Bocas del Toro, Panama or .... ??

[ak5609]

Hi there.

I fall in love with the archipelago de Bocas del Toro but ... kindly asking experienced sailing and travelling folks about their opinion of an alternative area.

I love the waters of Boca, I love the nature. I do not like the sailing area because of a possible and higher risk of strucked by lightning plus - I heard - it might rain quite often over there.

Would love to get some alternative ideas of persons who agree or where to sail from there.

Thank you very much.
AK

[lorenzo b]

Panama gets a lot of lightning and rain and a good 10 boats get hit here every season. We like to swim and snorkel so Bocas is not our favorite as it is basically a swamp and the town is a frat house packed with sports bars.
San Blas is more what we like but not much to do here is you cannot entertain yourself.

[s/v Jedi]

During the rainy season, a place like the Cayos Holandes in the San Blas is the best place to stay. It's the furthest offshore and so gets the least rain and lightning.

The thunderstorms come with the tropics during the summer: no way around it, so better not worry too much and enjoy life.

It's perfectly okay to sail from Bocas del Toro to the San Blas and even on to Colombia during the summer. However, I would not go to Providencia or San Andres from July to December. The later in hurricane season, the trickier that area gets.

If you like expedition style traveling, while in Bocas, rent a car and drive to Boquette. The mountains provide a nice break to the summer heat and it's a nice drive. I checked the road last year and it looked very good (toll road).