You’ve probably heard of beautiful Bocas del Toro, a group of islands off Panama’s Caribbean coast that, in recent decades, has become one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations.

But there’s also another emerging destination just a few hours away on Panama’s Pacific side that we think is, in many ways, superior (or at least on par) with its Caribbean counterpart.

That place is Boca Chica, Panama.

Because of their coastal locales, the two share many common attractions.  However, each has specific areas where it excels beyond its competitor.

Both are fantastic places to visit or live, but–to help you decide if one of these destinations could be right for your next vacation or even your permanent home overseas–take a look at how the two stack up in several important categories.

Round #1: Accessibility

Winner: Boca Chica

The best way to reach Bocas del Toro is by plane, which is a 40 minute flight from Panama City or San Jose, Costa Rica.  By land, travel is far less simple.  Bocas del Toro is on the Caribbean (northern) side of the country, and the Pan American highway generally hugs the Pacific (southern) side.  As a result, it takes hours to get from Bocas del Toro to any other decent-sized city, such as Boquete and David.

Boca Chica, however, is on Panama’s Pacific coast a short distance from the town of David, just over half an hour in fact, thanks to a new 4-lane highway.  Even in a slow boat, you could get to one of Boca Chica’s closer islands from the airport in David in about 40 minutes or so.

That’s not to say that Boca Chica isn’t remote.  Due to the fact that it has less people and tourist attractions, it feels much more secluded than Bocas del Toro once you get there. It’s just the ‘getting there’ part that’s much more advanced.

What’s more, Boca Chica also boasts proximity to a number of other adventures and attractions throughout the Chiriqui province, one of the nation’s biggest up-and-coming areas for tourism.  There’s hiking and whitewater rafting at Volcan Baru, the country’s highest peak, coffee plantations and canopy tours in Boquete, and a number of other places to visit nearby.

Round #2: Consumer Goods and Services

Advantage: Boca Chica

Due to the problems with access and proximity to a large city, what’s available to you in Bocas del Toro is mostly limited to whatever is offered or sold locally.  There are grocery stores, banks, ATMs, and a number of restaurants and bars.  The town also offers basic health care in the form of a few public (and even a handful of private) clinics.

However, most (or, in some cases, all) of these are located in Bocas Town on the main island of Isla Colon.  That means that if you’re staying elsewhere you’ll need to take one of the many water taxis, which are available on up into the wee hours of the morning.

If you need something beyond the local options, you have two options.  You can drive the 4 hours over the mountain ridge to David where there’s practically every kind of service imaginable: hardware stores, modern hospitals, repair shops, government offices, and a variety of dining and shopping options.  Or you can incur the cost (and the wait) associated with having goods shipped.

Boca Chica has roughly the same local options, in the way of small retail establishments. The major difference between the two is that the latter is a mere 40 minutes from David. As a result, it’s reasonable to conceive of driving into town for a world-class steak dinner or towing your boat into the city to a reliable mechanic.

Round #3: Investment Potential

Winner: Boca Chica by a Large Margin

Bocas del Toro, while still a great place to invest in property, is already very much on the radar of many travelers and would-be expats.  Because it’s a well-known tourist destination with an established expat community, the prices in the area reflect that.

On the other hand, Boca Chica offers all the same gorgeous scenery and opportunities for adventure at prices that still represent a great value.  But, most importantly, the Boca Chica area has screamin’ investment potential.

We mentioned that it’s close to David, much closer than Bocas del Toro.  Well, factors like location and accessibility play a huge role when it comes to property valuation.  As does infrastructure.

And both of those are better in and around Boca Chica, particularly in terms of the easy access to David and its international airport.  Even more prophetic is what’s currently going on at said airport: millions of dollars in renovations and expansions that will soon open its runways to international flights from the U.S. (among other countries) for the first time in history.

What will result is more visitors and new residents in Boca Chica, which will in turn lead to the need for new businesses, even better infrastructure, and continually rising home and land prices.

Round #4: Atmosphere

Outcome: Boca Chica for Solitude, Bocas del Toro for Socializing

Both Boca Chica and Bocas del Toro have a great vibe.  They’re just different in their appeal.

Bocas del Toro is your quintessential Caribbean beach town.  It’s fun and funky with many of its buildings and businesses built out over the water on stilts (no high rise condominiums here).  It’s charming and quaint, that is until nightfall when things can tend to get a little crazy as Bocas del Toro is known for its partying nightlife.  Peace and quiet can be found, but you’ll have to venture outside of town or to one of the smaller islands.

Boca Chica, on the other hand, is quieter and a bit more subtle.  Instead of hovering atop the water, its lodges and resorts are tucked away into hillsides or scattered among the many islands of the archipelago.  There are good times to be had on Boca Chica evenings as well, but they’re usually in the form of lively happy hours on restaurant patios rather than in thumping discos.

Round #5: Tourist Infrastructure

Advantage: Bocas del Toro

By comparison, Bocas del Toro is the much more established of the two areas, particularly when it comes to tourist attractions in Bocas del Toro.  Populated by locals, as well as an established expat community, it caters to backpackers, families, honeymooners, and more.

Bocas del Toro has plenty of hotels and restaurants, most of which are concentrated in and around Bocas Town.  There are also dive shops, deep sea fishing charters, a number of boat cruises and tours, bike and moped rentals, and various land and sea excursions…everything you’d expect to find in a Caribbean beach town.

On the other hand, many of these same operations are just beginning to appear in Boca Chica.  You can enjoy most of these same activities there.  You just might have a harder time locating a few of them (with the fishing, sailing, and other aquatic adventures being the overwhelming exception, as they’re all abundant in Boca Chica).

As mentioned, Boca Chica is poised for tremendous growth in the coming years.  The potential for new tourism offerings is certainly there.  It’s also another great investment option for entrepreneurs who want to open a boutique hotel or sport fishing lodge.

Round #6:  Surfing

Advantage: Bocas del Toro

Both Boca Chica and Bocas del Toro have beautiful beaches that are perfect for swimming or sunning, including long stretches of secluded beaches where you can find yourself totally alone.

However, if hitting the surf is the excitement you crave, you’re better off in Bocas del Toro.

Some of the best spots include Bluff Beach, which has large enough waves even for advanced surfers; Carenero Point, which has the islands’ longest left break and perfect tubes when the conditions are right; and Isla Batimentos, which is home to the popular Wizard Beach and Red Frog surf spots.

There’s good surfing to be found near Boca Chica, but getting there will require a little longer drive or boat ride than in Bocas del Toro.

Round #7: Snorkeling

Advantage: Bocas del Toro

The same goes for snorkeling.  There are a few private beaches in Boca Chica where you can enjoy a day of snorkeling.  You can also take a 45 minute boat ride to the waters around the nearby Islas Secas, or a longer 2 to 3 hour trip to Coiba National Park, one of the largest marine parks in the world.

The options in Bocas del Toro are much more prevalent.  One of the best places is Bahia de Almirante in Admiral Bay, with its protected coral reefs, clear waters, and few waves.  In and around Bocas del Toro you can see reefs, kelp forests, shipwrecks, caves, over two dozen types of coral, and hundreds of species of fish.

Another popular spot is Hospital Point.  It’s only five minutes away by boat, making it easily accessible and a great way to get in a little exploring without taking up too much of your day.  You can rent equipment for as little as $12 per day and hire one of many locals along the wharf to drop you off and pick you up for around $3.

Round #8:  Diving

Verdict: Boca Chica Wins

Bocas del Toro has a number of good options for scuba diving, often the same spots you would go for snorkeling as some of the reefs go down as deep as 60 feet.  However, the waters around Boca Chica offer some of the world’s best dives, according to National Geographic.

Islas Ladrones, which lies 27 miles due south, is teeming with schools of jack, snapper, and barracuda.  There are also smaller species like surgeonfish, parrotfish, triggerfish, angelfish, and more that can be seen year round.  You can also spot several species of shark and, at certain times of the year, giant manta rays and humpback whales.  Visibility near the island is 30-80 meters.

Slightly farther away, along Isla de Coiba, you can also explore a 330,000-acre reef which contains 60 of the world’s 75+ species of hard and soft coral.  In these protected waters you’ll also find mullet, stingray, puffers, moray eels, and gentle sea turtles.

Round #9: Fishing

Winner: Boca Chica Hands-Down

As you could guess based on the abundance of species represented in Boca Chica, the fishing in its waters is second to none.  Fishing lodges make up a big majority of the tourist accommodations in the area, and we’ve lost count of the number of world record catches that were landed in and around Boca Chica.

Much of these whoppers were reeled in near Hannibal Bank, a world-famous fishing hotspot where the ocean floor rises sharply from thousands of feet deep to a mere 120 feet. This underwater cliff is home to the merging of schools of inshore fish with the offshore species who feed on them.  Marlin in excess of 1,000 pounds and tuna over 300 pounds have been caught in these waters, as well as snapper, amberjack, and snook.

These and other species can also be caught in Bocas del Toro.  The best fishing is a bit more seasonal there and, while still world-class, it isn’t even in the same ballpark as Hannibal Bank.

Round #10: Land Exploration

Verdict: Boca Chica Takes the Round

Being composed at least partially of islands, both Bocas del Toro and Boca Chica have plenty of options for exploring.  Each island offers its own varied topography and environment.  You can find hundreds of different species of monkeys, reptiles, birds, and plants, many still unidentified.

We’re giving this round to Boca Chica based mainly on the fact that its islands and jungles have a much more otherworldly appeal to them.  A number of its islands are completely covered in untouched rainforests, with an abundance of old growth trees so ancient-looking that you would almost bet they pre-date the great flood.

One such is Boca Chica Island, the location of our latest Adventure Colony.  To help maintain the island’s prehistoric feel we’ve created Monte Vida Park, a 50-acre crowd funded preserve dedicated to protecting the surrounding rainforests and in turn adding value to property on the island.

Because of Boca Chica’s incredible investment potential, as well as its stunning natural environment, it was a natural choice when we were looking for a spot to establish a place where like-minded people could take advantage of all the area has to offer.