Coiba Island

Once a remote penal colony, Coiba Island has transformed into Panama’s wildest sanctuary. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, its reefs, mangroves, and rainforests harbor staggering biodiversity, from whales, sharks and rays, as well as crocodiles that love patrolling the estuaries. Strict protections keep the island largely untouched, giving explorers the rare feeling of stepping back into a world before human influence.