When should I take my Panama vacation? Are there specific seasons to consider? Well here in Bocas del Toro Panama we have two seasons. Warm and a little rainy and warm and more rainy.
When are these two seasons? Generally speaking, February through May each year is warm with a little rain. We are in the middle of the rainforest so in order for us to have this lush vegetation we have to have rain, but the amount of rain we get in these four months is on the low side of our average. Then again for September and October we have drier months.
The season of warm and more rain coincides with surf season most of the time. When we have a bit more rain we also have more swells. So in the summer, July and August, we may have more rain and some nice riding waves. December and January are also considered to be wetter months and the surf can get BIG. Check out these photos – most of them are from January 2007 which was pretty good size.
The months of June and November are shoulder months. Some years they side with the warm and a little rain season and some years they side with the warm and more rain season.
Really, when you should take your vacation to Panama boils down to this – when is the best time for you? How much time to you want to allocate for this adventure vacation? Is there a time during your year that is better for you? Pick that time. Our weather and our seasons afford you the opportunity to do whatever it is that you want to do just about 365 days a year.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Friday, April 13, 2007
Bonefish
Yesterday I went to the beach with my husband, my son, our business partner’s wife and son and a few friends. As we arrived at the beach we took the boat down the edge of the island to scan for fish. My husband was certain they would be there as he encountered them several times at this same beach over the last month. As we were about to reach our preferred parking spot, Jim spotted the bonefish. They were swimming near the water’s edge directly off of a small point.
We parked the boat, disembarked and the guys took off to cast. About thirty minutes and about 4 fish later, they returned for lunch. They enjoyed a quick bite and talked about what it was like to catch the fish in such an idyllic setting.
The sun was high and the water was beautiful. The sky couldn’t have been any bluer or the clouds any fluffier. The sunshine shone through the water allowing them to watch the bonefish and determine the exact location to cast the fly.
They went in and out of the water casting the rod to the fish most of the afternoon. My son and his buddy had their first bonefish experience at the tender ages of three and four. My son is already talking about what it is going to be like when he gets to catch the bonefish. Talk about a family adventure.
We parked the boat, disembarked and the guys took off to cast. About thirty minutes and about 4 fish later, they returned for lunch. They enjoyed a quick bite and talked about what it was like to catch the fish in such an idyllic setting.
The sun was high and the water was beautiful. The sky couldn’t have been any bluer or the clouds any fluffier. The sunshine shone through the water allowing them to watch the bonefish and determine the exact location to cast the fly.
They went in and out of the water casting the rod to the fish most of the afternoon. My son and his buddy had their first bonefish experience at the tender ages of three and four. My son is already talking about what it is going to be like when he gets to catch the bonefish. Talk about a family adventure.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Hike to the beach
Today my husband took a couple on a hike through an indigenous village, the jungle and out onto the beach. They left here this morning around 9:00 am in one of our boats to travel over to the indigenous village. At the village they depart from the boat and walk around a bit.
We have been working with the village to build and maintain a trail which goes from one side of the island to the other side through the jungle on the edge of Bastimentos National Marine Park. So, one of the members of the village accompanies our group along the trail. Along the way they encounter a variety of different plants and animals. Red frogs, sleeping bats, sloths, various reptiles, and maybe even a monkey or two. As they near the end of the trail they enter into an area which resembles more of a lake or a river rather than an ocean lagoon. In this area there are waterfalls and other natural attractions.
After walking through the lagoon they walk a bit further and they access a beautiful beach called Playa Larga. The hike out to Playa Larga from the indigenous village takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes. The guests are welcome to hang out at the beach and take in all that the island has to offer for a number of hours. Then they begin the return trip back to the indigenous village and the boat. On the return trip they might see something they missed on the way out to the beach. Either way they have had an experience of a lifetime.
We have been working with the village to build and maintain a trail which goes from one side of the island to the other side through the jungle on the edge of Bastimentos National Marine Park. So, one of the members of the village accompanies our group along the trail. Along the way they encounter a variety of different plants and animals. Red frogs, sleeping bats, sloths, various reptiles, and maybe even a monkey or two. As they near the end of the trail they enter into an area which resembles more of a lake or a river rather than an ocean lagoon. In this area there are waterfalls and other natural attractions.
After walking through the lagoon they walk a bit further and they access a beautiful beach called Playa Larga. The hike out to Playa Larga from the indigenous village takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes. The guests are welcome to hang out at the beach and take in all that the island has to offer for a number of hours. Then they begin the return trip back to the indigenous village and the boat. On the return trip they might see something they missed on the way out to the beach. Either way they have had an experience of a lifetime.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
What's for lunch?
Most of the time when you go on an excursion you are not thinking about what you are going to be eating for lunch when you begin the day. We pack a great lunch for our guests leaving on one of our excursions. Since we have asked about our guests' preferences in advance we are familiar with what it is that they like and try to incorporate those requests into the to go lunches we prepare each day.
Our lunches usually include a sandwich on freshly made bread, fresh fruit such as watermelon, pineapple and apples, a crispy snack of some kind, homemade cookies (Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Biscotti, among many others), and then for those who request it a salad or other special item. We have had guests with a variety of allergies or food preferences and we take each of these into consideration as we prepare the meal for those guests each day. We pack all these items into an igloo and have them ready to go for our guests when they get hungry. We also pack an igloo full of sweet rainwater and other beverages to quench your thirst.
So after the first day that people go out on an excursion, I am not at all surprised when at breakfast they ask me, “What’s for lunch?”
Our lunches usually include a sandwich on freshly made bread, fresh fruit such as watermelon, pineapple and apples, a crispy snack of some kind, homemade cookies (Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Biscotti, among many others), and then for those who request it a salad or other special item. We have had guests with a variety of allergies or food preferences and we take each of these into consideration as we prepare the meal for those guests each day. We pack all these items into an igloo and have them ready to go for our guests when they get hungry. We also pack an igloo full of sweet rainwater and other beverages to quench your thirst.
So after the first day that people go out on an excursion, I am not at all surprised when at breakfast they ask me, “What’s for lunch?”
Thursday, April 5, 2007
How to snorkel
Bocas del Toro Panama is a great place to snorkel. We have many people come down to visit who have never gone snorkeling before. Here are a few of the instructions we give to them when we prepare for their first encounter:
1. Test your mask and snorkel together to make sure they workd well together.
2. Try on the mask and snorkel on your face to determine fit and comfort.
3. Generally you position the rubber strap that attaches the snorkel to your mask so that the snorkel is just above your left ear. Most snorkels are right handed, but if you are using a special left-handed snorkel, you will attach your snorkel to be just above your right ear.
4. Once you are in the water, take a deep breath, bite down on the mouthpiece and submerge your head in the water.
5. Purge your snorkel of any water that may be in the snorkel shaft by exhaling sharply.
6. Breathe gently using the snorkel at first in case any water remains in the snorkel. Purge the snorkel a second time if needed and do so anytime there appears to be water in the snorkel shaft.
7. Move gently on the surface of the water. Any rapid or abrupt movements may fill the snorkel shaft with water.
8. If you want to dive down and see something a bit closer, then inhale and hold your breath so that you do not take in any water from the snorkel itself. Dive down and explore the ocean below you.
9. As you complete your shallow dive, ascend. Once you are sure the end of the snorkel is above the surface of the ocean, then purge to clear the snorkel shaft.
10. Breathe gently and make sure the snorkel is completely cleared of water before you begin breathing normally.
11. At any time that you are uncomfortable, you can lift your entire head out of the water and breathe. Once you are ready, you may begin the process again.
1. Test your mask and snorkel together to make sure they workd well together.
2. Try on the mask and snorkel on your face to determine fit and comfort.
3. Generally you position the rubber strap that attaches the snorkel to your mask so that the snorkel is just above your left ear. Most snorkels are right handed, but if you are using a special left-handed snorkel, you will attach your snorkel to be just above your right ear.
4. Once you are in the water, take a deep breath, bite down on the mouthpiece and submerge your head in the water.
5. Purge your snorkel of any water that may be in the snorkel shaft by exhaling sharply.
6. Breathe gently using the snorkel at first in case any water remains in the snorkel. Purge the snorkel a second time if needed and do so anytime there appears to be water in the snorkel shaft.
7. Move gently on the surface of the water. Any rapid or abrupt movements may fill the snorkel shaft with water.
8. If you want to dive down and see something a bit closer, then inhale and hold your breath so that you do not take in any water from the snorkel itself. Dive down and explore the ocean below you.
9. As you complete your shallow dive, ascend. Once you are sure the end of the snorkel is above the surface of the ocean, then purge to clear the snorkel shaft.
10. Breathe gently and make sure the snorkel is completely cleared of water before you begin breathing normally.
11. At any time that you are uncomfortable, you can lift your entire head out of the water and breathe. Once you are ready, you may begin the process again.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Sea Turtle Nesting Basics
We have Leatherback turtles nesting right now in Bocas del Toro Panama so here is some basic information on nesting for all sea turtles.
Female sea turtles instinctively return to the same beach as they were born to nest each year. Sometimes they even emerge from the ocean less than one hundred yards from the spot in which they were born.
Eggs are generally laid one month after mating and almost always during the cover of night on a deserted beach. Any light other than natural moonlight and starlight can be seen by the turtles and will cause the turtle to turn back to the sea to wait. Even the most subtle match strikes can be detected.
Sometimes a turtle will abandon a nest if she encounters an obstacle or if the sand does not have the right consistency or moisture content. Another turtle may nest regardless of what else is going on around her. If a turtle fails to nest and returns to sea it is referred to as a “false crawl”
Most females nest at least twice during a given season although certain turtles may nest only once and others may nest as many as ten or eleven times.
Because of their size, each turtle uses a different method to move on land which allows researchers to determine species without actually seeing the turtle.
Female sea turtles instinctively return to the same beach as they were born to nest each year. Sometimes they even emerge from the ocean less than one hundred yards from the spot in which they were born.
Eggs are generally laid one month after mating and almost always during the cover of night on a deserted beach. Any light other than natural moonlight and starlight can be seen by the turtles and will cause the turtle to turn back to the sea to wait. Even the most subtle match strikes can be detected.
Sometimes a turtle will abandon a nest if she encounters an obstacle or if the sand does not have the right consistency or moisture content. Another turtle may nest regardless of what else is going on around her. If a turtle fails to nest and returns to sea it is referred to as a “false crawl”
Most females nest at least twice during a given season although certain turtles may nest only once and others may nest as many as ten or eleven times.
Because of their size, each turtle uses a different method to move on land which allows researchers to determine species without actually seeing the turtle.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Raptor Migration
Various raptors fly over Panama as part of their migration highway. Here each Fall we get to experience a small portion of this migration as part of or our day to day voyeurism.
In the Fall of 2004, the first intercontinental migration count of raptors was completed along the Panama Canal. They counted the birds ocean to ocean. Both professional and volunteer conservationists descended upon Panama to record the flight of over more than three million birds of prey. There are turkey vultures, broad-winged hawks and Swainson’s hawks in these migrations.
I cannot tell you how many of these same birds we had the opportunity to observe here in Bocas del Toro Panama but what I can tell you is that it is so cool to see. These large groups of big powerful birds fly together and then do acrobatics as they drift on a thermal.
“An ocean-to-ocean count of raptors traveling through central Panama has long been the ‘Holy Grail’ for raptor-migration scientists and conservationists,” explains Dr. Keith Bildstein, Hawk Mountain’s director of conservation science. “Until now, the lack of human willpower and financial resources has forestalled this ambitious and important project.” In the Fall of 2004 they made the dream a reality.
The initial record of raptor migration in Panama was made by a Spanish historian named Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo, who, writing in1526 noted in the Darien of eastern Panama in “Some years in the month of March, I have seen over the space of 15 or 20 days . . . the sky covered with birds almost morning to night. . . They . . . cover the whole sky from north to south and a wide section east to west. Apparently most of these birds are eagles and many large species of other birds of prey.”
Raptors fly only during the day and then only during good weather. So they require safe havens for nighttime and rainy day roosting. The Bastimentos National Marine Park includes protected forest which gives these birds a refuge and resting place during their migration.
In the Fall of 2004, the first intercontinental migration count of raptors was completed along the Panama Canal. They counted the birds ocean to ocean. Both professional and volunteer conservationists descended upon Panama to record the flight of over more than three million birds of prey. There are turkey vultures, broad-winged hawks and Swainson’s hawks in these migrations.
I cannot tell you how many of these same birds we had the opportunity to observe here in Bocas del Toro Panama but what I can tell you is that it is so cool to see. These large groups of big powerful birds fly together and then do acrobatics as they drift on a thermal.
“An ocean-to-ocean count of raptors traveling through central Panama has long been the ‘Holy Grail’ for raptor-migration scientists and conservationists,” explains Dr. Keith Bildstein, Hawk Mountain’s director of conservation science. “Until now, the lack of human willpower and financial resources has forestalled this ambitious and important project.” In the Fall of 2004 they made the dream a reality.
The initial record of raptor migration in Panama was made by a Spanish historian named Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo, who, writing in1526 noted in the Darien of eastern Panama in “Some years in the month of March, I have seen over the space of 15 or 20 days . . . the sky covered with birds almost morning to night. . . They . . . cover the whole sky from north to south and a wide section east to west. Apparently most of these birds are eagles and many large species of other birds of prey.”
Raptors fly only during the day and then only during good weather. So they require safe havens for nighttime and rainy day roosting. The Bastimentos National Marine Park includes protected forest which gives these birds a refuge and resting place during their migration.
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