Our day started around 8 am, when the Panama Pete tourist van came looking for us. We soon left the city and began our journey through Buena Ventura, which was amazing! Green trees and mountains line the road, occasionally interrupted by swaths of crystal clear Caribbean waters that come just feet from your car window.
The trip to Isla Mamey (which is close to the better known Isla Grande) takes about two hours. Not a bad trip at all, if you don’t get stuck in traffic, which we unfortunately did both ways.
Before reaching our destination, we passed the ruins of Portobello, where the conquerors once had their treasures. They looked really interesting, and if we had time to stop, I would have loved to walk. He was jealous of other people who were doing just that!
Finally, we stopped in a small area of town where different boats raised their prices on a table for transportation to the islands; They ranged from $ 3 to $ 10. However, this was included in the price of our tour. We take a narrow wooden boat, probably four and a half meters long, on a beautiful ride through the crystal clear turquoise waters. Once we got to Mamey, our guide paid another fee to a family who seemed to be in charge; there is a fee because the island is privately owned.
We put on our snorkel gear and explored the reefs until we got tired. Here, the water is warm and the reefs are like mountains underwater, even though they are only a few feet below. Small fish, bright yellow, black and purple, abound here. Overall it was worth the trip, but living here I couldn’t help but think that driving there would have been a better option. However, for first-time visitors, I highly recommend a tour service.