Taboga

la Isla y su gente!

Taboga es una isla del Océano Pacífico de origen volcánico. Taboga con Taboguilla, Urabá, Melones, Chamá, Estivá, Borá, Otoque y el Morro conforman el Distrito insular de Taboga. La Isla de Taboga es también conocida como “la Isla de las Flores”.

Taboga es una isla del Océano Pacífico de origen volcánico. Taboga con Taboguilla, Urabá, Melones, Chamá, Estivá, Borá, Otoque y el Morro conforman el Distrito insular de Taboga. La Isla de Taboga es también conocida como “la Isla de las Flores”.

Taboga se encuentra 12 kilómetros de la ciudad de Panamá – en barco solamente 30 -50 minutos – pasando frente a la entrada del Canal de Panamá.

Cuenta con una extensión de unas 590 hectáreas y posee con una población aproximada de 1100 habitantes y un total de 250 casas. La Isla tiene una perímetro de costa de 13 millas. Taboga tiene una exuberancia tropical como pocas posee cerros hasta de 300 metros sobre el nivel del mar además de playas de arena blanca.

La parte de la isla que tiene mayor concentración de población es la que mira a la ciudad, la parte posterior de la isla es una reserva forestal protegida por el ANAM (Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente). Taboga está al lado de una isla llamada El Morro, que está conectado a través de una playa de Taboga. La isla tiene playas como La Restinga, Playa Honda y Playa Jobo.

Information in  English:

Taboga Island Facts & Trivia
Learn more about our island gem…

- Taboga Island is between 30 and 50 minutes (12 miles) away by boat from Panama City. The island is volcanic in origin and its coastal is about 13 miles long. The population of  Taboga Island is approximately 1100 people.

- In the past, Taboga was a favored site for vacation homes of a number of Panamanian governors and presidents, as well as business leaders from Panama.

- Both pirates and conquistadors made Taboga one of their favorite stopping points in their travels on the Pacific Ocean.

Pineapples & Pearls

- Taboga pineapples were first planted by Father Luque in the 1500’s when he founded the island. They thrived well and were known for their sweetness and juice. It is believed that in the 1800´s Taboga Pineapples were exported to Hawaii to be cross bred with the Hawaiian Pineapple to produce the pineapple of today. Due to the long and labor intense period from growth to harvest of up to 2 years, not many are raised on the island anymore.

-In the 1500’s pearls were in abundance in the Bay of Panama (where the Pearl Islands, Islas de los Perlas are located) and an entrepreneurial Governor,  De Avila, established a  pearl fishery on Taboga and Taboguilla Islands. Years later it was written that pearl oysters were still abundant and being dived for by African slaves. The fishery was strictly controlled and the divers had to find a fixed number of quality pearls a day. There is no longer a pearl fishery due to overfishing.

- La Peregrina pearl is one of the most famous pearls in the world. Its history spans almost 500 years, and it has passed from the African slave who found it at the Pearl Islands in Panama, to European royalty. Most recently, the pearl belonged to Elizabeth Taylor. The pear shaped pearl was 55.95 carats or 11.2 g. It remains one of the largest naturally shaped pearls ever discovered in the world.

History

-Indian gold is rumored to be hidden on Morro Island, and on Taboga Island it is rumored that pirate gold was hidden in the caves and hidden spots of the mountains. Spanish coins were found buried below the present Health Center on Taboga Island.

-In the mid 1800’s The Pacific Steam Ship Company was located on El Morro in front of Taboga Island. They had a fleet of 12 vessels and used Taboga to establish their mail and trade services between Chile and Taboga. From time to time there were from 100 to 700 workers employed, mainly from Scotland. They built and repaired passing ships, supplied water, storage facilities and operated a coal mill. They built warehouses for coal, oil, paint and metals. The coal stores, with up to 3000 tons, were conveyed to ships at the pier end on tracks by railway car. On the mainland the new Panama Railroad spelled the end of this prosperity. Rates were raised by the railroad and disagreements prompted the Pacific Steamship Company to move their base to the Peruvian port, Callao.

-During gold fever in California, an English company set up a sawmill on Taboga to repair ships in transit to the US west coast.

-La Restinga was the area where the largest hotel was built which later became Hotel Taboga. It was demolished in 2006.

-Aspinwall was a sanatorium built in 1885 by Universal Interoceanic Canal Company on Taboga Island for employees to rest and recuperate after falling ill while working on the French Panama Canal. Canal construction was first attempted by Frenchman, Ferdinand de Lesseps. Many workers contracted malaria, yellow fever and other diseases. It later became a hotel until it was demolished in 1945.

Military and Aviation

-WWII: In the 1940’s the US Navy who had a training base on Taboga, used the broad hill just under the Spanish Cross for their artillery practice. The military built bunkers, installed search lights and anti-aircraft guns on top of the hills. The guns on Taboga and El Morro were used to increase the security of the Panama Canal which was considered at risk. The last of the US Navy left Taboga in 1960, but the bunkers can still be seen. Taboga is still visited by retired US Navy servicemen every year, often with their families, who recall their special days on this peaceful Pacific island.

-Taboga Island was the site of a German internment camp in 1917. The prisoners were later moved to New York under great protest.

-Taboga was at the center of attempted Japanese espionage when Yoshitaro Amana, leader of a Japanese spy ring, planned to set up a business on Taboga so that the Japanese could study ships passing through the Panama Canal. He was exposed and deported to Japan.

-Nearby where the old military bunkers were located at the top of the mountain (called the Watchtower) is a modern aviation tower which guides international flights to the Panama airports.

Religion

-The first saint of the Western World, Santa Rosa de Lima was born on the island of Taboga and later moved to Peru. Her parents lived in a small house on the beach near Playa Honda. She was known for her kindness, and her fame spread; many of the suffering came to her for comfort and guidance.

-The church of San Pedro on Taboga Island is said to be the second oldest in the western hemisphere.

Culture

-Paul Gauguin and painter Charles Laval came to Panama in 1887, running short of money they went to work on the French Canal. Gauguin lived on Taboga twice before departing for Martinique. Poets, painters, musicians, filmmakers and photographers still visit Taboga to this day because of its enchanting and endless inspiration.

Nature

-The name Taboga came from an Indian word, Haboga, which is a type of fish found in Panama Bay.

-Taboga is one of the world’s largest refuges for the brown pelican, where each year between one third to one half of the world population between 35,000 and 100,000 nest on Taboga and Uraba Islands. May is the height of nesting season, but pelicans can be seen year round.Other seabirds seek refuge on Taboga including cormorants, boobies and frigate birds. Hawks, falcons and vultures plus a variety of smaller songbirds and hummingbirds can also be seen.

-Humpback or Sei whales can be spotted in season on migration to and from their feeding zones, and all year round dolphins can be sighted.

-Iguanas and their eggs were a favorite food of the island and are sometimes still illegally hunted today, though it is illegal. Hunters can sometimes early in the morning be spotted sneaking into the forested mountains with their rifles, machetes and dogs.

-Although now sightings are rare, sea turtles can still be seen laying their eggs on the shores of  Taboga on some of the hidden coves.

-Taboga is home to a particular species of tiny green tree frog which is only found on the island. It morphed from the mainland frog and has a pattern which is slightly different.

-Taboga Island has no large animals. To name a few of the smaller residents which can still be sighted: the Tamandua Anteater, 2 Toed Sloth, Nyecke (looks like a small rabbit or hedgehog),numerous butterflies, birds, purple land crabs, iguanas, and green dart frogs.

Compiled by Cynthia Cudmore Mulder 

Come and Visit Panama.

Friendly people, bustling city, birds singing, the rainforest, fragrant night blooming orchids, quiet sunny beaches and cool hillsides, these are among the memories you will take home with you along with many more…

Panama has much to offer for visitors of many age groups, and with diverse interests. Experience Panama City, the most modern city in Central America and the country of Panama which offers a wealth of history and nature. Taboga Island is unique in Panama. Just minutes from Panama City, experience the local culture on Taboga Island (see Pirates, Facts and Stories, as well as What to Do,  for more Isla Taboga information).

The first European to discover Panama was Christopher Columbus in 1494.

Panama is at the center of the Americas and is made up of various cultures and traditions that have created a unique and exotic environment. Indigenous, American, Asian and European cultures combine to create an interesting and wonderful country.

Panama City is the only cosmopolitan city in the world where you can find skyscrapers as well as protected tropical rainforest within the city limits. The city offers historical sites, museums, quaint streets, shopping, and beautiful parks. Within an hour you can visit Taboga Island, breathtaking beaches, the Pacific Coastline, and the Panama Canal.Panama is a natural land bridge that links North and Central America with South America and its nature is spectacular. Thousands of varieties of flora and fauna flourish in the country’s rainforests and it is host to the largest number of animal species in the world.

On Taboga Island you can watch a large number of bird species, iguanas, the tiny green dart frog (dendrobates auratus taboga), diverse marine life and much more.