Taboga Island ( es, Isla Taboga, links=no), also known as the "Island of Flowers", is a volcanic island in the

Gulf of Panama The Gulf of Panama ( es, Golfo de Panamá) is a gulf of the Pacific Ocean off the southern coast of Panama, where most of eastern Panama's southern shores adjoin it. The Gulf has a maximum width of , a maximum depth of and the size of . The Pana ...

. It is a tourist destination, about 20 km from

Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

History

The island was discovered in the 16th century and was originally named ''Isla de San Pedro'' by the Spanish explorer

Vasco Núñez de Balboa Vasco Núñez de Balboa (; c. 1475around January 12–21, 1519) was a Spanish explorer, governor, and conquistador. He is best known for having crossed the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean in 1513, becoming the first European to lead an ...

. Its current name derives from an Indian word ''aboga'' ("many fish"). The island's first settlers were Indian slaves from

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

and

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

. The small town of San Pedro was founded in 1524 by Hernando de Luque, dean of the Panama cathedral. The town church of the same name is claimed to be the second-oldest church in the hemisphere. Rose of Lima (1586–1617), the first Catholic saint of the Americas, may have been born on the island. French painter

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

visited the island in 1887.

Paul Gauguin in Taboga

Having worked for the first (French) attempt to dig a canal from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific, an attempt in which 22,000 workers lost their life, French painter Paul Gauguin, taking ill, was sent for treatment in Taboga Island; he then returned to France, with a stopover in Martinique; then left for the Marquesas. His stay in Taboga is marked by an engraved plate on the island's main beach.

Geography

At low tide, the northern end of the island is joined by a sand bar to the small island of El Morro, and the southeastern end is from the neighboring Urabá island. The island has a tropical rain forest climate (Af), with average daytime temperatures of . It is famous for its beautiful beaches, clear waters, soft sands, and wildlife refuge.

Tourism

Tourism is the major economic activity on the island, although fishing and agriculture are also practiced. The island has become a popular touristic attraction due to its beautiful natural areas and its proximity to

. Daily

ferries A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...

link the city to the island, most of them departing from the Amador Causeway. Aside from beaches, the island has trails for

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

to its highest points, including ''Cerro Vigía'' and ''Cerro de la Cruz''. The latter is a hill located south of the town, topped with a huge cross. Many activities are available such as boat tours for fishing, whale watching, snorkeling, mountain tours, and sightseeing are available, as well as walking and nature tours. Taboga Island has small hotels and restaurants Calaloo Beach Fishbar & Grill on Playa Honda just 2 minutes from the pier, Agua Sol Villa, located on the water with a private beach entry from the hotel's ocean deck; palm beach hotel, B and B Hotel Cerrito Tropical and Restaurant; Mundi's; Hotel Vereda Tropical, Taboga Palace, the spectacular Villa Caprichosa Boutique Hotel (@villa_caprichosa) and La Dolce Vita Restaurant by the famous American-Italian designer Diane Burn. Tours such as mountain tours, historical walking tours, whale watching, boat tours, bird watching, snorkeling, fishing, paddle boarding, gear rental, beach locker rentals, and day passes can be organized through Taboga Tour Center. Taboga also has the famous Cementerio do Taboga (Cemetery of Taboga) it is the oldest cemetery on the Island and is full of rich history and decorative headstones and graves.

References

External links

Taboga Island The Island Of Flowers

Taboga Island

Taboga Panamá
(

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

) * www.villacaprichosa.com
Cerrito Tropical EcoLodge

Casa Wili Taboga
{{Authority control Pacific islands of Panama Gulf of Panama Panamá Province