Anchorage· Isla Popa· Other Caribbean
Isla Popa Anchorage (off Popa 2 / Sandubidi)
9° 13.2′ N · 82° 8.7′ W · approximate
A rarely used anchorage on the quiet south side of Almirante Bay, off Isla Popa's jungle shore and the Ngäbe village of Popa 2 — dolphins, howlers and almost no other boats.
Practical
Coordinate is derived and approximate: set about 400 m west of the OpenStreetMap Isla Popa #2 hamlet (9.22065, -82.14018) and checked to be in the water against the OSM Isla Popa outline. It is not a surveyed anchorage. A cruising crew (May 2025) noted Isla Popa is not marked as an anchorage on any chart; charted depths of about 15 ft read about 60 ft on the sounder, and after circling they found a flat bottom at about 20 ft and anchored near a fisherman's house, with dolphins circling the boat. Their post gives no position — so sound your way in and expect charts to be wrong here. Silty water hides shoals; arrive with the sun high. Sandubidi (Popa 2) offers Ngäbe cultural exchange visits (Visit Panama). No fuel, water or provisions. Cayo de Agua, farther east, has a village (OSM 9.15363, -82.05779) but our sources give no anchoring information for it — treat it as exploratory.
Best for
Solitude and a Ngäbe village visit
Nearby
- Coral Cay Anchorage (outside the marine park)1.2 NM away
- Cayo Coral Reef Dive (Crawl Cay)1.3 NM away
- Crawl Cay (Cayo Coral) Over-Water Restaurants1.4 NM away
- Coral Cay Snorkel Gardens1.5 NM away
- Bocas Weather Windows (dry Jan–Apr & Sep–Oct)2.5 NM away
- Fishing Rules & Closed Seasons (Bocas del Toro)2.5 NM away
- Isla Popa (Popa 1 & Popa 2 villages)2.7 NM away
- Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park (permits & rules)3.7 NM away