Panama Sailing Tours | Bocas del Toro Catamaran Sailing Tour

Sailing is one of the most enchanting ways to explore the Caribbean, and Bocas del Toro is certainly not the exception. Being one of Bocas del Toro's most praised tours and a definite favorite amongst our Spanish students, the Catamaran Sailing Tour takes place every single day of the week (with a minimum of 6 persons).

Leaving at 9:30 a.m., we raise the spinnaker and sail to Dolphin Bay where we will watch the Bottlenose Dolphins mate, play and feed. Thanks to its tranquil waters and abundance of delicious jelly fish, dolphins simply love spending time in this protected bay and throughout the years 95% of the times we've been able to spot dolphins. If you've never witnessed dolphins in the wild, get ready for one of nature's most magical moments. And if you have, it doesn't hurt to relive this special experience. These extraordinary creatures are so playful, intelligent and full of joy: you'll feel it when they look you in the eye while swimming next to our sailboat.

Mangrove Reef is one of the most diverse reefs around Bocas Del Toro. Its shallow waters (be very careful to not to hit anything!) and abundance of colorful sponge coral make it a favorite with snorkelers of all ages. As mangroves are a breeding, feeding and nursery ground for many estuarine and marine organisms, Mangrove Reef is a place packed with schools of baby fish, brittle stars, sea anemones and sea urchins.

One of the great things of going snorkeling to Mangrove Reef is that your group will have the entire reef to yourselves. Our guests constantly tell us how beautiful and colorful is the coral found at Mangrove reef. Maybe it has to do with the fact that Bocas del Toro is home to 95% of the coral species found in the Caribbean. In mangrove reef you could possibly spot up to 20 different species of coral.

From Mangrove Reef we raise the spinnaker and let the wind take us sailing to The Garden by Isla Solarte, where you'll once again experience snorkeling but in a different type of reef. This site boasts some of the best coral in the region and is a must-see for all visiting divers. Depths range from two to eighteen meters. Or if you prefer to take it all in, sunbathe and relax on our sailboat you can enjoy the fresh baked sandwich made to your liking on the boat with drinks, cocktails and easy music. Dropping anchor in the The Garden's sand is a perfect way to explore this reef. Large coral heads, schools of parrot fish, coupled angel fish and marine life of all kinds await your curious eyes. Sergeant Major fish or as we like to call them "pinananas" come in schools to eat the pineapple "piña" skins we discard making for a perfect photographic feeding frenzy! From here we raise the sails again while enjoying freshly cut fruit and sail back to the island, "tranquilo style".

* Prices are in US Dollars. The above prices are per person and do not include Panama's 7% ITBMS Sales. Rates include lunch, drink and snorkel gear (extra drinks can be purchased on board or you can bring your own). A minimum of 6 persons is required to run this tour on any specific day.

For private groups of up to 8 guests, four special sailing trips are offered. Each cost $350 for a party of up to 8 people and each extra passenger costs $40. The itineraries offered are as follows:

1. Bluff Beach & Mimi Timbi
2. Starfish Beach & Bird Island
3. Hospital Point & Red Frog Beach
4. Crawl Cay & Zapatillas Island

Departing from Bocas Town we sail north bordering the east coast of Isla Colón until we reach Bluff Beach, one of Bocas del Toro's most stunning beaches. With 5 kms of golden powdered sand, all you can do is contemplate a Bocas beach at its best.

We continue sailing until we reach a beautiful turquoise sea lagoon. We drop anchor and jump overboard snorkeling our way to the Mimbi Timbi beach (another stunning beach) and up its river of fresh water. After a well deserved rest we hike through the jungle for another 20 minutes over to a private turquoise lagoon known as "La Piscina" (The Pool) where you can snorkel deep crevassess and spot large fish.

This tour is only possible when sea conditions aren't rough at all and mostly takes place in April, May, September and October, although those months can sometimes have some swell too!

During this tour we sail off bordering the west coast of Isla Colón navigating through its year-round tranquil waters. Here and there we'll stop for a snorkel until we reach Starfish Beach, which is famous, of course, for its abundance of starfish, pristine white sand and peaceful waters. Here we'll spend some time on the beach admiring the Starfish, taking it all in and enjoying a nice lunch.

Mid day we sail off to Bird Island. Here you'll find the only known nesting place in the Caribbean of the Red-billed Tropic Bird (Phaeton aethereus). Swans' Cay is a rocky formation approximately 70 meters long, with a rounded quarter moon shape, pierced by two openings through one end, and rises 55 meters at the highest point.

If the swell permits you can get off the boat and swim around the island and go through its openings. After this last stop we make our way back to Bocas Town taking in the gorgeous Caribbean scenery.

During this tour we sail off to Hospital Point by Isla Solarte where you can snorkel and enjoy time on the beach. Hospital Point is named for an old hospital built by the United Fruit Company to treat plantation workers suffering from yellow fever and malaria. There are a few homes behind Hospital Point, and also a small indigenous community but most of the island is covered with rainforest.

The reef at Hospital Point starts at two meters and consists mainly of cauliflower and brain coral, which gradually descends until it becomes a wall with a depth of sixteen meters. The wall has numerous cracks and caverns, which are home to a wide variety of marine life. When the tide is right a small current will drift divers along the entire site. Hospital point features an enormous rock outcropping extending out over the reef, providing shelter for schools of silversides.

Then we sail off through the mangroves to Red Frog Beach ($3 entrance fee) where you take a jungle truck across to the beach. Red Frog Beach is one of the most popular beaches on Bastimentos Island. Spy a red frog, swim in the surf and have lunch on the beach before returning to the boat. We then sail, zig zagging through the mangroves all the way around Solarte.

During this tour we sail off to Crawl Cay where you may choose to swim or snorkel.

Then we raise the sails and enjoy a day of sailing all the way to the Zapatillas Cays ($10 National Park Entrance Fee). Considered one of Panama's most beautiful islands, here you can indulge in the true pristine beauty of the untouched nature in the tropics. Walk, swim, or snorkel as you wish!

* Prices are in US Dollars. The above prices do include Panama's 7% ITBMS Sales. Includes lunch, drink and snorkel gear (extra drinks can be purchased on board or you can bring your own). The price for private tours is for up to 8 guests (each additional guest costs $40 per person).

Besides sailing through the Caribbean without contaminating the environment by burning fuel, the Catamaran Sailing Tour prides itself in allowing its guests to get up close to the dolphins in Dolphin Bay without posing a threat to them by hurting them. Checkout the following video to have a more precise idea about why exploring Bocas by sailboat is so much better than by motorboat.

You simply cannot compare exploring Bocas del Toro by sailboat with by doing so on your average motorboat. Discover Bocas in style and come aboard our 42ft/12meter catamaran and experience Bocas Del Toro in true Caribbean fashion! Bocas sailing is also the proud owner of a 47 feet Crowther Catamaran.

Tennille, born in New York, travelled extensively after graduating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and ended up in Bocas Del Toro as well.

Owners Marcel and Tennille have been running this eco friendly tour for the past 8 years. The couple met here in Bocas Del Toro 10 years ago.

Marcel, born in Germany sailed all around the Atlantic and Caribbean before residing in Bocas Del Toro, Panama.

* Prices are in US Dollars. The above prices are per person and do not include Panama's 7% ITBMS Sales. Rates include lunch, drink and snorkel gear (extra drinks can be purchased on board or you can bring your own). A minimum of 6 persons is required to run this tour on any specific day.