Where We Are

GETTING TO BOCAS & ISLAND PLANTATION

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Island Plantation Resort is located 8km/6 miles from the town center of Bocas and the airport on the main Island (Isla Colon) of the archipelago. The 20-30 minute car ride is a scenic adventure drive on a sandy, uneven jungle road along the coast of the Island. The Resort sits right in front of the gorgeous and mostly uninhabited Bluff Beach.

Bluff Beach faces North-East towards the open Caribbean Sea. This, when the conditions are right, produces spectacular sunrises, vibrantly colored sunset skies, and magical moon displays certain nights. The wave activity vary throughout the year from large surfing waves and strong currents to a flat ocean and the changes often appear overnight.

 

Bocas is a tropical rainforest location so expect rain year round, high humidity, and steadily high temperatures. There are only a few degrees variance between daytime and nighttime temperatures, year round.

Island Plantation, Bocas del Toro

FLY FROM PANAMA CITY

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From Panama City’s smaller secondary Albrook Airport close to the city center, Air Panama has several daily non-stop flights right into our little airport in town. The flight duration is about 50 minutes and is by far the most convenient way to get to the Island. Airfares start at around $85 each way.

Flight schedules vary throughout the year so make sure to check for flights online at www.AirPanama.com

* Please note that Air Panama does not publish its flight schedule until approximately three months prior to departure which is also when those flights become bookable on their website.

 

BY BUS FROM PANAMA CITY

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Overnight buses are available from Panama City to Almirante . Tickets can be purchased at Albrook Bus Terminal and cost approximately $30.

You will arrive to Almirante between 6:00am and 7:30am. The first boat to Isla Colón departs at 6:00am and takes 30 minutes. Boats depart every 30 minutes until 6:00pm and costs about $5.

FROM SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA

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You can take a bus from San Jose to Sixaola, which is at the border, or you can take a bus to Changuinola, which is about a 45-minute drive from Almirante where you’d catch the water taxis for the 30-minute crossing over to the Island.

 

Transportation between Bocas Town and Island Plantation

Please keep in mind that Island Plantation is in the real jungle, right in front of gorgeous Bluff Beach. Any real jungle does not have a paved highway to reach it, as is the case with Bluff Beach. Please be prepared for a 20 minute bumpy scenic and awesome ride on a jungle sandy road to get to your Island paradise! If this doesn’t excite you, Bluff Beach may not be the right setting for you.

Taxis are available 24 hours between Town/Airport and Bluff Beach/Island Plantation and buses generally run every hour throughout the day. The cost for up to four people in the taxi is $20 to/from the Airport and $15 to/from Town Center. It’s customary to confirm the price with the driver before entering the taxi. 

There are no stores at Bluff so make sure to buy everything you need in town before heading out to Island Plantation.

About Bocas del Toro

PANAMA’S CARIBBEAN GEM

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Bocas del Toro, or just Bocas, is one of the 9 provinces of the Republic of Panama. This beautiful tropical archipelago is located on the Caribbean Sea bordering Costa Rica to the west and the Chiriqui province to the south. Bocas is rich in heritage, culture, and natural beauty! Bocas Town is situated on Colon Island (Isla Colon) and is the center for tourism in the region. The town has about 8,000 inhabitants made up of local Caribbeans, local Indians, and Ex-pats from all parts of the world. Like Panama itself, Bocas is a melting pot where freedom and quality of life are set high.

Bocas modern history dates back to the heydays when it was the distribution center for the Chiquita banana company. The banana business was moved to the mainland in the 50s which forced the Island into a long recession. In the late 1990s the first expats discovered the potential and the beauty of this region and together with the locals, have developed it into one of Panama’s most famous tourist destinations. While Bocas hosts many tourists, it still retains a small-town, local flavor. Today, Bocas Town and the surrounding Islands are thriving with small hotels, great restaurants and bars, and most goods and services easily available.