La Loma Jungle Lodge and Chocolate Farm

The Red Frog and symbol of this island

On a trip this past summer to Isla Bastimentos in the Bocas Del Toro region, we stayed at the amazing La Loma Jungle Lodge and Chocolate Farm for a little pampering before heading out to the turtle conservation program on the opposite end of the Bocas islands.

This was a very positive experience for us and we had a great 3 day stay here. A couple things to note.  It's really hot and humid in this region.  Luckily, we had a breeze up in our cabin overlooking the ocean. And there are several cabins located up a steep hill.  Watch your step and take your time going up hill with your luggage.  But we had help and people helped carry our luggage up on our way up the hill.  The staff, owners, and guest staff are really kind people.  The owners were back in Europe for vacation, but we had their replacements Karen and Steve who did an amazing job keeping us occupied around the island.  Steve is a retired landscaper who has a great knowledge of rain forest trees and plants.  Karen is a scifi/fantasy geek like I am and we spoke about Game of Thrones amongst other things.

Our cabin was beautiful, private, and open to the rain forest environment.  We were able to read and hang out in our hammock on breaks.  This is really a great getaway for newlyweds or families.  It's also an excellent place for birding.  Listen to this one.  So this birder guy brings his family.  He has to do all the family stuff like go to the beach, bla bla bla, but when they turned their backs, he had his binoculars out spying on the trillion and one birds.  Clever man:)

Our showers were open to the world and I have to say......I loved it:)

This is one nice bathroom.  I felt safe and welcome on this cozy little forested island.  The Bastimentos National Park is located there as well.

Mosquito nets keep the bugs out and I slept quite well on this lovely little vacation.

Imagine yourself on this hammock(hamoca) taking a break from caving or swimming.

If you love native cultures or the outdoors, you'll love this visit.  The mangroves here are spectacular.

And if you're a birder, check out these Oropendalas from my open bedroom.  Their calls are unique and pretty strange.  They sound like something from outer space.

If you like gardens or growing your own food, all of it is made on the farm!  The meals were delish!

You will also have some amazing guides take you around the National Park and island.  Here we toured the Chocolate farm and sampled the fruit.  But the pic above is the only one I have of us entering the cave hidden in the lush flora.  There were a lot of bats!:)

And there was this dog that followed us all over the island and he was our magical guardian.  Sometimes he'd come out of nowhere!  Expect to see caiman, sloths, a billion birds, jellyfish, lots and lots of frogs, and a lot of critters.

While it may seem pricey at about 100 buck a person per night, sometimes it's just the break you need while backpacking through the rain forest.  And who doesn't like freshly made chocolate?!!!  You get to see it being made right there!  If you're heading to Panama and want a nice cozy getaway, I highly recommend this posh visit.  And if you are interested more in going to Panama, just head on over to the month of August on this blog for lots of interesting tidbits and fun.  Check this place out:)  More soon....

The Red Frog

Endemic. Unique. One of a kind. Only found in one area.  One island.  Today we're going to the area known as Bocas Del Toro!  But specifically to the island known as Bastimentos.  I'll write about this island tomorrow, but today it's all about the red frog!

The province of Bocas Del Toro has several large and many smaller islands that are surrounded by the Caribbean waters.  It is one of the top areas for tourists, naturalists, and the indigenous communities of the Ngöbe-Buglé.  And guess what?  The Smithsonian also has a research station on one of their own islands studying these amphibians:)

These little guys were all over the place chirping and hopping on trees, rocks, and hanging out in bromeliads where they were laying eggs or fertilizing them.  It was really amazing to see so many frogs around one area.  This strawberry red frog is endemic to Bastimentos.  In fact each of the islands in the archipelago of Bocas Del Toro has its own colored frog which ranges from a gold color, blue color, red body with blue legs, etc.  You see, on Bastimentos, the red frog is symbolic.  There is even a beach with the name Red Frog where drunk people and surfers reside.  Before you cross the bridge onto this beach, you'll find several local kids with red frogs in their hands.  Traveller tip from Rohrer.  Do not encourage these kids to do this.  They will show you the frog and then expect you to pay them a quarter.  Many times these kids will remove the frogs from their natural area, and being that they(the males) are extremely territorial, will have a difficult time readjusting to being released somewhere else.....if they even survive with all the handling that they have to endure all day long.  Please don't encourage this behavior if you go and visit.  PLUS Red Frog Beach is a tourist trap unless you are going there to surf.  Luckily we weren't on that part of the island...just passing through:)  For a frog that is supposedly toxic, you have to wonder:)

Red poison-dart frog (Dendrobates pumilio)

 In Arizona, we have several frogs and toads, but it's not everyday you get to see them.  All we had to do is step out of our cabin and within a few steps, there would be several hopping around.  It is my hope that this island takes better care of itself as tourism has carelessly carved a chunk of land from the pristine rain forest that still covers most of it.  The recession put an end to the construction happening at the resort leaving only a few homes near the Red Frog Beach instead of several hundred as had been originally planned.

The Bastimentos color morph of Dendrobates pumilio or "Bastis" typically comes in three morphs, being either red, yellow, or white, with black spots on the back and legs. They are all found together on Isla Bastimentos in Panama, and have been reported to be true breeding to a certain degree, despite the ease of mixing with varieties.  The most important part is that they have the plants to lay their eggs.  Bromeliads found around the rain forest all contained at least one of these beautiful red frogs.

                                 

They eat smaller anthropods like formicine ants and other tiny insects. If you head to Bastimentos or other islands in the Bocas del Toro province, keep your eyes open for these colorful gems.  Below is a video I snapped from a trail.  More on Bastimentos tomorrow....