Do I need to own a car in Bastimentos, Panama?

So from Bastimentos Town, if you wanted to go...

So from Bastimentos Town, if you wanted to go to Red Frog, you would take a water taxi to the Red Frog marina, and from there walk 15 minutes to Red Frogs. Please note, that road is private, and unless you are patronizing either one of the lodging facilities  or giong on the canopy zip line there, you will have to pay a toll to get on that little road. Current toll is $3 per person.  If you want to go to further parts of Bastimentos, you will need to do so by boat.
 

Absolutely not! You won't need a car or a four wheel drive in Bastimentos. Here's why: the roads are non-existent.

 

The main town on Bastimentos is called Old Bank, and it consists of a narrow concrete walkway which forms the main thoroughfare through town.
 
As you can see from the picture on the right, a traffic jam in Old Bank consists of a kid's bike left on the sidewalk, or more often a sleeping dog or two.
 
There are no vehicles at all...

Absolutely not! You won't need a car or a four wheel drive in Bastimentos. Here's why: the roads are non-existent.

 

The main town on Bastimentos is called Old Bank, and it consists of a narrow concrete walkway which forms the main thoroughfare through town.
 
As you can see from the picture on the right, a traffic jam in Old Bank consists of a kid's bike left on the sidewalk, or more often a sleeping dog or two.
 
There are no vehicles at all there other than bicycles, and life moves to a slower rhythm. You can't possibly hurry along that walkway, you have to amble at a Caribbean pace, smiling and greeting others as you pass, walking in time to the beat of a laid back Bob Marley tune playing from the window of one of the nearby houses.
 
How else can you get around?
 
Around the Bocas del Toro archipelago most transport is by boat, and water taxis abound. In Bastimentos you could go to the main town dock and jump on a water taxi and have him take you to Roots Restaurant at the other end of town for a buck. Or across to Bocas for two or three dollars.
 
Water taxis are plentiful, cheap and fun. Just hold up a hand, and a boat will pick you up pretty quickly and take you wherever you need to go.
 
There is a (sort of) set price system, but this is the Caribbean, so haggle, especially if you are a family or larger group of people. It's all part of the fun, and most of the boat drivers enjoy the game too.
 
A car on Bastimentos? No, you certainly won't need one! Now that's Caribbean lifestyle.