Scuba diving:
There are two scuba diving operators (Bocas Water Sports and Starfleet Scuba) and many spots to visit with them. The operators offer convenient all inclusive packages that take you to two different sites per day. A project of the Foundation PROMAR, a local marine conservation organization, which is dedicated to the conservation of our marine environments, is installing 15 mooring buoys in different sectors of the Archipelago.

Snorkelling:
Because of the shallowness of the Bocas del Toro coral reefs, there are many more sites for snorkelling than for scuba diving. The same mooring buoy system that it is being installed by Foundation PROMAR will also be used by the marine tour operators. The main tour operators, together with those already mentioned in the scuba diving section, are Transparente Tours, Boatmen Association and Bocas Trips.

Sport Fishing:
If your wish is sport fishing, the Caribbean Sea outside of the islands is very generous with the fishers: dorado, mackerel, king fish, red snapper, blue marlin, are only a few of the catches available. Consult with the tour operators.

Rainforest hiking:
Only a few trails are available in the Archipelago. New options are being added in the next few months.

The Trail of the Sloth is located in the vicinity of the Bahia Honda comunity, Bastimentos island, and the tours leave from the village's restaurant. It is a mix of water and land trails. Main attractions are the sloths, easy to find here, and the bats in a grout at the end of the trail. Also served by the tour operators.

The Trail of the Red Frog is also in the Bastimentos island and crosses from the southern coast to the nothern coast, the main attraction being the red dart frogs. Served by the tour operators.

The Trail of the Salt Creek, also in the Bastimentos island, in the vicinity of the Quebrada Salt village, runs from the community to Long Beach. Good site for birdwatching and look for medicinal plants. Served by the tour operators.

The Trail of Sandubidi, in the Popa island, in the vicinity of the Popa 2 (Sandubidi) village, runs from the community through the rain forest for around 2 kilometers. Good site for birdwatching, small mammals and to look for medicinal plants. Restaurant and lodging available on site. Served by the tour operators.

The trail "The forest behind the reef", in the Large Zapatilla Cay inside of the Marine Park. Even though its route is easy and short, it is worth to visit it. Served by the tour operators.

The "Demonstrative trail of the mangroves", in the Popa island, in the vicinity of the Popa 2 (Sandubidi) village, is a short wooden elevated walkway of 600 feet, with information signs about the lifecycle of the mangroves, and the fauna. Served by the tour operators.

Birdwatching:
The tourist who wishes to birdwatch can, by sea, observe the many sea birds along the islands coasts. And can also by land, observe the various birds of the rainforest. The absolute attraction for birdwatchers is the Red-billed Tropic Bird (Phaeton aethereus), that nests in the Swan Cay, only known place in the Caribbean.

In that same key, declared a Birds Sanctuary, also nests the brown booby (Sula leucogaster etesiaca), whereas other important sea birds like the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis), the frigate (Fregata magnificens) and diverse gulls and terns, have active presences but without nesting.

In the coasts of mangroves it is possible to observe, in addition to the mentioned ones, the sandpipers, diverse herons and egrets, the neotropic cormoran (Phalocrocorax o. olivaceus), the kiskadee and the kingfisher. In the forests it is possible to observe hummingbirds, tiles, hawks, doves, parrots, owls, oropendolas, woodpeckers, toucans (Popa island), tanagers and many others.

Surfing:
Isla Colon (Bluff Beach and The Dump)and Bastimentos (First and Second Beach plus Old Point) are two of the three big spots. The other is the northern tip of the Carenero Cay. The Dump is the favorite of local surfers. Both, The Dump and Carenero, are somewhat dangerous having many coral reefs close to the waves.

Marine Turtles Nesting Watching:
Four species of marine turtles arrive at our beaches to nest: the hawkbill, the logerhead, the leatherback and the green. This last one makes an important migration during the months of July and August to go to nest on the beaches of Tortuguero, Costa Rica. However some of them also stop to nest in Bocas. The main nesting season begins at the end of March and runs until September.

The observation of the nesting during the night requires patience and a caring attitude. Specialized guides always accompany those persons wanting to observe. Do not bring your flashlights, for lights are startling to the nesting turtles and also for the small young at time of birth. For this reason the use of lights is strictly prohibited when observing marine turtles nesting.

Ngobe Indians Villages:
If you are interested in indian cultures, then it is a good idea to visit San Cristobal, Popa 2 or Quebrada Sal, where any local person will tell you about their communities and customs. Indian communities are very poor, depending almost exclusively on fishing activity that is complemented with survival agriculture. Although they are not prepared to receive tourists, they receive any visitor with kindness. Because their productive activities are decaying, some of the communities are getting involved in the tourism business to augment their incomes.

Other ngobe villages in the Archipelago to visit are Valle Escondido (Cristobal Island), Popa 1, Punta Laurel and Isla Tigre (Popa island) and Cayo Agua (Water Cay), all of them typical ngobe villages. A good idea is to have lunch in Bahia Honda or Popa 2 restaurants, run by the local people, or to buy the beautiful ngobe handicrafts, especially their bags (mochilas or chacaras) made with a vegetal fiber called pita and painted with vegetal colorants.

Sightseen:
There are other interesting things to do in the Archipelago, one of them simply resting in a hamock in the shade of a palm tree reading a good book, or simply observing a beautiful sunset.

And you can see other attractions by renting a bike in Bocas del Toro town and following the beach road to Bluff Beach, or take a cab and ask the driver to bring you to the middle of the Colon island, to Colonia Santeña, a settlement of people that came from another Panamanian province, Los Santos. There you will find a well known spot: the Virgin Grout (La Gruta) where thousands of bats live therin.

Do visit the town of Bastimentos, in the western side of Bastimentos island, which is a typical Caribbean village inhabited by descendants of people born in the West Indies. This is a place that is changing very fast due to the influence of tourism. Walk through the town, which has no streets and, of course, no cars or trucks. Or just sit in a bar on the sea with a cold drink. Very pleasant experiences.