On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
way2blue
I’ve been pining for tropical vistas, tropical fish, balmy breezes. Not sure why… So I looked through photos of some of my fairly recent travels. These are of a visit to an island on the Caribbean side of Panama. The island is mostly a national marine park and has no roads to speak of. There’s a village, Old Bank, at the northwestern end. A western-style resort at Red Frog Beach, a few eco resorts. Otherwise, not too much. Perfect for us. We left by boat from Isla Colon and headed to a small, off-the-grid (obviously) resort on a former cacao plantation.
We arrived in the port town of Almirante from Volcán by car. A long, hair-raising journey on mountain roads that cut from the Pacific to Caribbean side of Panama. Imagine coming around a curve on a narrow, twisting road and seeing just a few feet ahead that the road bed has dropped abruptly ~2 feet. No warming. Lots of fun challenges like that. Anyway. In Almirante our car was secured in a large chain-linked pen full of cars and we caught a boat taxi to Isla Colon. Then roller-bagged our way to the lodging suggested by the resort. This one. A small bungalow with room doors secured by padlock & key. The next morning our ride arrived and we headed to Isla Bastimentos.
A view of our destination with ‘official greeter’ dog and Jak (in the green shirt) waiting.
And the boardwalk leading up to the resort with ‘official guide’ dog.
We spend the first half of our stay in the lowermost of 4 open-air ‘bungalows’. When we got to ours, a mother & baby sloth were in a tree just off the platform. Groups of monkeys would pass by daily.
One of the red frogs on the path down to dinner.
The second part of our stay we moved up one bungalow. A lot more stops, but with this amazing view toward Isla Solarte & the sunset.
The indigenous people of the island get around on low riding canoes—even the children commute to school by canoe.
We visited a nearby cayo for snorkeling & beach-combing. While snorkeling about—I looked down to see fair-sized shark resting on the bottom. Oh.
Mary G
So green! Beautiful photos, thank you.
JeanneT
And here’s a little mini-vacation to start my day! Thank you!
Laura Too
Wow, absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing such a beautiful area. ETA, I was hoping to see Part 1 after the title. Maybe more to come?
Barbara
What a great trip. I visited other areas of Panama but the natural beauty is similar and I would love to go back.
randy khan
I am a sucker for a nice beach like that.
Albatrossity
Beautiful shots!
J R in WV
Pretty sweet trip, obviously. I used to snorkle a while lot back in the day, starting in Key West where I was stationed in the Navy. After a few months a shipmate suddenly needed cash and I bought his scuba rig, which back then was tank, rack to hold tank, regulator and mask and flippers. No floatation device to control your depth, no gauges, nothing fancy. Safe enough in water only 20-30 feet deep, tho. I never wanted to go deep, to shipwrecks or huge cliffs, just to see the coral and fish and anemones and such.
The reefs of Key West were nearly pristine 50 years ago. I don’t know what they would be like today.
Please more of Panama, though!! Beautiful stuff, thanks!
Barbara
@J R in WV: I was awed by Panama. We managed to visit the high rain forest and the low rain forest on either side of a cruise in the western Caribbean, and going through the forest trails on horseback was a true treat. The day we came back the northeast was experiencing a severe cold snap, so we went from 80F to negative 5 20 hours later. A rude return for sure.
JanieM
Breathtaking. The green of the second shot bowled me over, but even more than that, it’s the peacefulness that comes through. I would love to go there — yet another episode of OTR adding another item to the travel wish list that I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.
Thanks for giving us a peek.
Yutsano
The little red ribbit makes the best shot for me. As with all things YMMV.
WaterGirl
50 Shades of
GrayGreen!The pictures make me want to be there. So lovely!
way2blue
@Laura Too: WaterGirl has another set from Isla Bastimentos pending. And I’m working on one of Casco Viejo (old town, Panama City). But I also have photos of our time on the Pacific side and of our time in the highlands near the border with Costa Rica…
way2blue
@Barbara: We’ve visited twice. Using frequent flyer miles. Would love to return as I just missed seeing a Quetzal when we were staying in Volcán. Those & seahorses are on my list…
way2blue
@J R in WV: We prefer to snorkel even though we can’t dive deep. In part because it’s less gear, the colors fade to blue with depth, and my husband’s ears can’t handle the water pressure more than a few feet down… But I am envious of those who can explore the deeper parts of reefs, close up.