Bocas del Toro's appeal is almost entirely aquatic — snorkelling and diving on coral reefs, surfing ocean swells, watching sea turtles nest at night, and spotting dolphins and sloths from water taxis threading between the islands. The mainland at Almirante connects you to the Smithsonian research station and Ngobe Buglé indigenous communities. Bocas Town on Isla Colón is the practical base for it all.