Coiba National Park's Islands and Reefs
The Islands and Reefs of Coiba National Park
Scattered across the Pacific waters of Panama’s Gulf of Chiriquí, the islands and reefs of Coiba National Park form one of the most remarkable marine and terrestrial ecosystems in Central America.
The park encompasses 38 islands, from the enormous forests of Isla Coiba to tiny offshore islets surrounded by clear water, coral reefs and an extraordinary abundance of marine life. Together, these islands provide habitat for wildlife both above and below the surface and create countless opportunities for exploration, snorkeling, diving, fishing and wildlife watching.
Explore the Islands of Coiba
Each island has its own character. Some are covered in dense tropical forest and offer hiking and wildlife encounters, while others are little more than rocky outcrops surrounded by exceptionally productive waters. Remote beaches, mangrove forests, coral reefs and deep Pacific channels are all part of the landscape.
Many of the smaller islands are accessible only by boat, making a trip to Coiba an opportunity to experience places that remain remarkably undeveloped.
Isla Coiba
Isla Coiba is the largest island in the national park and the centerpiece of the entire protected area. Its vast tropical forests, rivers, beaches and mangroves provide habitat for an impressive variety of terrestrial wildlife, including several species found nowhere else.
The island’s isolation helped preserve much of its natural environment, while the surrounding waters support an extraordinary variety of marine life. The northern part of the island is the most frequently visited area, while the more remote southern coast offers a wilder experience.
Jicaron
Jicaron is the second-largest island in Coiba National Park and lies just off the southeastern tip of Coiba. Dense vegetation, rocky shorelines, secluded beaches and powerful Pacific swells give the island a distinctly wild character.
The waters around Jicaron are particularly interesting for marine wildlife. Deep ocean channels nearby attract large pelagic species, and divers and snorkelers may encounter schools of fish, rays, sharks, sailfish and other open-ocean species.
Granito de Oro
Small in size but famous among visitors, Granito de Oro is one of the most popular snorkeling destinations in Coiba National Park. Its white-sand beach and rocky volcanic structure are surrounded by clear, protected water and abundant marine life.
Schools of tropical fish, rays, turtles and other reef species can often be seen in the shallow water surrounding the island. For visitors who want to experience Coiba’s underwater world without necessarily making a deep dive, Granito de Oro is an especially memorable stop.
Jicanita
Jicanita is one of the smaller islands in the Coiba archipelago and forms part of the maze of islands, reefs and channels surrounding Isla Coiba.
Like many of the park’s smaller islands, its real attraction lies in the surrounding marine environment. Clear Pacific waters, rocky coastlines and nearby reefs create habitat for an abundance of fish and other marine species.
Bahia Damas Reef
On the eastern side of Isla Coiba, Bahia Damas shelters an important coral reef ecosystem. The reef is one of the largest coral communities in the Eastern Pacific and provides refuge for enormous schools of fish and a wide variety of marine life.
Divers exploring the area may encounter rays, sharks, tuna, snapper and other pelagic and reef species. The reef is also an important environment for researchers studying coral ecosystems and the effects of changing ocean conditions.
More Islands and Islets to Discover
Beyond the best-known islands, Coiba National Park includes a collection of smaller islands, reefs and islets scattered throughout the surrounding waters. Together they create a complex network of habitats used by marine wildlife and seabirds.
- Brincaco
- Uva Island
- Rancheria Island
- Canal de Afuera
- Pajeros
- Afuera
- Montuosa
- 27 additional smaller islets
Some of these islands are little known outside the diving, fishing and ecotourism communities that visit Coiba regularly. Others are important landmarks, wildlife habitats or access points for exploring the park’s surrounding waters.
A World of Reefs and Marine Life
The islands themselves are only part of what makes Coiba special. Beneath the surrounding Pacific waters is an interconnected world of coral reefs, rocky pinnacles, underwater channels and deep ocean habitats.
The park’s location near the edge of the continental shelf brings together coastal and open-ocean environments. This helps explain the remarkable variety of marine life found throughout the archipelago, from colorful reef fish and sea turtles to sharks, rays, dolphins, tuna and other large pelagic species.
For divers and snorkelers, different islands can offer dramatically different experiences depending on depth, currents, tides and conditions.
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Remote, Protected and Remarkably Wild
One of the defining characteristics of Coiba’s islands is their isolation. For much of the twentieth century, access to Coiba Island was severely restricted because of the penal colony located there. That unusual history helped limit development and human activity across the island.
Today, the islands are part of a protected national park and UNESCO World Heritage property. Their relative isolation remains one of their greatest assets, allowing visitors to experience tropical forests, beaches and marine ecosystems that have escaped the intensive development found in many other coastal destinations.
Visiting the Islands of Coiba National Park
There are no roads connecting the islands, and most visitors explore the park by boat. Trips can be arranged from several points along Panama’s Pacific coast, with Santa Catalina serving as one of the most convenient departure points for visitors.
Depending on the destination and type of trip, a visit might include snorkeling at a shallow reef, hiking through tropical forest, exploring a remote beach, diving with large marine animals or simply enjoying the extraordinary scenery.
Because these islands are protected environments, responsible tourism is essential. Follow park regulations, avoid disturbing wildlife, never touch coral or other marine life while snorkeling or diving, and leave beaches and forests exactly as you found them.
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Explore Coiba’s Islands
From the enormous forests of Isla Coiba to tiny islands surrounded by some of the Pacific’s richest waters, the islands and reefs of Coiba National Park offer an incredible variety of landscapes and experiences.
Explore the individual islands below and discover what makes this remote corner of Panama so extraordinary.
