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Travel Related
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EXPLORE
PANAMA |
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Bocas del Toro
Isolated on the Costa Rican border between the Caribbean and the
forested slopes of the Cordillera Talamanca, Bocas del Toro (usually
abbreviated simply to "Bocas") is one of the most remote and beautiful
provinces in Panamá. Until the road across the cordillera from the
province of Chiriquí was built in the early 1980s, Bocas del Toro was
completely cut off from the rest of Panamá, and could be reached only by
sea, air or via Costa Rica. From the volcanic slopes of the Cordillera
Talamanca down to the Caribbean sea, most of the mainland is still
covered by rainforest, apart from a narrow coastal strip where bananas
are cultivated. Offshore, the Bocas del Toro Archipelago is home to an
ecosystem so complex and well preserved that it has been described by
biologists as "the Galapagos of the 21st century". This exceptional
natural diversity is matched by the equally unusual make-up of the
region's population. While the inland forests are still populated by
indigenous groups - Ngobe-Buglé, Naso and Bribrí - the islands are
dominated by the descendants of West Indian migrants, and English, or
rather Guari-Guari - Jamaican patois embellished with some Spanish and
Ngobere - remains the lingua franca.
Long one of the best-kept secrets in Central America, in recent years
Bocas has begun to attract more and more visitors - thanks to its
growing reputation and easy accessibility from Costa Rica, you're likely
to see more travellers here in a day than in the rest of Panamá in a
month. But though a tourism boom is well under way in the islands, it's
yet to change the friendly, laid-back approach to life adopted by most
of the inhabitants. And the pristine beauty of the archipelago's
ecosystems - tropical forests, mangroves, deserted beaches, extensive
coral reefs and crystalline waters teeming with rare marine life - is
largely protected by the Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos . The
only drawback is the unpredictable weather: the dry season is much less
clearly defined than in the rest of the country and bright sunshine can
give way to torrential tropical rain with alarming rapidity.
Most visitors head straight out to the islands and the provincial
capital, Bocas del Toro - also referred to as Bocas Town, Bocas Isla or
just
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