10 Amazing Facts about Coiba National Park

Islands typically evoke a sense of tranquility and serenity, but the history of Coiba Island off the coast of Panama tells a different story. Once a prison utilized by the country’s former military dictatorship, Coiba Island Prison has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis into Coiba National Park. This protected area encompasses 38 islands and the surrounding reefs in the Gulf of Chiriqui, offering a haven of biodiversity that replaces the haunting memories of confinement. Today you can explore its reefs on a Coiba snorkeling tour.

Planning your visit? Read our step-by-step guide on how to get to Coiba.

Fact No.1

In 1919, Coiba Island was established as an offshore penal colony. It housed approximately 3,000 political prisoners—known as “Los Desaparecidos” —under the dictatorships of Omar Torrijos and Manuel Noriega.

Fact No.2

After Panama’s military dictatorship ended, the prison began closing in 1990 and the last convict was released from the prison in 2005.

Fact No.3

In 2005, Coiba National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its evolutionary significance and the inhabitance of at-risk species on the islands.

Fact No.4

Coiba National Park is home to 760 species of fish, 33 shark species, and 20 species of whales and dolphins. Endangered, vulnerable, and near threatened species in the park include loggerhead, leatherback, hawksbill and olive ridley sea turtles, tiger sharks and crested eagles.

Fact No.5

As would be expected from a prison island, Coiba National Park is difficult to reach. There are no commercial flights, no ferries and no roads: most people arrive by boat (or, for groups, by private charter plane), and many tour operators simply don’t make the trip.
The smart move is to sleep in Santiago and head out from El Bongo, in the Gulf of Montijo, about 45 minutes away. Fishermen around here simply call these waters “Mutis”, after Puerto Mutis, the public port of the gulf (here’s how to get to Coiba step by step). That’s where our private snorkeling tour in Coiba National Park leaves from, on comfortable, fast and very safe mini yachts.

Fact No.6

Because it was secluded as a prison, Coiba Island remained virtually untouched and undeveloped, allowing endemic species to evolve on the island, including the Coiba Island howler and Coiba Island agouti. Eighty percent of the forest is primary, or old-growth.

Fact No.7

Coiba Island is surrounded by one of the largest coral reefs on Americas’ Pacific coast. The reefs act as refuge for species escaping the effects of El Niño.

Fact No.8

Coiba is birder’s paradise with 147 bird species on the island, including 21 endemic species and subspecies. The island is the only area in Panama where the scarlet macaw is found in significant numbers and the easiest place to spot the Panama-endemic brown-backed dove.

Fact No.9

Coiba Island is part of the same underground mountain chain as the Galapagos Islands.

Fact No.10

Coiba National Park is taking preemptive action to protect the island’s ecosystem. No more than 60 guests are allowed on the island each night. Island staff protects the wildlife from poachers and the reefs from irresponsible fishing. Some spots are even closed to give nature a break: Granito de Oro, one of the most beautiful islands in the park, will stay closed so its reef can recover.

Ready to check these facts with your own eyes? Grab your mask and join our private snorkeling tour in Coiba National Park: sea turtles, reef fish in every color of the rainbow and beaches all to yourself.

Author: Maddi Higgins

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