Living in Bocas del Toro

Locals joke that tourists come to Bocas del Toro for three days... and end up staying for three years. Ask around in the streets and cafes, and you will see that they are only half kidding.

What is is about this wild archipelago that makes it so hard to leave? It's certainly less developed than other Caribbean destinations, though undoubtedly the lack of high-rise hotels, traffic and shopping malls is part of its clapboard charm. Creature comforts are not widely available out here - shops are virtually non-existent, healthcare is limited and even fresh water is scarce - but those who do end up settling here will agree emphatically that the tropical climate, gorgeous scenery and ability to live life outdoors more than compensates for this.

Affordable, rented accomodation is available in the wooden houses perched on stilts in Bocas town, on Isla Carenero, and in Old Bank, Bastimentos. Those searching for a more secluded retreat - and who enjoy long, choppy boat journeys - choose to settle in other locations around the archipelago, such as the eastern point of Isla Bastimentos, or on Isla San Cristobal.

The islands are scattered with retirees, gap year travelers working in bars, environmentalists, surfers, biologists, real estate developers, permaculture enthusiasts, and those who simply fell in love with this place and changed the course of their lives in order to be here.

Bocas's ruggedness may not make life "easy", but it certainly makes everyone who has spent any time here feel that they truly have discovered their own secret piece of paradise.