Landmark· Isla Bastimentos· Other Caribbean
Old Bank (Bastimentos Town)
9° 20.9′ N · 82° 12.6′ W · approximate
Bastimentos' only village: a single footpath of brightly painted stilt houses where Afro-Antillean families speak Guari-Guari and bake pan bon — Bocas without the party.
Practical
Position approximate — at the western tip of Bastimentos facing Carenero, derived from the Canal de Bocas del Toro (GeoNames) and the Wikivoyage Wizard Beach trailhead. No cars or roads; one walking path along the water (Wikivoyage). Dinghy to the main dock; three small supermarkets (the one at the dock is the priciest). Eat at Roots or Alvin's (Wikivoyage). Try coconut rice, rondón, escabeche and pan bon (Visit Panama). Public drinking is not allowed. Poverty is visible and the village can feel intimidating after dark; CSSN has reports from Old Bank Bay — lock the dinghy (Wikivoyage; Noonsite 2026). Water taxi from Bocas about US$5.
Best for
Afro-Caribbean culture and the Wizard Beach trailhead
Nearby
- Bioluminescence Nights (Bocas)Right here
- Old Bank Minisupers (Bastimentos Town)0.1 NM away
- Old Bank Waterfront Restaurants (Roots, Alvin's & Firefly)0.1 NM away
- Coco Hill (Old Bank, vegetarian)0.2 NM away
- Up in the Hill Farm (Old Bank)0.2 NM away
- Wizard Beach (Playa Primera, Isla Bastimentos)0.7 NM away
- Hospital Point (Punta Hospital, Isla Solarte)1 NM away
- Carenero Point Break & Black Rock (surf)1.1 NM away