September
Sea Fair
The island’s sea fair on Isla Colón. In 2023 it ran from September 13 to 17.
Official sourceRetiring in Bocas del Toro
Bocas del Toro is a Caribbean archipelago; the town of Bocas, on Isla Colón, has about 6,700 people. Unlike the Pacific side, it has no dry season: the airport station records about 3,350 mm of rain a year. It is a 45 minute flight from Albrook.
Living in Bocas del Toro
The archipelago has nine main islands, among them Colón, Carenero and Bastimentos, with water at about 26 °C, reefs, the Bastimentos Island National Marine Park and a Smithsonian research station. Its culture is Afro-Caribbean: calypso, the Old Bank community, the May Pole and the Bastimentos fair in May.
Population
The district of Bocas del Toro counted 17,274 people in the 2023 census, 6,708 of them in Bocas town.
Climate
The airport station averages 26.6 °C (80 °F). No month averages under 180 mm of rain, and December is one of the wettest, the opposite of the Pacific. The least rainy windows are September and October and February and March.
| IMHPA station | Altitude | Average | Months under 100 mm of rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aeropuerto De Bocas (93-002) | 2 m | 26.6 °C (80 °F), monthly averages 25.6 to 27.3 °C | |
| Aeropuerto De Bocas (93-002) | 2 m | 3,350 mm of rain a year | none |
Getting there
The flight from Albrook takes 45 minutes to the island airport. By land it is about 6 hours to Chiriquí, 3 hours more to Almirante, and a 35 minute boat ride to Isla Colón.
Health care nearby
The island has the Guillermo Sánchez Borbón hospital of the Ministry of Health. On the mainland, the Social Security Fund runs hospitals in Changuinola and Almirante.
- Hospital Guillermo Sánchez Borbón (MINSA), Bocas del Toro
- Hospital de Changuinola (CSS) y Hospital de Almirante (CSS), en tierra firme
Cost of living
There is no official cost of living figure for the islands: the food basket of the Ministry of Economy and Finance includes Changuinola, on the mainland, not Isla Colón.
Festivals and seasons
Your residency, wherever you live
The Pensionado visa is the same in every province: the US$1,000 monthly pension, or US$750 with a property of more than US$100,000, and the same documents, wherever you plan to live. The discounts of the retiree law apply all over the country.
Choosing where to live before you apply? Tell us the town and we will check what changes for your case, if anything.
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