Skip to content
Contact Bocas del Toro, Panama
  • BOOK NOW
    • Bungalows
    • Rent the Island
    • Retreats
      • Celebrating Life
      • Art Venture
  • SPECIALS
    • Honeymoon Package
    • Special for Residents
Urraca Private Island Eco Resort – Bocas del Toro, Panama

Urraca Private Island Eco Resort – Bocas del Toro, Panama

  • Home
  • About
  • Rooms & rates
  • Island Rental
  • Packages
    • All-inclusive Packages
  • More
    • Tours and Activities
    • Dining
    • How to get to the Island
    • Gallery
    • FAQs
    • Press
    • Monkeys’ wishlist
  • Contact
  • Book Now

Heat Magazine

Share this Private Island:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Monkey Island Tours

Can't stay at our lodge during your visit to Bocas del Toro? We would still love to see you! Visit our tours website to learn about Monkey Island Tours Monkey Island Tours

Monkey Island Tours

¿No puede hospedarse en nuestro albergue durante su visita a Bocas del Toro? ¡Todavía nos encantaría verte! Visite nuestro sitio web de tours para aprender sobre Monkey Island Tours Visitas turísticas en Monkey Island

Facebook

Facebook

Pinterest

Pinterest

TripAdvisor Reviews

star rating  First, the facts – I arrived at this property in good health, and left with deep lacerations on both hands from a howler monkey attack, having also suffered a bout... read more of debilitating diarrhea during my stay. While I have some nice memories of Urraca, these are far outweighed by my pain and suffering, and loss of the use of my thumb, that resulted from staying there. These facts cannot be disputed.

Now to the story. The owner keeps four species of monkeys on this property. She claims that she has rescued the monkeys from being kept as pets and styles her work as charitable. Perhaps the monkeys were kept in worse conditions before, but the fact is, she still keeps them as pets, which is ethically wrong. Moreover, she exploits them for profit. Every day she takes them out of their cages to entertain people who visit the islands on day trips, and the animals are plainly distressed. No safety information is shared—the monkeys are simply let out without any preamble, and free to roam the property, including guest sleeping areas and in areas where food is prepared and consumed. It is possible, and in fact encouraged, to pet and interact with the monkeys when they are out. The advertising for the property includes photos of people snuggling with monkeys, all of which normalizes this behavior. I thought to myself that the monkeys must be safe. These people are running a business—surely they wouldn’t let the monkeys out if it wasn’t safe to do so, for liability reasons if nothing else?

Over several days of observing this, I came to be more relaxed around the monkeys, which proved to be my downfall. On my last day, I was swimming when a howler monkey approached and disturbed some of my things—sunglasses, phone. I went to investigate and approached the monkey. While I thought this was one of the docile monkeys I had interacted with previously, this was a new monkey, Mika. The property’s owner came running, and Mika became frightened. She bit my right index finger, and when I tried to shake her off, she bit my left thumb hard, several times, completely destroying my thumb nail and penetrating down to the bone, fracturing the thumb. It’s been one month since I was attacked, and I have had two surgeries and many medical appointments to try to recover the function of my thumb. I had rabies vaccine (four separate appointments), tetanus, strong antibiotics, herpes medication, and general anesthesia to remove my thumbnail. I cannot describe the terror of being mauled by a monkey that refuses to let go. My recovery will take months and I may never fully regain a normal thumb.

My next memory after the attack is of screaming with blood pouring down my hands. The owner at this point knew she had a problem. She began to wash my wound, but when I commented that this was very bad, she said “it’s not very bad,” and told me to think positive thoughts (gaslighting). She also said that it was her fault, because she had mistakenly let out Mika, a “bad monkey” who is known to attack people, but she continued to downplay the severity of the problem. I asked her, “has this happened before?” She paused and her eyes went up and to the left. I could tell she was thinking through her answer. “No,” she said. I can tell when I’m being lied to, and this was one of those times.

Ask yourself – is it appropriate to keep a “bad monkey” on an island where guests are staying? Much less one that might be mistakenly let out, free to roam the island? Is “cute” advertising depicting friendly monkeys accurate, when violent monkeys are being kept on the property? Is guest safety the first priority when such animals are present?

A few other points, which are minor in comparison. Out of our group of eight people, six developed serious gastrointestinal illness during our stay on the island. I myself spent an entire day in bed with diarrhea and malaise. We asked if the water was safe to drink and we were told that it was “filtered rainwater” which is “natural” and that if we were ill, we had brought our illness to the island. It seems to me highly unlikely that six people who became ill on the island brought their illness to the island. Rather, it seems like there are sanitation issues with the water, the food, or both. Considering that monkeys roam freely, it is not surprising that the water is unsanitary. Is the water system regularly cleaned and tested for contaminants? We weren’t told this, only that it was “natural,” which is a meaningless statement.

Finally, quite strange, we were fed extremely small portions of food for our first two days there. For example, “lunch” when we first arrived was one tortilla per person, with a dusting of cheese, dinner was three skewers of vegetables with a small helping of rice, and breakfast was one egg and half a slice of white bread. We had to have multiple talks with the owner who said “well, you asked for vegetarian” (vegetarians require protein like everyone else). It was very awkward to the point I began to think I would have to charter a $90 boat ride to leave the island in order to eat. In the end we had to pay an upcharge to eat lobster, to get enough nutrition.

Returning to the monkey attack. The owner accepted responsibility and paid for (some of) my medical bills, but this does not really begin to compensate me for my pain and suffering and the long recovery process I will experience. I had to take time off work, enduring surgery and painful vaccines, typing hurts, and favorite hobbies such as weightlifting and playing the piano have become impossible. I looked into the possibility of legal relief, but I was unable to get anywhere with the Panamanian judicial system—for starters I would have needed to hire a Panamanian attorney. So, if you choose to stay here, know that the owner is operating in an environment of impunity where anything might happen to you, and you won’t be able to do anything about it. Maybe this is why the owner is willing to be so cavalier with guest safety, because she knows she won’t be held accountable.

You can see that she responds to any criticism online with blame and deflecting of responsibility, which she will doubtless do in response to this review, as well. She is a sophisticated person who is skilled at framing her actions in positive terms, but ultimately her first concern is herself, not your wellbeing, so do understand this if you choose to trust your safety to her. Good luck!

tripadvisor logo
avatar thumb shepherdl2023
January 2, 2023

star rating  Staying at Urraca is definitely one of the best decisions my boyfriend and I made on our trip to Bocas. I highly recommend staying a few nights rather than just... read more the tour. During our 2 night stay we were able to experience this beautiful island and everything it has to offer from the amazing mangroves, to the playful monkeys. I can not put into words amazing our experience with Francine and the monkeys was. Not only did we get to hang out and take pictures with the monkeys, we got to enjoy the natural beauty the resort has to offer. We spent a lot of time in the multiple hammocks that are set up throughout the resort as well as snorkeling around the mangroves. Hanging out and watching the monkeys was hands down one of the unbelievable things we have done. They have so much character and are so fascinating to watch and engage with. However the runner up best part of our stay here was the delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner cooked and served by Francine and her amazing staff. Francine's cooking is as beautiful in flavor as it is in presentation. We were blown away after every meal. If she is offering lobster you must say yes or else you will be passing up a dining experience you will never forget. Also if you like Bloody Marys ask Francine to make one for you and you wont regret... Staying at Urraca is definitely one of the best decisions my boyfriend and I made on our trip to Bocas. I highly recommend staying a few nights rather than just the tour. During our 2 night stay we were able to experience this beautiful island and everything it has to offer from the amazing mangroves, to the playful monkeys. I can not put into words amazing our experience with Francine and the monkeys was. Not only did we get to hang out and take pictures with the monkeys, we got to enjoy the natural beauty the resort has to offer. We spent a lot of time in the multiple hammocks that are set up throughout the resort as well as snorkeling around the mangroves. Hanging out and watching the monkeys was hands down one of the unbelievable things we have done. They have so much character and are so fascinating to watch and engage with. However the runner up best part of our stay here was the delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner cooked and served by Francine and her amazing staff. Francine's cooking is as beautiful in flavor as it is in presentation. We were blown away after every meal. If she is offering lobster you must say yes or else you will be passing up a dining experience you will never forget. Also if you like Bloody Marys ask Francine to make one for you and you wont regret it. I highly recommend stay at Urraca, it is an experience you will not forget! More

tripadvisor logo
pmdabs
August 19, 2021

star rating  I cannot express how wonderful this trip was. We stayed for five nights in the Honeymoon suite. The views are stunning, and the whole mangrove is so quiet. ... read more Electricity is limited, but it is is a great place to unplug and recharge. You can always charge your phones and cameras, and Wi-Fi is available every where if you do not want to completely disconnect. The living quarters are rustic but comfortable. The rainwater showers are refreshing, and there is always a private place to get some alone time if needed. Obviously, the tropics of Panama are hot so be prepared to sweat, but you can always find a cooling breeze or jump into the clear water surrounding you. The monkeys are majestic and entertaining. My husband and I spent hours watching and interacting with them. I am literally grieving the food. Not a lot of variety, but it was fresh, clean, and tasty. I felt like a new person eating clean for a few days. The dining is communal so go prepared to make friends. Our host, Francine, was a delight. She is so kind and accommodating. She booked our tours to Zapatilla Island (practically a private beach), a chocolate farm, and our massages. The only negative is that to get the mangrove, it is an expensive 30 minute boat ride so plan to stay awhile to make your $$ worth it. This is an experience of a life time.... I cannot express how wonderful this trip was. We stayed for five nights in the Honeymoon suite. The views are stunning, and the whole mangrove is so quiet. Electricity is limited, but it is is a great place to unplug and recharge. You can always charge your phones and cameras, and Wi-Fi is available every where if you do not want to completely disconnect. The living quarters are rustic but comfortable. The rainwater showers are refreshing, and there is always a private place to get some alone time if needed. Obviously, the tropics of Panama are hot so be prepared to sweat, but you can always find a cooling breeze or jump into the clear water surrounding you. The monkeys are majestic and entertaining. My husband and I spent hours watching and interacting with them. I am literally grieving the food. Not a lot of variety, but it was fresh, clean, and tasty. I felt like a new person eating clean for a few days. The dining is communal so go prepared to make friends. Our host, Francine, was a delight. She is so kind and accommodating. She booked our tours to Zapatilla Island (practically a private beach), a chocolate farm, and our massages. The only negative is that to get the mangrove, it is an expensive 30 minute boat ride so plan to stay awhile to make your $$ worth it. This is an experience of a life time. You will remember a stay at Urraca for the rest of your life. More

tripadvisor logo
catherinesK4191ED
August 26, 2021
Urraca Private Island Eco Resort – Bocas del Toro, Panama,
 

Loading Comments...