Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park is located in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, to the north of the province with the same name, near the city of Bocas del Toro and the indigenous village of Ngäbe-Buglé Salt Creek. The area boasts a rich natural environment, encompassing Caribbean ecosystems of forests, mangroves, wetlands, coral reefs, and palm-fringed beaches.
The park is a prime example of the alternating landscapes between tropical rainforests, hillside forests, and coastal plains. Tall trees, dense undergrowth, and a variety of palm species, including black, red, and veined mahogany, are abundant. Swamps are home to yolillo and orey palms, serving as refuge for crocodiles, manatees, caimans, vines, tarpon fish, scorpions, and coral snakes.
Within the relatively untouched evergreen forests, one of the forest types in this park, approximately 155 species thrive, making it the vegetation class with the highest species richness. Of the 502 registered flora species in the visited sites of Bocas del Toro, the highest diversity of species is found on coral reefs, while seagrass beds and mangroves have a lower number of species. Coral reefs are inhabited by a variety of colorful fish, anemones, sponges, sea urchins, and several species of algae-grazing turtles.