Beach Guide · Isla Colón
Starfish Beach (Playa Estrella): Everything You Need to Know
Updated julho de 2026
Starfish Beach (Playa Estrella), Isla ColónOpenStreetMap →
On the sheltered northwestern tip of Isla Colón, a shallow turquoise bay fans out over white sand where cushion sea stars rest in the warm shallows — the calmest, most photographed water in the whole archipelago.
Starfish Beach sits at the end of a bumpy road that keeps the crowds honest. Here's how to do it right.
1.The sea stars
The bay's sandy floor is dotted with orange cushion stars the size of dinner plates. Because the bay faces inward, away from the Caribbean swell, the surface stays glassy through the morning — float face-down with a mask and you'll drift over dozens of them spread between the turtle-grass patches.
Arrive before the day-tour boats (before 10am) and you'll often have the shallows to yourself, with nothing but the clink of the first beach bar setting up behind you.
2.Look, but never lift
The sea stars are the whole point, and they are alive. Lifting one out of the water — even for a quick photo — suffocates it within seconds. Local guides and the beach bars now ask every visitor to keep them submerged, and the population has slowly recovered because of it.
The better photo is the honest one anyway: a burnt-orange star against pale sand, taken through a foot of gin-clear water.
3.How do you get to Starfish Beach?
To get to Starfish Beach, take a 25-minute water taxi from Bocas Town, or go overland by bike, scooter or shared taxi to Bocas del Drago and walk the final 15 minutes along the shore path. The boat doubles as a tour of the coastline; the overland route is cheaper and passes some lovely quiet coves.
4.Food, coconuts and small bills
A string of family-run beach bars serves cold drinks, whole fried fish and patacones with your feet in the sand. Coconuts come straight off the palm. Bring small bills — card machines are a fiction this far out.
5.When is the best time to visit Starfish Beach?
The best time to visit Starfish Beach is a weekday morning in the dry season, January to April, when the sun is most reliable — though September and October bring the calmest, clearest water of the year. Sunday afternoons are when local families come out, which has a charm of its own.
Glassy water, orange stars, a cold coconut — Starfish Beach is Bocas at its gentlest. Go early, tread lightly, and leave the stars where they live.
The Stay in Bocas Team
We live and host in Bocas del Toro year-round, running four small properties across the archipelago. Every guide is written from our own boat rides, beach days and guest questions.
