Bocas del Toro nightlife

Bocas del Toro (Panama) is beautiful, but what kind of entertainment do they have for when the sun goes down? Where do people go to for a Panama island party in Bocas? Monica from Globe Trottica tells us about her favorite bars and hotspots. The Bocas del Toro nightlife is a reason people have their Panama bachelor party there. I’ve also included photos from my recent Bocas adventure.

I held my breath as I jumped into the warm Caribbean Sea. My cloth pants immediately absorbed a ton of water, making it that much harder for me to stay afloat.

I grabbed onto the side of the dock, wiping away my soaking wet hair that stuck to the side of my face. The beats from the music vibrated the water, causing miniature waves to crash against me.

The sounds of clinking beer bottles and the cheerful hoopla of partygoers carried over to the swimming area. Softened and dulled by distance, it created a sublime atmosphere. The beats coming from the DJ booth mixed with the ambience seamlessly.

La Iguana Surf Club immediately became my favorite party spot in Bocas del Toro.

Bocas del Toro is known for its rowdy nightlife and offers a range of bars and clubs that satisfy the needs of any type of partygoer. It’s a small town in one of the few small islands in northern Panama.

Best bars in Panama Bocas del Toro

Here are the 5 best bars in Panama, in Bocas del Toro. It’ll hopefully help you get a taste of what it’s like to spend a few nights in a beach town that never sleeps. The Panama party starts in Bocas del Toro. Check out our Panama nightlife fun!

New friends from around the world - met at the bars in Bocas del Toro nightlife in Panama — New friends from around the world – all first met in Bocas

La Iguana Surf Club Bar

This bar has funky beats, two pools in back, and even ladies night on Wednesdays, where ladies get free drinks.

There’s a large area for dancing. It also has an open deck in the back, where the crowds tend to congregate when the weather is nice.

There are two bars; one inside and one outside, which offer drink specials and beer throughout the night. There is available seating outside alongside the water. It’s the perfect place to take a break from dancing and relax in the cool air.

La Iguana Bar is one of the best bars in Panama. It’s located on Calle 3 between Avenida A and Avenida B, Bocas del Toro, Panama

La Iguana Bar drink specials - $1 tequila shots on Nasty Mondays. We had a few too many $1 Tequila shots... Bocas del Toro nightlife in Panama — We had a few too many $1 Tequila shots at La Iguana Bar…

Aqua Lounge Bar

Have you ever ridden in a water taxi at 3 in the morning? In order to get to this bar, you have to take a water taxi from the main island, Isla Colon. Try not to fall out!

I felt like I walked into a waterpark when I visited this bar. There are swings to jump off of and into the water in the back of the bar, and there is even a water trampoline.

Aqua Lounge is also known for its themed parties! Get ready in your favorite costume for the chance to win free drinks all night. This bar has a lot of open space outside where a lot of people like to relax and look at Bocas del Toro from a different perspective.

There are seating areas inside as well, where you can relax with a drink and take a break from dancing.

Aqua Lounge is one of the best bars in Panama. It’s located on Isla Carenero, a $1-1.50 taxi ride from Bocas Town, Bocas del Toro, Panama

photo from Foursquare - Aqua Lounge pools - Bocas del Toro nightlife Panama — Aqua lounge has a narrow deck surrounding these pools; at night these pools are part of the bar.

Mondo Taitu

Bring the coins! Come here for some Panama nightlife. This bar offers Happy Hour from 8-9 p.m., which includes $.50- $.75 beers.

They also take pride in their music, where they play anything from funky beats to classics to progressive music.

Mondo Taitu is one of the best bars in Panama too! It’s located on Calle 5ta con Avenida G, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Barco Hundido

Barco Hundido is known as the “Wreck Deck,” and has a sunken banana boat which is lit up at night, offering a unique view unlike any other bar in Bocas del Toro.

This is also a popular spot for locals and tourists on the weekends. They open up multiple dance floors when it gets busy. That makes Barco Hundido a perfect for those who don’t like cramped bars or clubs.

You’ll find yourself shaking your hips and rocking out to anything from reggae, to hip-hop, to classics, all of which are played sporadically at this bar.

Barco Hundido is located on Calle 1 between Avenida E and Avenida Central, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Bocas del Toro nightlife schedule - every night in Bocas seems to have a different featured bar — Where’s the party tonight? Every night in Bocas seems to have a different featured bar – here’s the schedule from the week I visited

Tunga Bar

Tunga is the perfect place to start your night, meet up with friends, and enjoy a few drinks before heading to the crazier clubs. This bar is right in the middle of everything. That makes it quite convenient as a central meet up location.

The DJ’s playlist includes dance and electronic music. This place has plenty of seating areas to accommodate the large nighttime crowd. They also offer free Wifi.

Tunga bar is located on Main Street, Across Municipality Building, Bocas del Toro, Panama

In conclusion – you can live like a local and party it up when you visit Bocas del Toro. It’s a great way to get an authentic feel for this great little island town.

This guest post on Bocas del Toro nightlife was from Monica, who writes the awesome travel blog Globe Trottica. You’ll see the rest of her Panama trip and her other adventures around the world.

Check out the rest of my Panama adventures, including a photo tour of Island Hopping in Bocas del Toro Panama – so much fun!

Panama map

Check out my post on the fun party scene in Kuta Bali

Bali nightlife guide – Kuta nightlife

This post is about the Kuta nightlife experience in Bali. I came to Bali expecting relaxing beaches, but that’s apparently not why people go to the place I ended up, Kuta.

If you’re going to Bali, why Kuta? People go to Kuta to

Surf
Get drunk.
Get laid.

Rinse, lather, repeat.

If that’s what you’re looking for – winner! If you’re looking for a relaxing beach, as I was, you’ve chosen wrong.

Kuta nightlife in Bali

Partying is far from being a primary goal of my travel, but meeting twenty and thirty-somethings from around the world is awesome.

Kuta is the Bali nightlife capital, and it might be the equivalent for Australians of Cancun for Americans. Bali nightlife for singles is in Kuta.

What do people like about Kuta?

It’s easy to get to (for Aussies), cheap once you’re there, and great parties with other travelers. Spring break is 24/7/365. If GTL is the motto on the Jersey shore, then Surf-party-surf might be the equivalent here. Surf, nightlife, surf, meet travelers, surf, get faced, get laid in Bali. Welcome to Kuta. It’s not the experience I was looking for but it was fun. Considering I didn’t know anybody upon arrival, it was a great transition to begin my trip.

Bali Nightlife starts in Kuta with new friends — This is just the pre-game – it’s like this for 12 hours per day in Kuta, the nightlife capital of Bali

Photos of Kuta nightlife in Bali. Bali nightlife for singles starts in Kuta with parties like these — The nightlife starts in Kuta with parties like these.

Best Bali nightlife for singles – your Kuta nightlife guide

Happy hour in Kuta includes unlimited vodka red bull drinks.
“Bounty” has 6 bars, a live music area with cover bands, and 2 clubs.
Two doors down is 61 Legian / Sky Garden Lounge/ ESC and it might be bigger.
Another place I went to had 2 hours of free drinks with unlimited tapas.

You can see how this can be a crazy place. Bali nightlife, particularly Kuta nightlife, is crazy. Travelers come looking to surf and get laid in Bali – and they find plenty of both. The Kuta beach experience is mediocre (recommendations on where in Bali to actually go for beaches below), but if you’re looking for craziness, come to Bali, head to Kuta, and come ready to party.

While at times it seems like most people visit Kuta for drinking, partying, and sex with other travelers, Bali nightlife isn’t the only draw in Kuta. Many travelers go to Kuta for surfing. Surfing is popular all over Bali, and particularly in Kuta.

Who goes to Kuta?

The bars in Kuta in Bali are a filled with Australians, Germans, British, Russians, and more, up for crazy parties, meeting other young people, and post-game after-hours adventures.

After a crazy night of hedonism in Kuta, for many, the mornings often start with the “walk of shame” for a lot of travelers, before hitting the beach for surfing and starting the cycle over.

Top Bali nightlife bars/lounges

Other Kuta nightlife options that I heard good things about – District Club, Pyramid Club, Hypnotized Club, Centerstage at Hard Rock Cafe Bali.

Photos from Kuta nightlife

Below are some photos from one of the nights when my new friends from Russia met up with me. You’ll meet people from all over the world – these new friends below are from Siberia!

Kuta nightlife in Bali, Indonesia - at Sky Garden, 61 Legian, & Bounty. nightlife in Kuta photo — Bali nightlife party photos taken from Sky Garden, 61 Legian, and Bounty, all in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia

Kuta: the most popular beach in Bali

Kuta is also where nobody relaxes on the beach – this is the first place I’ve ever been to that’s known for their beach where nobody actually relaxes on the beach. Everybody’s surfing, and nursing their hangover, and there’s locals hassling nearly everybody on the beach to buy something. It isn’t the most beautiful of beaches, but that could just be my impression. I’m told it’s not overcast and raining every day (that’s just my trip) through Bali. I made the best of it – learned to surf and got SCUBA-certified!

Bali nightlife isn’t just about Kuta. Nightlife in Bali is also big in Semynak too.

Nearby in Semenyak, Bali, Indonesia, there’s bars and clubs just like in Kuta, perhaps a tad classier (and more pricey but it’s relative), and nicer restaurants. If I went back I’d consider staying in Semenyak instead. I actually tried to move to a hotel in Semenyak but upon arrival they acknowledged that I had a reservation but told me that they’re full and can’t accomodate. Whaaaaaat? This happened twice so I eventually gave up and stayed in Kuta. Ahhhh!

When the hotel in Semenyak Bali said they had my reservation but no rooms, it reminded me of the Seinfeld clip when he’s renting a car (below):

Where’s the best beach in Bali?

It’s not in Kuta! If you’re looking for the best beach in Bali, people said me that Dreamland is the class of Bali. And Ubud is Bali’s most chill area; I heard around two dozen reviews and every one of them was positive. One of my friends went to a yoga retreat there for the final week of her trip and loved it.

My hotel in Kuta Bali Indonesia added this during my stay. After some Bali nightlife I came home at 4am and as I turned the corner coming home from the bars after a few drinks I saw this. — My hotel in Kuta added this during my stay – imagine first noticing it at 4am as you turn the corner coming home from the bars after a few drinks

Drugs in Bali

Warning – The Bali Nine – if partying for you often includes pot or other more serious drugs, you should know that Indonesia takes drugs VERY seriously, especially when it comes to drug trafficking. Nine twenty-something Aussies (actually 18-28 years old) were caught smuggling illegal drugs (18 pounds of heroin) and were sentenced to the death penalty. The group ringleaders, Chan and Sukumaran, were sentenced to death via firing squad. Their story is ongoing and is infamous at this point – they’re known at the “Bali Nine” smuggling gang. The Australian Prime Minister asked they give clemency and was denied, and in July’11 they lost their appeal. They were sentenced to death by the Indonesian government for smuggling heroin into the country. Death by firing squad – I didn’t know countries still did that.

Full story in this article here, on the Bali Nine wikipedia page, as well as in the book, One-Way Ticket : The Untold Story of the Bali 9.

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Also check out my post on the party scene in Panama