fossil fuels where possible by: maintaining travel days to and from Isla Colon, looking into alternatives for their power generation such as the boat motors they use. There are energy-saving lights installed throughout the building and there are no path lights between the cabanas and the main lodge building to save energy and reduce light pollution, instead guests are provided with flashlights. Guest units are on energy-saving mode and air-conditioning is only turned on at the heat of the day and for dinner service.
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge
‘The perfect base to explore the surrounding islands. Jump off the pier for a swim in the crystal clear waters, go kayaking, surfing or take a wildlife tour.’
Scroll down to see top tips for Tranquilo and to meet your host! Click on the leaf-rating tab to reveal sustainable & regenerative efforts across waste, energy, biodiversity, and more.
Overview
-
Highlights
From $240 USD per night (includes activities, meals & drinks)
An observation tower to spot wildlife
Spectacular ocean and jungle views
Located in a 200 acre private reserve
Organic, homemade delicious meals
Kayak, paddleboard, or snorkel
-
Top Tip
‘Visit the incredible canopy tower both in the morning and the evening for a truly memorable experience’
Eco Activities
Experience the guided excursion tailored to your interest, experience, and physical abilities. Most explorations include a delicious picnic lunch.
Directly off Tranquilo Bay’s dock you can get to the Caribbean Sea. Enjoy the breath-taking scenery on a paddleboard or take a lesson to prepare for your next adventure.
The views of the forest canopy from the ‘Canopy Tower’ are incredible, but the natural history lesson alone is worth the ascent.
-
Rooms
Neither too extravagant nor rustic, the nine accommodations for guests have striked the perfect balance. These beautiful cabins are simple but perfectly appointed with great bathroom facilities. Each features a king bed, queen bed or two double beds, handcrafted from local hardwoods.
The option for air-conditioning
Locally crafted beds with hardwoods
The spacious walk-in showers
The comfortable hammocks
-
Meet Your Host
Meet Renee, Co-Founder of Tranquilo Bay. Previously an attorney, she now runs the eco-lodge with her team and homes schools no less than 4 children.
Her favourite tour to share with guests is the ‘chocolate tour’, to see where it’s grown and made. The amount of labour it requires is usually a BIG surprise and is a real experience.
‘A lot of people think it is hot here in summer. The truth is we pretty much have the same temperatures all year round, there are no defined seasons like in the UK for instance’.
Discover more with Renee’s Behind the Green’ interview here>
-
Need to Know
Located in the rainforest expect to see and hear all kinds of wildlife. Surrounded by hummingbirds, sloths, frogs, and lizards this is a nature lovers paradise.
Don’t expect a choice of restaurants. The lodge is in a remote location so all meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) are provided. Delicious, organic, homemade meals.
If you’re looking for a beach view this might not be for you. Although there is access to the ocean, the accommodation is not located on the beach.
-
Location
Tranquilo Bay is located on Bastimentos Island which is part of the Bocas del Toro archipelago, in the province of Bocas del Toro, Panama. The island consists of many beaches, coves, a mangrove coastline and is home to the Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park.
How To Get There
Most guests travel by air between Panama City and Isla Colon (Bocas Town). Transfers are included, between the lodge and Isla Colon for people who arrive or depart in the morning on either Wednesday or Saturday.
Gallery
Leaf Rating
3-leaf status
-
EnergyEnergy at Tranquilo Bay is produced from a diesel generator, using less than 1 gallon of diesel an hour to support all guest and employee housing, the kitchen and laundry etc. They limit their use of...
-
WaterTranquilo Bay practices responsible water usage and educates their employees and guests in these practices. All water used at the lodge is captured rainwater, with a catchment process on each...Read More >>
of the cabanas, staff quarters etc. that is then purified using a filtration and UV light sterilisation technique. Toilets, faucets and shower heads are all water-saving and grey water is used for irrigation for gardening, moreover the black water goes through a septic system (which does not have harmful chemicals).
-
WasteThere is a strict waste separation system in place to encourage recycling at Tranquilo Bay, including on-site compost. Kitchen and garden waste go to this compost or is fed to the local animals. TheRead More >>
hotel also avoids the use of plastic by providing guests on excursions with reusable water bottles that are returned, sanitised and filled every day, and by using reusable shopping bags and/or boxes for all of the hotel’s purchasing. Discoloured towels and sheets are repurposed for cleaning or for other on-site jobs and rice, coffee, flour and produce bags are repurposed into shopping bags for groceries. They also do not print marketing materials, instead all of their material is available to download from their website.
-
BiodiversityRenee, the Co-Founder of the lodge was the president of the Bocas Sustainable Tourism Alliance from 2009-2012 and she has been involved in many organisations and projects within...Read More >>
conservation including: BESO and Give and Surf charities that support the local children; APTSO, a foundation supporting sustainable tourism; the Bastimentos National Marine Park, and they host The School for Field Studies. They work with several indigenous communities such as Salt Creek indigenous community to create a 620-acre municipal reserve to protect the trees, this provides roofing for this community and keeps the area safe from being developed on. Indigenous communities provide the hotel with guides for their excursions and prepare trails for tourist use to understand the indigenous life at Bocas del Toro. They are involved in science projects such as Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute that does a number of studies on the property, citizen science projects eBird and the Global Bid Day bird count. They sponsor a scholar who studied the monkeys on Bastimentos and they work with a graduate who studies the red frogs of Bastimentos, they are waiting for approval to do DNA research on Tarpon and are also working to identify new species of insects at Tranquilo Bay with the appropriate experts. Last but not least, they also volunteer as the Vigilantes de Bastimentos in order to help the Panamanian government agencies enforce the various environmental laws.
-
FoodThe majority of food at Tranquilo Bay is sourced from within Panama and raw materials are brought in, in the largest quantity possible to then make as much food as possible from this on-site, such as...Read More >>
the breads and desserts baked on-site every day. The hotel has planted trees that will increase their self-efficiency in the future and they already grow a fair amount of fruit and herbs on-site (about a third of the fresh fruit juices served come from the trees on-site). Tranquilo Bay does not support the over-fishing of lobsters, conch and octopus, thus they will not purchase or serve these locally endangered species at their hotel.
-
Engage GuestsThe activities offered at Tranquilo Bay are all human-powered; hiking, kayaking, snorkelling, paddle boarding, wildlife watching on-site etc. to promote a greener stay as these activities do not...Read More >>
use any fuel. Tranquilo Bay also educate employees and guests on the protection and preservation of the native marine and wild life in the local area, as well as providing guests with a binder with all eco-friendly options at Tranquilo Bay. The hotel also tries to use every opportunity to engage with guests regarding eco-friendliness, such as at meal times and on excursions where the owners or a guide can talk to guests with information concerning conservation and environmental education.
-
ArchitectureDuring the 5-year construction of Tranquilo Bay, the owners committed to live primitively in the jungle at the then future site of the hotel. This enabled them to conduct research that...Read More >>
would help create an eco-friendly destination that protects and preserves the environment. Materials were purchased in Panama where possible, renewable and recyclable materials were used with the addition of thick interior insulation to keep temperatures cool during warm equatorial days. Local hardwoods were used as decorative elements and for the furniture within the hotel rather than built from a limited resource. The hotel’s canopy observation tower was made from a former communications tower that they split into two equal parts, they built stairs and a platform between the two to allow guests to view wildlife and the archipelago from a bird’s eye location. They are preserving more than 80 acres of the 200+ acres they have acquired, and they limit their use of local hardwoods to combat de-forestation.
-
HousekeepingTo keep housekeeping practices as eco-friendly as possible, sheets are generally changed once a week for longer stays (unless guests request otherwise), towels are only changed if they are...Read More >>
found soaking wet on the floor or at check-out and all wash loads are done at full capacity. The laundry detergent and dishwashing soaps are biodegradable. For cleaning, bleach is avoided or used in very limited quantities; instead vinegar and alcohol are used where possible. The hotel uses biodegradable shampoo and conditioner from Bioland Organics and bars of castile (olive oil based) soap made in Panama, with any unused soap being repurposed for employee usage.
-
CommunityMost of the employees that don’t live within walking or paddling distance of the hotel live on-site. Renee's children have...Read More >>
repurposed wine bottles by turning them into drinking glasses, chipped dishes are donated to the local home for the aged and the hotel participates in organised trash clean-ups on the island and neighbouring islands. Tranquilo Bay also supports the Panamanian economy by employing local personnel and purchasing locally made goods.
Reviews
Video
-
Fivelements Retreat
Bali, AsiaNestled on the banks of the Ayung River. Discover an award-winning eco-retreat with an outstanding plant-based menu.1-leaf rating -
Cristalino
Brazil, South AmericaCristalino Lodge is perfect for those seeking both adventure and privacy.2-leaf status -
Ravana Garden
Sri Lanka, AsiaAn eco-friendly luxury boutique hotel. Be immersed in ancient Sri Lankan culture.2-leaf status