Kawi Voyage — Local services in Bocas del Toro

This trip was awesome! We went in May, and our guide was named Emanuel (Nickname Chuen). He was very helpful and made us feel. very comfortable. This tour was very nice since they made sure that the tour was respecting the environment and animals. We did the Tour of Zapatilla Island.

Chuen picked us up at our place in the morning, and then we went to dolphin bay, where we learned about the bottle nose dolphins and saw a lot of them! At the end of dolphin bay we saw a family of 7 dolphins with baby dolphins, and Chuen made some waves for them with his boat and they were all, including the babies, jumping in the waves. Then we went and Chuen found some sloths and talked about them. Then we went and ordered some lunch and went to Cayo Coral to snorkel, which was fun! They provided snorkels and masks, but no flippers because it damages the coral. Then we had a really good lunch -- everything was between $12-16 plus drinks for $2-7 and you paid in cash. Then we went to Zapatilla island which was magical! It felt like we were on a deserted island that was paradise.

Overall, a...

We had a bad experience with this tour operator. We booked ahead and paid the deposit, but I started getting a bit nervous when I hadn’t heard anything further from them the day before the tour, so I sent a WhatsApp just to make sure they were planning on picking us up. I received an automated “out of office” message in return and even took the further step of contacting the alternate number provided. Despite all this, the boat was 30 mins late picking us up due to a “mix up” at their office. The tour itself was fine, but it’s the exact same tour offered by others. To cap things off, the boat captain tried to overcharge us at the end of the tour, failing to account for the deposit I already paid. I felt bad for the rest of the people that had to sit in the boat while he made phone calls back to the office to sort things out. The tour operator did offer an apology, but nothing else. No one is perfect but I would book elsewhere on...

We took three tours with Kawi Voyage and all were spectacular. Sophie is a marvel and made everything SO easy, including detailed pictures of how to find the docks (which is harder than you think if you haven’t been to Bocas). Booking info was extremely clear so we knew exactly what to expect each day. Prices are very reasonable. The guides were all fabulous: knowledgeable and communicative and clearly passionate about the beautiful place where they live. All three tours were conducted with respect for the environment and local community. We never felt rushed and were always well taken care of. Please remember to tip your guides! I saw very few people doing this, and while I’m sure they don’t necessarily expect it, they certainly deserve it! I can’t recommend this company enough, and I hope you choose to book with them. You...