Isla Solarte

Now known as Isla Solarte, this island just south of Isla Bastimentos was called Nancy’s Cay for centuries as English-speaking pirates, traders, and settlers came to the region. The far west of Isla Solarte is named Hospital Point because of its history as the site of the region’s primary hospital compound, built by the United Fruit Company in 1900.

Now visitors might be interested in visiting Solarte to get into some of Bocas del Toro’s best snorkeling and scuba diving spots. The sea wall at Hospital Point offers divers and snorkelers a real richness of sea life as the turtle grass and lettuce coral in the shallows make way for a wall that drops 12 to 15 meters. You might see lobsters, moray eels, invasive lionfish, trumpet fish, and deeper water corals and sponges along the wall. In the evening, schools of sardines cluster together, and needlefish zip around the water’s surface. Further east on both sides of Isla Solarte, the coast is covered by mangroves that all types of sea life use as a nursery for small or juvenile animals to hide from barracudas and larger predators. Another popular diving site is the coral gardens on the leeward side of the island.

There are very few traditional accommodations on this island, but those looking for eco-lodges and retreats will find those here.