The Zapatilla Cays

Cayos Zapatillas are two low uninhabited islands at the outer edge of the Bocas archipelago, forming the core of the Isla Bastimentos national marine park. They are ringed by white sand and shallow reef, with forest in the middle and a short trail across one of them through the trees and a mangrove-fringed inner pond. The reef around them is the best in the archipelago, which is genuinely worth saying because Bocas coral has otherwise been hard hit by warming, sediment and development. Hawksbill and leatherback turtles nest on the beaches, and the islands are far enough out that the water is clearer than anywhere inshore.

What you actually see

• The reef - the best in the archipelago, snorkelled from the beach.
• The trail - across the larger cay through forest to the inner pond.
• Turtle nesting - hawksbill and leatherback on the beaches in season.
• The white sand - the clearest water and cleanest beaches in Bocas.

When to go

February to April and September to October are the calmest for the crossing, which is an hour of open water. Turtle nesting runs roughly March to September. Boats are cancelled in swell and the trip is often the first to go.

Honest expectations

The crossing is an hour of exposed water and gets rough; it is frequently cancelled. There are no facilities beyond a ranger post, no shade away from the trees and no fresh water. Nesting beaches are restricted in season. Reef damage from anchoring and from bleaching is visible even here.

Nearby

Bastimentos is closer in; Bocas Town is an hour west.