It was so amazing to share this exceptional place called the Azuero Peninsula with our good friends, Kristin and Ondra, who we met while living in Prague in 2008. And…since we were not catering to an attention-demanding wild cat baby this time, it also seemed like a great opportunity to strap on our Panamanian sea legs and take a fishing boat out to sparkling little jewel of Isla de Iguana, a coral reef island off the coast of Pedasí on the Azuero Peninsula. With powder white sand, aquamarine waters and decent snorkeling off the beach, it’s one of the few truly beautiful beaches we’ve found on the Pacific side of the country.
It was not a cheap day, however, because the fishermen charge $80 (up to 5 people) to take you the 30 minutes out and back to the island, making it a tidy little business for the local economy. Thus, we were incredibly grateful when our friends offered to treat us to the excursion!
When we arrived to Playa de Arenal southeast of the town of Pedasi, the sign was clearly labeled with the price and options and an adorable brace-faced teenager approached us saying “Soy capitán,” which of course everyone understands (thanks to the song La Bamba.)
Our capitán, Eloy, escorted us to the immigration shack to show our passports, which was a bit interesting considering the island we were heading to is in the same country!
Fishing boats lined up ready for their $80 contribution.
As an added perk with our tour, Ondra and Greg got to help push our chariot into the water.
Happy guys on the water!
Kristin, Mandy, and our cutie fisher boy.
Arriving to the island, which was swarmed with swooping frigate birds.
Our drop off point. We could have easily stayed on this pretty little beach, but no shade was to be found.
So, we walked through the island on this mangrove-y trail…
…and Kristin soaked in some shade.
Fortunately the trail was only about five minutes, which is good because we were NOT being minimalists in our packing that day.🤣
Special thanks to Ondra for carrying the very important things. Unfortunately, it was not full of cold beer. Greg read that you weren’t allowed to bring alcohol to the island. And you know, he’s a former park ranger so the rules are the rules. <Mandy inserts eye roll.>
We soon emerged onto a powdery beach which begged us to kick off our sandals. We arrived during low tide so unfortunately the snorkeling wasn’t too good at first. However, as our allotted four hours drifted by, the water became deeper making it perfect for some quite decent snorkeling where we saw puffer fish, parrot fish, sea snakes, angel fish and even a sea turtle!
Despite this giant designated shady spot and way too many squirts of sun cream, we all still managed to turn various shades of tomato during our stay.
Greg wandering into the water, which was crystal clear although some of the coral was unfortunately damaged. Are WE on vacation?! 🤣
The frigatebird is sometimes called the “man-o-war bird” because it harasses other birds until they regurgitate recently captured food, which it sometimes snatches in midair. The male frigate bird also dons a fiery red balloon that expands underneath his curved beak to attract the ladies.
It must not be mating season for the frigates because most of their red sacs weren’t inflated.
The hermit crab orgy (Ondra’s words) was another story. We’ve never been to a beach with more of these little critters. (Word of warning before entering siesta land snuggled onto your beach towel🤣)
Kristin collected a sampling of abandoned hermit home real estate.
And Ondra flopped himself in the sand to do some micro-exploration.
Meanwhile, Isla de Iguana lived up to its name.
Naturally, we soon realized these guys had set up shop about 10 feet from our towels, atop a stenchy pelican carcass, which also didn’t allow for the most anxiety-free relaxation. Especially when a couple of them started to do some aggressive head bobbing motions, which is the way an iguana shows he is in charge, and is aware of your presence.
Greg protecting Mandy from the bobble head monster.
The scene actually reminded us a lot of Thailand. Especially the boats…although not long tails.
Greg getting in touch with his inner hermit.
Four hours later, Eloy picked us up and we discovered he had been very busy during his “off” hours. He offered us one of the tunas he had caught for only $1/pound but unfortunately we weren’t equipped to be able to snag one.
Back in the village of Pedasi, known as being an expat hot spot. It’s a very chill expat hot spot for the record.
An hour and a half later, we’re back in Bucaro to grab a fish dinner by the sea. Traditional Panamanian…corvina fish (croaker) and patacones (smashed plantains.)
Kristin, who has a huge soft spot for street dogs, feeds a group in Bucaro. Unfortunately, like many places in Latin America, there is a huge problem with unfixed dogs in the village. 🙁
