Isla Taboga ferry

Taboga Express runs a fast ferry from the Fuerte Amador mall on Isla Flamenco, at the end of the Amador Causeway, to Taboga in about 30 minutes, with five departures a day. Other launches cross from the causeway too. Bring your passport or ID, which the ferry asks for, and cash, because the island has no ATM (the nearest is at the mall by the ferry check-in).

Taboga is a small volcanic island with a fishing village of whitewashed houses and the church of San Pedro, said to be the second oldest in the hemisphere. People go for Playa Restinga and Playa Honda, and at low tide a sandbar connects the main beach to the islet of El Morro. Everyone walks; trails climb to Cerro de la Cruz and Cerro Vigía for views back to the city skyline. Kayaks and snorkel gear can be rented, and local boats go around to the back of the island, where brown pelicans nest. It makes an easy day: a beach lunch, a walk up the hill and the afternoon ferry home.