of the Bull" after waterfalls shaped like bull mouths, or a large rock on Bastimentos Island in the shape of a sleeping bull, while others attribute the name to one of the last great Indian chiefs, or the roaring sound of the surf.

The remains of colonial architecture, particularly in Bocas Town, hark back to a pivotal time in Central American history, a time of banana plantations and the rise of the notorious United Fruit Company, whose influence on trade and agriculture dominated the isthmus for more than a century.

The old UFC headquarters are today the Bahia hotel, in the town of Bocas del Toro. Many of the plantation workers and cocoa growers came from the West Indies, whose culture still dominates this stretch of the Caribbean, along with settlers from the 19th century, and the indigenous tribes of Ngobe, Teribe, Guaymi, Bribri and Kuna Indians.

The region is part of a much larger protected area, La Amistad, crossing into Costa Rica and spanning some 2.5 million hectares. Its dense biodiversity and pristine state have made it a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve.

Here four species of marine turtles, including the giant, rare Leatherback turtle, make the laborious climb onto shore to lay their clutches of eggs in the sand, and the endangered West Indian manatee can be found nibbling on sea grass in the shallow offshore waters.