Bastimentos Island National Marine Park
🇵🇦 Panama
🐸 Strawberry Poison Dart Frogs UnderfootBastimentos Island National Marine Park is a protected tropical rainforest reserve stretching across Caribbean islands and coral reefs in the Bocas del Toro archipelago of Panama. Dense jungle vegetation, mangrove swamps, and coastal trails define the landscape, setting this marine park apart through its distinct mix of terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
9.275° N 82.250° W
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
Strawberry Poison-dart Frog
Oophaga pumilio
★ 
Brown-throated Sloth
Bradypus variegatus
★ 
Mantled Howler Monkey
Alouatta palliata
★ 
Central American White-faced Capuchin
Cebus imitator
📊 Most Spotted
Red-lored Parrot
Amazona autumnalis
Bananaquit
Coereba flaveola
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Amazilia tzacatl
Montezuma Oropendola
Psarocolius montezuma
Brown Basilisk
Basiliscus vittatus
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Pale-vented Pigeon
Patagioenas cayennensis
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Magnificent Frigatebird
Fregata magnificens
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
Choloepus hoffmanni
Common Caiman
Caiman crocodilus
⭐ Iconic Species
★ Brown-throated Sloth
Bradypus variegatus
★ Mantled Howler Monkey
Alouatta palliata
★ Central American White-faced Capuchin
Cebus imitator
📊 Most Spotted
Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
Choloepus hoffmanni
Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
Derby's Woolly Opossum
Caluromys derbianus
Panamanian Night Monkey
Aotus zonalis
Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat
Artibeus jamaicensis
Common Raccoon
Procyon lotor
Greater Spear-nosed Bat
Phyllostomus hastatus
Red-tailed Squirrel
Sciurus granatensis
Central American Agouti
Dasyprocta punctata
Northern Tamandua
Tamandua mexicana
orange nectar bat
Lonchophylla robusta
Proboscis Bat
Rhynchonycteris naso
📊 Most Spotted
Red-lored Parrot
Amazona autumnalis
Bananaquit
Coereba flaveola
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Amazilia tzacatl
Montezuma Oropendola
Psarocolius montezuma
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Pale-vented Pigeon
Patagioenas cayennensis
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Magnificent Frigatebird
Fregata magnificens
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Golden-collared Manakin
Manacus vitellinus
Variable Seedeater
Sporophila corvina
Black-cheeked Woodpecker
Melanerpes pucherani
📊 Most Spotted
Brown Basilisk
Basiliscus vittatus
Common Caiman
Caiman crocodilus
Mourning Gecko
Lepidodactylus lugubris
Green Iguana
Iguana iguana
White-throated Gecko
Gonatodes albogularis
Central American Boa
Boa imperator
Black River Turtle
Rhinoclemmys funerea
Border Anole
Anolis limifrons
Middle American Ameiva
Holcosus festivus
Striped Vine Snake
Oxybelis vittatus
Blunthead Tree Snake
Imantodes cenchoa
Helmeted Iguana
Corytophanes cristatus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Red-eyed Treefrog
Agalychnis callidryas
Green and Black Dart-poison Frog
Dendrobates auratus
Striped Rocket Frog
Allobates talamancae
Giant Marine Toad
Rhinella horribilis
Savage's Thin-toed Frog
Leptodactylus savagei
Green Climbing Toad
Incilius coniferus
Striped Poison-Dart Frog
Phyllobates lugubris
Vaillant's Frog
Lithobates vaillanti
Sipurio Snouted Treefrog
Scinax elaeochroa
Harlequin Treefrog
Dendropsophus ebraccatus
Coastal Plain Litter Frog
Craugastor polyptychus
Red-webbed Tree Frog
Boana rufitela
Recent sightings in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
2Dolphin Bay Congregation
Bottlenose dolphins gather to feed in the calm, sheltered coves of Dolphin Bay, often cruising and surfacing alongside their young calves. Their close, unhurried presence makes them the signature encounter of the marine park's boat tours.
1Strawberry Poison-Dart Frog Breeding
During the wet season the forest floor behind Red Frog Beach erupts in tiny courting calls as flame-red Strawberry Poison-Dart Frogs, jet-and-emerald Green-and-Black Dart Frogs, and Red-eyed Treefrogs breed. Attentive parents ferry their tadpoles one by one up the trees to rear them in water pooled inside bromeliad leaves.
3Migratory Bird Season
Waves of North American migrants pour into the park's mangroves and forest edges to overwinter, swelling the local birdlife with flashes of gold and warbling song. Yellow, Prothonotary, and Tennessee Warblers flit through the foliage, boosting warbler and songbird diversity across the island.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Strawberry Poison-Dart Frog Breeding
- 2Dolphin Bay Congregation
- 3Migratory Bird Season
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
What visitors saw
We saw a Panamanian night monkey, a couple Central American woolly opossums, a baby spectacled caiman, a conejo pintado (painted rabbit), banded armadillo, Tome’s Spiny rats, leaf cutter ants, tarantulas, and king toads.
I also encountered red-eared sliders (turtles), basilisk lizards (the fabled “Jesus Christ” lizard), and even a three-toed sloth.
In fact, the property is so expansive that I’m given a golf cart and a map to navigate to my room. (I get lost anyway, but do spot a troop of white-faced capuchin monkeys while making a u-turn.) Down at the beach, coconut palms dangle over the water at just the right angle for Instagram-able selfies.
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park?
The most likely sightings are Strawberry Poison-dart Frog (seen by about 90% of wildlife watchers), Red-lored Parrot (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Bananaquit (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Brown-throated Sloth (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers) — among 690 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Bastimentos Island National Marine Park for wildlife?
March has the highest combined sighting rate for the park's top species in our month-by-month GBIF data. The full sighting calendar on this page shows each species' best months.
Can you see Strawberry Poison-dart Frog in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park?
Yes — about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Strawberry Poison-dart Frog sighting in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park, based on 662 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Brown-throated Sloth in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park?
Yes — about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-throated Sloth sighting in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park, based on 204 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Mantled Howler Monkey in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Mantled Howler Monkey sighting in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park, based on 97 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Central American White-faced Capuchin in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park?
Yes — about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Central American White-faced Capuchin sighting in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park, based on 69 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
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