We are weeks away from inaugurating The Cayuga Collection’s newest sustainable luxury resort in the Gulf of Chiriqui on Panama’s Pacific Coast. We invite you to get to know this island paradise…
With its 400 acres of ancient tropical forest, coconut groves, lagoons, and mangroves, Isla Palenque offers a multitude of opportunities for hiking, exploration and wildlife sightings, but it is the beaches that first impress most visitors to the island. With over a dozen beaches ranging from the majestic 4000 foot long crescent-shaped Playa Palenque, to secluded, romantic spots that can only found by the adventurous, Isla Palenque’s various beaches offer something for everyone.
PLAYA PALENQUE
Playa Palenque is the island’s largest beach at over 3/4 of a mile in length. Its crescent shape is bounded by two rocky bluffs, with a third bluff cutting through the middle of the beach. Just to the east of this dividing bluff is the location of the new beachfront casitas and a perfect place to watch the sunset.
CALA ESTE
The beach at Cala Este (East Cove) is some 300 yards long. Protected on two sides and by Isla Palenquito to the southeast, it’s a great place for a leisurely swim. The tidal pool and mangroves on the north end of the beach are also a great place to explore the island’s varied ecosystems and watch for birds such as toucans, parrots, and egrets
PLAYA PERDIDA AND PLAYA PRIMERA
This aerial photograph shows Playa Perdida on the left side and Playa Primera on the right. If you look closely, in between these beaches you can see one of the island’s many hidden beaches that can only be accessed through a little rock-climbing. Playa Primera is the location of the resort’s first Inn, and a beautiful spot for watching the sun rise over the islands of the adjacent marine park.
PLAYA AMELIA AND PLAYA MARIA
Just behind Isletas Amelia and Maria (shown in the foreground) are two rocky beaches known as Playa Amelia and Playa Maria. During low tide, these beaches become a great launching-off point for a walk over to the two tiny islands that they face. Just don’t linger too long, or you’ll have to swim back!
PLAYA GIRON AND PLAYA CATALINA
The north bay is home to two beaches separated by a bluff. Playa Girón is on the east side (the left in this photo), and Playa Catalina on the west (the right side here). As the calmest natural bay on the island, this area was long inhabited by a small family; Playa Catalina is named after the woman who spent the last sixty-odd years here.
PLAYAS NINOS
All the way on the northeast tip of the island, near the estuary and sandbar that connects Isla Palenque to Isla Boca Brava during low tides, lie two beaches with warm, calm and shallow waters. Named Playas Ninos, they make perfect locations for small children to play in the water and on the sands.
PLAYA BOCA BRAVA
Just south of Playas Ninos, and just west of Playa Palenque, is the eastern edge of Playa Boca Brava. Playa Boca Brava runs from Isla Palenque all the way along the southern edge of Isla Boca Brava. At nearly five miles, it’s an amazing beach for taking a jog or doing some horseback riding.
