About Isla Grande

Isla Grande is a beautiful Caribbean Island in Panama. Just about 200 meters off the coast, the island is surrounded by crystal clear water and offers nice sand beaches covered with coconut palms. Most of the island is covered with lush and exuberant vegetation. On one of the two hills of Isla Grande there is an old lighthouse – the pride of the approximate 300 inhabitants of the island. The lighthouse was originally built in 1893 to help ships find their way into the future Panama Canal. An interesting fact about the lighthouse on this remote island is, that its builder was Gustave Eiffel – the same man that built the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Isla Grande has always been a popular weekend destination for Panamanians, nowadays there are more and more tourists discovering the Caribbean paradise. Among the activities on the island are snorkeling and scuba diving in the coral reefs surrounding the island, sea kayaking, fishing, boat excursions through the mangroves, short hikes through the dense forest and easy strolls through the village’s narrow roads.
On Isla Grande there are different options of accommodation. The Bananas Village Resort is the best option to stay; the hotel offers nice bungalows and many activities right at the hotel. The other places on the island are mostly rather basic cabins.

How To Get There:

From Panama City you can reach Isla Grande in a bit more than 2 hours. Take the “Transisthmica” – the main road across the Isthmus towards Colon. Before reaching Colon, after approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes you will reach the junction of Sabana Grande. Turn right and drive all the way to the historic town of Portobelo. Portobelo was founded more than 400 years ago by the Spanish conquistadores and still today you can visit the remains of the old forts. In the Bay of Portobelo the British Bucaneer Sir Francis Drake lost his life trying to conquer the town. From Portobelo it’s another 15 minutes drive to the parking spaces at La Guaira or Juan Gallego. From there, a short boat ride (approx. 5 minutes) will take you to Isla Grande off Panama’s Caribbean coast.