Blog POSTS

What if your dream vacation could help protect the planet?

At Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, it does. Tucked away in the lush, tropical heart of Bocas del Toro, Panama, Tranquilo Bay is more than a place to stay—it’s a place that cares. Here, the rainforest isn’t scenery—it’s home. And we’re doing everything we can to keep it safe.

This post walks you through the eco-friendly practices that shape everything we do—from the moment you arrive until your final goodbye. If you’re someone who wants to travel more sustainably, this guide shows how your stay can make a real impact.

Panama is the bridge between two continents, separating two great oceans, creating its own world of micro-climates. While the old belief that December-May is the dry season, may hold some truth on the Pacific Slope, is simply a misnomer for the Caribbean side of Panamá. During September and October, the weather in Bocas del Toro is the best of the year. A calm Caribbean Sea, cool seasonal trade winds, and less rainfall are the norm, making the conditions for viewing wildlife above or below the water ideal. This time of year also coincides with the fall migration of songbirds, shorebirds, and raptors, who come through Panamá by tens of millions, creating one of the most spectacular avian migrations on earth. Wet season in Bocas del Toro generally falls July and August and November – January.

Tranquilo Bay offers a worry-free, all-inclusive family adventure in Panama’s rainforest and reef, where expert guides tailor each day for all ages.

When our guests receive a final confirmation from us regarding their stay, we include a list of suggested items for them to pack …

Imagine starting your day with a serene morning of bird watching from your cabin's balcony, our main building, the gardens surrounding the property, or the observation tower. This unique experience is the beginning of your stay. We also invite you to explore the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea and the rich marine life beneath. An afternoon of guided snorkeling off the edge of the mangroves next to our main dock is an unparalleled adventure that we are excited to share with you.

Seeing our visitors enjoy being surrounded by nature and getting good views of the sloth is exciting. We want to hug one whenever we see them up close, as they embrace the trees.

Birding at Zapatilla 2 is a fabulous experience. There are few locations where one can locate so many individuals of different warbler species within a 2 km trail. This island and its natural history create the conditions that permit insects and fresh water for the birds during their annual migration.

Why have a Big Day at Tranquilo Bay? Why not? The Global Big Day (GBD) is popular among birdwatchers worldwide. These citizen science days help maintain a data-based focus on science, conservation, and education through shared experiences in real-time (eBird, 2022).

On the Western Caribbean slope of Panama, between 100 and 300 meters above sea level, there is a new birding route that crosses part of the Ngäbe-Bugle indigenous region. It is a natural scenic landscape between high mountains, iconic valleys, amazing rivers, and indigenous towns. This landscape supports subsistence crop production. On this route, one can explore the rich culture of the indigenous region, including the style of artisan houses and the color of the ladies' clothing.

We have completed our analysis and annual metrics for 2022. This year will be our baseline for further years as the information comes from our updated Chart of Accounts, and our occupancy was approaching normal.

Walking through Cueva Nívida reminds us of the region's geological history, showing us the transformation this part of the Earth has undergone over the years. The Isla Bastimentos Marine National Park shelters several precious jewels; Nívida is one of the most recommended attractions in the Bocas del Toro archipelago. We will see a cave and combine various activities and learn more about the area's natural history.

A lot of people see a vacation as an expense. But we believe it is an investment. When you schedule a beautiful, sustainable, and memorable experience, it does more than make you feel good. It connects you with each member in your party. It lets you unplug and let go of your everyday. You try new things and relax. The investment you make today should be paid back in treasured memories that last a lifetime.

Popa Island is a recommended attraction during your stay in Tranquilo Bay. If you are a serious bird and amphibian watcher or love animals and nature, do not miss meeting the Snowy Cotinga and the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog.

As a buyer, we were in no position to affect the situation’s outcome. As compassionate people, we allowed her to live as she had been doing for an extended period. We didn’t evict her even though she had sold her rights to us. We gave her and her family time to develop a plan.

A trip to the Green Acres Chocolate Farm is unlike any other chocolate tour. We walk along in the shade of giant fig, almendro, and wild nutmeg trees towering above us. Gary explains how these cacao trees can grow and produce within the shade of the rainforest, thus maintaining the cycling of nutrients through this rich, healthy ecosystem.

We purchased a tiny island from two parties to maintain community and to dispose of any future problems for ourselves. Lauren Morton defines community as act, “Community is an intentional action rooted in faith, peace, truth, and love.” We chose to buy land from two non-possessory parties because it circles back to having a permanence mindset as part of our decision-making compass.

We visit the colorful and complex submarine world located within the Caribbean waters. With the help of a kayak, a diving mask, and a snorkel, we discover innumerable corals, fish, jellyfish, crustaceans, and many other living beings, very different from those we see on land.

Tranquilo Bay’s path to regeneration has been a winding trail with ups, downs, and spills. We didn’t start our business with a defined intention to set up our space within the vocabulary we find in regeneration now, and yet – we did.

Learn more about our approach to creating our private conservation reserve, how setting boundaries and beginning with a permanence mindset allowed us to set up an environment of mutual respect in our latest blog post.

Records of Royal Terns reported with bands in Central America are very scarce. Still, as the number of birders and the curiosity to observe details grows, this could increase annual records in Central America.

Learn more about our Economic Impact. We look through the specific metrics we monitor and how they support both our local community and Panama overall.

The forest becomes very noisy at twilight; it’s time for the cicadas to gather, signifying that nightfall is almost here. As we dine, reveling in the culinary delights of Panama, we realize that we are not the only species present. …

At Tranquilo Bay, we believe that people who experience an authentic, regenerative vacation create treasured memories, but we know treasured memories do not come easy. ⁣ How do you make sure you pick the right vacation? Are the places you …

Following breakfast, we will leave the facility in a support boat. We take a 15-minute ride across Bastimentos National Marine Park over to the backside of Isla Popa. In kayaks, (although we skipped them in this video) we will meander …

In preparation for my trip to Tranquilo Bay I’d been scouring bird lists & cross referencing eBird reports to see what species occurred there. Living on the gulf coast of South Florida and with over a dozen past visits to …

For years, I’d heard nothing but great things about Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, so I was excited to finally have the opportunity to visit the lodge in person and explore this wild & undeveloped region for myself. I’d birded Panama’s canal zone numerous times, as well as the Darien Province in past trips, but this was my first visit to the western Caribbean slope of Panama. After fifteen months of lockdowns without any travel, I was itching for an adventure and the thought of visiting a tropical paradise teeming with spectacular birds & wildlife seemed the perfect solution really!

Six months into the pause, the locals are wondering, where are all the people? Given there are only a few people around, I believe they might think they can take us.

Whether under the water or along a forest trail here at Tranquilo Bay, my motto is always, “The more you look, the more you see!” I’ve always loved to document my observations in nature. It’s making a memory, whether through …

Lush tropical rainforests abundant with sloths, monkeys, parrots and poison dart frogs. Along our quiet shoreline, rich mangrove ecosystems support life both above and below the water. And for the icing on the cake: Tranquilo Bay and Bocas del Toro …

While the majority of guests who stay with us here at Tranquilo Bay want to explore the surrounding forests, delve deep into dark bat caves or enjoy some serious snorkeling above our impressive coral reefs, we also happily invite those …

Fall is upon us again, as the birds from our temperate northern latitudes of United States and Canada fly south for the winter to spend the long months (and thus, the majority of the year) in the tropics. A combination …

While people may call our green season, the low season, we’ve been busy here at Tranquilo Bay on the lush green island of Bastimentos surrounded by mangroves, rainforest, beach and the rich Caribbean Sea. Nothing really stops here at the …

One look at this magnificently showy caterpillar gives warning to any potential predator by way of its brightly patterned body: Don’t eat me, I’m toxic! The frangipani hornworm, also called plumeria caterpillar, can be found crawling around on the clean, …

We invite scientists from the Bocas del Toro Research Station of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute to come out to Tranquilo Bay and do their research. On March 9, we had a group of three scientists come out to take …

Today, I am going to talk about a couple of birds that were introduced by humans in Panama (and other countries): House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) and the Tropical Mockingbird (Mimus gilvus). The definition of an introduced species or non-native species …

Personally 2016 was a very exciting year. It brought me one of my “dream birds,” the Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria), which was another addition ro our Western Caribbean Slope Bird list. We ended 2016 with a total of 514 species, a …

StoryBrand is a great group of people who help business clarify their message. Donald Miller began the company some years ago as he learned how to simplify his own message. I have been interested in his books and other products …

Some days ago, Natalia and I were visiting some friends on the neighboring island of Isla Colon (known also as Bocas Isla or, simply, Bocas). We got there after a bus trip from Panama City (and a short water taxi …

The latest addition to our Western Caribbean Slope Birdlist, is a specie I have been hoping to see since I was a little girl. This bird is often seen in the nature documentaries of Latin American tropical birds, I am …

During the last week of October, Natalia and I had the opportunity to explore, with the kayaks, the Auyama River mouth. Where the Auyama River pours it´s water into the Chiriqui Lagoon. Jay was going fishing with a guest in …

Early this year, we made a bird-watching trip to the mainland, to see some species of birds that we do not have on Bastimentos Island, but the main target of this trip was the elegant Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus). We …

Today I am going to talk about a pretty and elusive ball of feathers, the Black-capped Pygmy-tyrant. This bird is one of those species that you can hear many times, but see only a few. Its size and the places …

Due to Tranquilo Bay’s location in a nearly untouched forest area within the Bocas del Toro archipelago, and the fact that it is surrounded by protected waters that hold an incredible collection of coral and sponges, we have almost an …

In Panama extraordinary biodiversity is not a secret. It´s a privileged location on the Earth. It is in a tropical area, joining two formidable masses of land (North and South America) and separating the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at the …

Years ago, I began experimenting with Habanero peppers and came up with a nice and fresh hot sauce. Around here they named it “La Bomba.” This name is not because it is really hot, but because it adds a lot …

When arriving at Tranquilo Bay, each person has their own expectations on what kind of wildlife they can find here – which species of mammals, birds, reptiles. And, as you know, anything is guaranteed when we are talking about wildlife …

Geologically, Central America is one of the most complicated places on the Earth. A place where the fundamental forces at work on Earth over the last 15 million years created a land bridge that changed the world. This new bridge …

Last week, we heard from Tres about the kids’ science class for the school year 2015/2016. This week we hear from Scott: We started the bird class at the beginning of this school year because a family was planning to …

The children’s science class for the past school year was to learn the yard birds at Tranquilo Bay. I have asked Tres and Scott to tell us what they feel they learned, how they felt about the process and to …

Last week, when some guests and I where preparing to go for a hike, we started by enjoying the hummingbird activity outside their cabin. To our great surprise, in the group of hummingbirds feeding was an uncommon species for …

Tranquilo Bay’s canopy observation tower was opened in 2014 and since then it has been a great addition to the different alternatives the lodge place offers. The amazing view along with the nightly Red-lored parrot (Amazona autumnalis) commute are some …

Last month while I was birding with some guests we had the great fortune to find two species of bird in areas out of the range reported for these species. While we were birding around Tranquilo Bay’s grounds, we observed …

One of the most beautiful plants that we enjoy at Tranquilo Bay´s gardens is the Verbena plant. If you ask a botanist, he will define the “verbena”as an organism belonging to the Plantae Kingdom. Angiosperm, Eudicot, Asterid from the genus …

Plants that have flowers make up the largest group of the Plantae Kingdom. The Angiosperms or flowering plants produce fruits with seeds and they are adapted to all ecosystems over the Earth except the polar regions. Cacti in the deserts, …

If you ask anyone living in the province of Bocas del Toro, to tell you about any Bocatoranian amphibian, most of the answers, if not all, will refer to the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog, Oophaga pumilio, or as we call …

There are about 11,000 species of grasshoppers in the world. Tropicacris is a genus that includes the biggest grasshopper in the world. The species I´m taking about today, the Giant Red-winged Grasshopper, Tropidacris cristata, is not the largest grasshopper in …

Today, I want to talk about an important strategy in nature, called aposematism. Aposematism is the use of a warning coloration, used by creatures to warn predators that they are dangerous and should be avoided. Here are a couple of …

For over a month I followed the transformation process of the beautiful White-tipped Cycadian (Eumaeus godartii). These butterflies are very common at Tranquilo Bay. During this time, I measured and took pictures of these colorful caterpillars to record the progress …

Bocas del Toro archipelago’s interior waters are calm throughout the year. Tranquilo Bay is located in a very calm mangrove bay where waters are clear and snorkeling is a “must do” year round. September and October are the months …

Being the most successful form of animal life on Earth (almost one million species are described and estimates of the real number go from 2 to 30 million species of insects in the planet), insects do not gather much interest …