Bocas del Toro Island

Bocas del Toro is a province of Panama comprising an island chain off the Caribbean coast, plus a section of nearby mainland with biodiverse rainforest. Isla Colón, the main island, is home to the capital, Bocas Town, a central hub with restaurants, shops and nightlife. Popular beaches include Boca del Drago. Also on Isla Colón is Starfish Beach, named for the numerous sea stars on its ocean floor. Most of Isla Colón enjoys near pristine dark skies around class 2 in the Bortle Dark-Sky scale, which together with its location a latitude of 9 degrees north (where almost the entire celestial sphere can be watched over the course of a single night) meas that the site is ideal for amateur stargazing. A friend of EarthSky shared the following with us: “No lights. No distractions. Just a black, clear sky dotted with stars and a bright moon.”