Description: From Bocas del Toro, an hour-and-a-half boat ride can take you through the Bastimentos National Marine Park and Cayo Zapatilla. From Al Natural in Bastimentos (see separate review), it's a mere half-hour ride, and your day trip fee will include a snorkel stop in between the islands.
The five-dollar entrance fee will help preserve Panama's first marine park, including its wetlands, mangroves, coral reefs, and beaches. Cayo Zapatilla was the most beautiful beach we visited in all of the Bocas archipelago. Because it's part of the marine park, there are no established restaurants on the key; Al Natural packed some beers and snacks for our visit. Shade is hard to come by because the surrounding forest is untouched, but it was the perfect spot for me to sunbathe.
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