Bocas del Toro is a tourist hotspot in Panama, the island, with only 8000 living people packed from tourists, who often arrive from the city Almirante on the mainland, or flying in. Wild camping in Bocas del Toro, how was it and how were the experiences?
In this article, you will find out about my wild camping experience on this island, from a trip in February 2022!
Where?
After getting out of the city of Bocas del Toro, my friends and I went all the way to Bluff beach, which is one of the most popular beaches of the island.
While getting there, many tourists were able to see everywhere, so it was the wrong place to do camping at, for sure. Especially due to the fact that the island is getting all the income because of tourists, they probably don’t want you to sleep somewhere for free. I haven’t found out about the legal aspect of wild camping in Panama.
We went walking past the Bluff beach, into nature. A little path was visible, but it was only used from quads during the day, for tourist reasons. We saw them in the morning.
The nature was great, it felt like being in a jungle, so wild and fascinating.
After walking for a while we found a ruin, where behind it was an open space, which was hidden and not completely in nature. We didn’t want to be right into nature, due to not being able to recognize danger from nature and the ground was flat, which is for camping!
The found campground was near the ocean and a great empty beach was also really nearby! Perfect for being outside of the touristic areas and enjoying nature.
What was the experience like before the night?
We didn’t want to build up the tents, before it got night, due to the legal aspect. Also we wanted people to not know that we are there sleeping.
The empty beach was nearby so for sure it was somewhere needed to be spending some time there. Enjoying the warm water and temperature was the best way to finish off the day.
Coconuts were found, which were a little tedious to open, but drinking some fresh coconut water was great and worth the effort, which was most of the work from my friend.
Before it got too dark we both let our drones fly, to explore the area by taking nice pictures. We also tried to find out, if there is maybe a better place to do the camping. At the end actually the place we already found was perfect for what we were wanting to do.
While it became dark, we realized that more and more insects were coming closer to us, also the temperature started to drop and the waves became stronger.
It was time to build the tents up, we were in total four people, so in total we had two tents. We sadly started a bit too late, so it was built up in a hustle, but in the end everything was fine.
At night
At the campground we decided to make a little fire. To of course don’t destroy anything the ground sand and we also waited until the fire was finished! The fire was on, and it was perfect, it was warm and we were able to make fresh cooked food, without needing to use gas. Many dead branches were laying around, so perfect for the fire.
It was perfect, to have great talks and enjoy the surrounding peace. Hearing the waves and some animals, plus the cracking fire, perfect! With good people around you, everything is better. By myself I wouldn’t enjoy it even close to the degree.
When laying down in the tent, it was due to the sleeping bag being nicely warm. The surrounding sounds were really good for me, to enjoy it to the fullest. In the cities before this was not a possibility, so having it during the night made it even better.
In the morning
I woke up before everyone and wanted to enjoy some time by myself. Walking to the ocean, sitting down and just listening to the ocean and seeing the waves. Early in the morning, it was really peaceful, until something loud appeared. I walked, to find out what it was. A scream, and the scream was getting louder and louder. After coming closer to the sound, I realized that it was the sounds of monkeys.
A whole family of howler monkeys were there. By walking into nature, I tried my best to spot them, the little explorer spirit was activated. After a while, finally I saw them! They were getting louder, as I got closer and it was a little bit scary. Luckily they stayed at the top of the trees and didn’t try to jump down.
My drone needed to see the monkeys too, so the drone was started and got up in the air. I needed to take pictures of the monkeys. When the drone was getting ready, I had to wake up my friends. They were happy about it.
I was nervous about my drone, because monkeys would also attack if the drone was too close to them. First many pictures from the distance, before getting closer. As I was too close to the monkeys, the family turned around and screamed at the drone. It looked like an attack would happen. Luckily not! Many pictures and some videos were taken. It was not possible with the normal camera, because they were hiding. From the air, hiding was not an durable option.
While getting ready and making breakfast, many quads were driving exactly where we were, which ruined the idyll. Normal for tourists. It was bringing us back into reality, due to other plans, just one night camping was possible, but worth it.
Important when doing wild camping
Here are just some general things which are important. When you are doing it in a country, where the law is not fully about people to do wild camping, don’t make it obvious. Also when you do it illegally, just know that you might need to deal with consequences, if you are getting caught. Here some don’ts
- Don’t leave things behind, when you have trash, take it back with you!
- Don’t make a fire, without securing it!
- Don’t camp somewhere where people can see you!
- Don’t go into swamps, it can be dangerous when being stuck and you are doing it illegally!
It is in general good for you, to get into nature more often, try to disconnect your phone from the internet and just enjoy it. Daily life in cities is so stressful, it is good to have some balance there, visits in nature can help.
Panama Stories: Wild Camping in Bocas del Toro
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