Bocas is a 45 minute charter plane flight Northeast of Panama city and our tour lodging is in the main town of Bocas. The town is full of great European restaurants, bars along the ocean, disco’s, and pool bars so there is plenty of exciting things to do at night. Your lodging will depend on which package you select, either Economy, Standard, or Luxury. All of the hotels are in the same area of the small town and the breaks are scattered around the various islands, accessible by a short 5 to 10 minute truck or boat ride.

Bocas has a variety of different breaks, from long, barelling, perfect reef point breaks (similar to the break called Restaurants in Tavarua, Fiji), to fun and powerful beach breaks, reefs with steep drops and spitting tubes , to challenging big wave spots (Note, it can get huge and most all of the waves are tubular.). The islands of Bocas catch just about every swell direction in the Caribbean and it is rarely under 4 feet and as big as 25 foot faces with a good swell.

The tides only fluctuate about 3 feet between high & low tide so you can surf all the different breaks all day long without having to wait for tides. Bocas is still virgin to the surfing world and few people know about it yet. You can normally surf alone only with the people you come with. However, we have seen the main breaks with as many as 10 people out. You can always find another alternative break with no one out.

7 Night 8 Day Surf Safari Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Panama (Tocumen), Guide picks up group at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City and transports surfers to Hotel in Panama City, where you spend the night (arrivals before 3 pm have option to go on city and canal tour at no additional cost). Surfers usually go out that night to clubs and see the city.

Note: If you arrive in Panama City before 1pm, we can skip the Panama City portion and get a flight directly to Bocas that afternoon.

Day 2: Guide picks up surfers at hotel in the early morning and transports to Albrook airport for flight to Bocas. Surfers are met by Surf Guide at Bocas airport and transported to hotel, then go surfing. Hotel accommodations, Surf guide, with 4x4 transportation included.

Day 3: Hotel accommodations, Surf guide, with 4x4 transportation included.

Day 4: Hotel accommodations, Surf guide, with 4x4 transportation included.

Day 5: Hotel accommodations, Surf guide, with 4x4 transportation included.

Day 6: Hotel accommodations, Surf guide, with 4x4 transportation included.

Day 7: Guide transports surfers to Bocas airport for early morning, noon, or afternoon flight back to Albrook airport in Panama City. Upon arrival in Panama City, surfers are met by guide and transported to Panama City Hotel. Surfers can see the canal if time permits, and go out in Panama City.

Note: If your flight back home on day 8 is scheduled for mid day or late afternoon then you have the option to spend an extra day surfing at Bocas and avoid spending the night in Panama City.

Day 8: Guide picks up surfers at Panama City Hotel and transports group to Tocumen International Airport for departure.

Note: If your departing flight back home leaves in the afternoon, then you have the option to fly into Panama City from Bocas on day 8, and be met by guide at Albrook airport who would then transport you to Tocumen International Airport for departure from Panama City that afternoon.

Note: - Additional nights can be added (per request in advance).

- Food and beverages are not included in package.

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Accommodations:

Luxury: For those who want to sleep in water front, air conditioned rooms with inside bathroom and shower with hot water. Rooms can accommodate from 1 to 3 people. Located right along the main street in the town of Bocas, this hotel is surrounded with the restaurants, bars, and stores for easy access.

Meals are not included with the accommodations as there are other restaurants in the town within short walking distance. Restaurants offer a variety of local and western dishes which may include beef, shrimp, chicken, fish, lobster, conch, octopus, etc. to name a few, with a any combination of vegetables, rice, beans, potatoes, french fries, lentils, plantain, and salad. Hamburgers and sandwiches are also available. Vegetarian diets are also accommodated. Meals can cost between US$3 to US$10 or more depending on what you eat.

Standard: In the town of Bocas, close to the main strip of restaurants and bars. Accommodations include air conditioned rooms with inside bathroom and shower with hot water. Each room can accommodate from 1 to 3 people. There is also a porch with hammocks, chairs and tables overlooking the water where you can hang out with your friends, do ding repairs, or play board games.

Meals are not included with the accommodations as there are other restaurants in the town within short walking distance. Restaurants offer a variety of local and western dishes which may include beef, shrimp, chicken, fish, lobster, conch, octopus, etc. to name a few, with a any combination of vegetables, rice, beans, potatoes, french fries, lentils, plantain, and salad. Hamburgers and sandwiches are also available. Vegetarian diets are also accommodated. Meals can cost between US$3 to US$5 or more depending on what you eat.

Economy: In the town of Bocas, along the main strip of restaurants and bars. Accommodations include rooms with fan and inside bathrooms and showers with hot water. Each room can accommodate 1 to 4 people. There is also a porch with hammocks, chairs and tables overlooking the main Bocas road, where you can hang out with your friends, do ding repairs, or play board games.

Meals are not included with the accommodations as there are other restaurants in the town within short walking distance. Restaurants offer a variety of local and western dishes which may include beef, shrimp, chicken, fish, lobster, conch, octopus, etc. to name a few, with a any combination of vegetables, rice, beans, potatoes, french fries, lentils, plantain, and salad. Hamburgers and sandwiches are also available. Vegetarian diets are also accommodated. Meals can cost between US$3 to US$5 or more depending on what you eat.

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Surf Tour Cost:

*Tour includes transport to and from airports, round trip flight from Panama City to Bocas, full hotel accommodations and tour guide with 4x4 transportation included.

*Tours of more than 4 people pay the same cost per person as tours of 4 people.

For more information on pricing. Contact us

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Surf Breaks in the Area: There are many surf breaks in Bocas, accessible by 4x4 or boat. Some of these include:

Dumpers - A reef bottom left hander. Steep drops and super powerful with a tube you could fit a dune buggy in. The wave is kind of short though so when you come out of the tube, you can hit the lip once or twice or do a roundhouse cutback and then the wave ends on top of a rock on the inside. You could compare this place to the heavy breaks of Tahiti. There is an inside break that is a longer ride, but not as tubular and it only breaks when Dumpers is about 7 to 8 feet. This place is one of the most popular spots at Bocas, but rarely gets over 5 people in the water at once. You can normally surf here alone with your buddies. Bring your surf booties because the reef here is pretty gnarly for getting in and out of the water. The surf can get as big as 12 feet, (better have balls of steel) but that’s when the inside Dumpers starts really firing. Dumpers is located about 15 minutes from the main town by 4x4 transportation, which our surf guides provide.

Punch - A reef bottom right and left break. It can get really good here, and you can get slotted in the tube on certain sections or hit the lip or do roundhouse cutbacks or airs. There are 2 or 3 different peaks you can take off from. This wave is more mellow than Dumpers and not quite as powerful, but it packs a punch anyways! Most of the less experienced surfers go out here because it is a fun wave and less dangerous than most of the other breaks at Bocas. You can usually get the place alone, but at times there are as much as 5 to 7 surfers out, depending on the day. We have surfed it as big as 12 feet. This wave holds size well. The bigger the more perfect with an incredible tube section. It is located about 10 to 12 minutes from the town by 4x4, just before reaching Dumpers.

Bluff - A sand bottom beach break, breaking very close to the beach. This place is normally surfed by bodyboarders. The wave is super powerful and pitches some of the most amazing spitting tubes you will ever see. It has been compared to Hossegor in France. This wave snaps lots of boards. It normally gets about 2 feet bigger than Dumpers and Punch. It is the furthermost break on the main island of Bocas, about a 30 minute 4x4 ride from the main town.

SilverBacks - A right hand big wave reef bottom point break, breaking out in the deep ocean, but close to an outer island, about a 30 minute boat ride from the main town of Bocas. The wave is super powerful and barrels like Backdoor Pipeline. The wave breaks on most average swells, but there has to be some kind of swell for it to break. When the other spots are 6 to 7 feet, this place can be 12 to 15 feet or bigger. We have seen it up to 25 foot faces. The people who have surfed this place have called it one of the biggest waves in Panama, and have compared it to big waves in Hawaii. Come prepared with a good 7’0” to 8’5” if you want to surf this place.

Carenero - One of the best spots in Bocas. A left hand reef bottom point break that breaks on the outside of a round shaped reef and wraps along the edge of the reef for a ride about 150 yards long. The wave is located on an island next to the main island of Bocas, about a 10-15 minute boat ride from the main town. The wave is powerful and pitches some very long tube sections. When conditions are perfect you can get 5 to 6 second tube rides. The wave breaks on most any swell and is normally about the same size if not a foot or two bigger than Dumpers. This place holds any swell and just gets more and more perfect as it gets bigger. We have surfed it up to 16 feet faces. The people who have surfed this place have compared it with several spots in Fiji. This wave is super fun and you can get barreled two or three times in one wave, plus do several turns, cutbacks, roundhouses, airs, etc. The reef is super sharp and full of sea urchins, so be careful. You jump right out of the boat into the wave, so there is no reef dance on the way in or out. If you are not an experienced surfer it is probably wise to wear booties in case you get caught inside. You can normally surf this place alone with only your buddies, but we have seen up to 7 surfers out. It is getting more and more popular though, so surf it while it is still virgin.

First Beach - This is a long beach break on an outer island, directly across from the main island and town of Bocas. The boat drops you off on the back side of the island and then you walk for about 20 minutes through some beautiful trails and through a few cow pastures to the other side of the island where the waves are. The beach has a reef point break, and then beach break in the middle. The beach break is super powerful and when there is a large swell it tends to close out. We normally only surf this place when the other spots are too small. Generally, it gets much bigger at First Beach than any of the other breaks (except Silver Backs), so when the other breaks are only a 1-3 feet, you can get fun 4-6 foot beach break surf here.

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Night Life:

Night life is fun at Bocas, and your girlfriend will love it. There are many different European style bars, restaurants and discos to hang out at with your buddies. Most of the restaurants, bars and hotels are owned by Europeans who have moved to Bocas and started these businesses. The town attracts a lot of hippies, backpackers, tree huggers and ecologically friendly people from all over the USA, Canada, Europe and South America. You will find a variety of people in the town and they are usually super friendly to hang out with. We have met some of our best friends while having a few beers and playing pool at the pool bar at Bocas.

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Communications:

There are public telephones in the town where you can call back home collect or using an international calling card (AT&T or MCI are accepted). There are also internet café’s in Bocas so you can email your bros or family and send back pictures of surfing if you have a digital camera. Cellular phones also work at Bocas, so you might pick up a cell phone rental at the airport so you can stay within calling reach with your family or business.

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