The Gulf of Chiriquí

The Gulf of Chiriquí National Marine Park protects around twenty-five islands and a large area of water off the western Pacific coast, with Isla Parida the largest and Isla Bolaños and the Secas group among the rest. The islands are forested, the beaches are empty, and the water holds reef, rays and turtles. The gulf is one of very few places anywhere where humpback whales from both the northern and southern hemispheres appear, at opposite times of year, because the Panamanian Pacific sits at the meeting point of their ranges. Boca Chica is the small village most trips leave from.

What you actually see

• The islands - two dozen forested islands with empty beaches.
• Humpbacks from both hemispheres - in separate seasons.
• The reef and mangrove - snorkelling and channels between the islands.
• Isla Bolaños - a small island with a particularly good beach.

When to go

December to April is the dry season with the calmest water. Southern hemisphere humpbacks are here roughly July to October and northern ones from December to March. Boats are chartered from Boca Chica by the day.

Honest expectations

Access is by chartered boat and costs fall on whoever books, so small groups pay heavily. There are almost no facilities on the islands, and accommodation on the mainland at Boca Chica is limited. The Pacific here is murkier than the Caribbean and visibility varies. Trips are cancelled in swell.

Nearby

David is an hour inland; Boquete is two hours north.