Activities
Popa Paradise offers a wide selection of activities designed to enable our guests to interact with all aspects of these beautiful, sparsely populated islands. We can tailor your vacation to your specific needs or you can experience some of our planned activities.
Water Activities
Snorkeling equipment is available for our guests and the fun starts right off our beach! It is an understatement to say the snorkeling here is spectacular. Like a giant aquarium, exotic clouds of tiny colorful reef fish up to abundant large pelagic fish patrol the slightly deeper water (15 feet plus). Do no be surprised to see a turtle cruising by or a playful dolphin skipping by or a big Amberjack cruising through. And yes, good news for the faint hearted-NO SHARKS!!
Kayaks are available. We carry single and double seater ocean kayaks. There are literally miles upon miles of calm waters to explore right from our beach, featuring crystal clear waters, (averaging 82 degrees year round!) with abundant coral sandy beaches, mangroves, and tiny islands all in waters that are mostly up to fifteen feet deep. Take an ice box with snacks and refreshments and disappear for a half or full day and lose yourself in the beauty of it all!
Kayak fishing. We have all the gear, all you have to do is drop the bait in the water! Great fishing starts right at our beach. There are too many species to name them all here, but our favorites are Red Snapper, Wahoo, Leopard Grouper, and Sierra. Go catch us all dinner!
Fishing Skiffs. We have four (15 to 17 foot) aluminum fishing skiffs and a 22 foot fiberglass Panga at present rigged (Baja style) for both guided and bareback trips. They are available for half and full day trips. They have auto starts and steering consoles. Bait tanks, bimini tops, and can be equipped with 15 to 75 hp motors as needed. Fishing ranges from reef fishing to trolling both inside and outside the outer reef tow miles off our shore. You can even fly fish in the sandy shallows of most all the islands. We have Gumacindo, our resident Ngobe local fishing guide, who has grown up fishing these waters from a dugout canoe and thus knows every hotspot for miles around. We love to send people off with Gumacindo as we know we are for sure going to eat well that night!
The Zapatilla Cays. Located two miles off our beach are two deserted islands each about a mile long and ringed with crystal clear sandy waters. They are part of the world famous Bastimentos Marine Preserve. Imagine a day of being Robinson Crusoe, wandering the shores beach combing for exotic shells, hardly a soul insight, relaxing in the shade of thousands of palm trees, and snorkeling in water so clear that visibility is fifty feet! Pitch your lounger in the shade and open your icebox and relax. This is what the Popa Paradise experience is all about!
Bastimentos Island. Located two mile northwest of our resort is Basimentos Island, the largest of the Bocas Islands. It is like all the others (except Colon which has one road) in that it has no roads and is sparsely populated with rainforest down to almost all the shores. The shores facing Popa feature several miles of sandy beaches perfect for a picnic or sunset stroll.
Bocas Town. A Twenty minute trip by boat from Popa is Bocas town, the gateway to the Archipelago. A funky Caribe style town that has a unique blend of Creole and Panamanian influence. We have two boat trips to Bocas daily, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon. Our guests can take these shuttles to enjoy the warm friendly atmosphere of town, do some shopping, and eat lunch or dinner on one of the many waterfront restaurants. It’s a great town to people watch, meet fellow adventurers, watch the boats go by, and maybe dance the night away. Popa Paradise is currently in the process of building its sister hotel Bocas Paradise Hotel right on the waterfront in the center of town. It will be a three story, 26 room Caribbean style Hotel with two thirds of the structure on land, and one third on stilts over the still waters of the Bocas Channel. We plan to be open in spring 2008.
Cayo Agua Island. Just two miles southeast of Popa Paradise, this large island faces out to the open sea through a gap in the outer reef and is fronted on the ocean side by several sandy surf beaches. It is an island that is perfect for beach hopping in one of our small skiffs or is a great day trip for our more experienced Kayakers.
Kuzapin. This is the mainland peninsula, one hour by boat to the southeast. This land is “Comarca” or Indian Tribal lands where our guests can visit to see native Ngobe villages. Isolated with rugged cliffs and steep forested hillsides mixed with stunningly beautiful beaches, this area is a journey back in time. The vast peninsula has no roads or electricity and stretches for a hundred miles. Access for the local population is by boat from Chiquiri Grande, a small port 25 miles away on the mainland. This small and ram shackled town is known as the “gateway” to the Indian lands and it always has its wooden docks bustling with native canoes called Cayaco's. These canoes are made of hollowed out trees specially cut in the forests.
Eoul Rainforest Preserve. Popa Paradise Beach Resort, in conjunction with the Eolu Rainforest Preserve, has purchased and protected a portion of primary rainforest in the mountains adjacent to the La Fortuna National Park. This large section of rainforest is available to guests at Popa Paradise Beach Resort to take a unique journey deep into the spectacular cloud forests of the mainland mountains of Isla Popa. These day-trips give our guests a unique opportunity to view the fauna and wildlife of the region.
