As the clouds stop cuddling you and the jetliner begins to fly low, readying to touch down on the tarmac of the Tocumen International Airport, Taboga meets the eye as the everlasting caretaker of the Panama Gulf, just a dozen miles south of the Panamanian capital.

Public ferries make the 60-minute ride –it’s only half an hour aboard a speedboat- plowing the same calm waters that large freighters and tankers use to sail in and out of the Panama Canal through its Pacific sector.

Taboga is a volcanic-origin island that together with the islets of Taboguilla, Uraba, Melones, Chama, Estiva, Bora, Otoque and Morro, offering amazing beaches of crystal-clear waters, like La Restinga or Playa Honda. Hikers may also saunter their way to the small village and learn about its interesting history, or maybe walk on to the Taboga Island Wildlife Reserve, home to the Western Hemisphere’s largest colony of brown pelicans.

Word has it the island was often visited by Vasco Nuñez de Balboa and was the favorite hideaway of the military chiefs of Pedro Arias Davila, founder of the nation’s capital. Another legend goes that celebrated pirate Henry Morgan found there a romantic paradise for his rendezvous with a posh Spanish lady. And there are some who call this place the Island of Flowers due to its flower-hedged pathways and jasmine-scented steep streets.

A NATURAL EDEN If you’re the nature-loving type, then in Taboga the search is over. This is a peerless wildlife sanctuary of abundant floral and fauna species. Equally tempting for adventure seekers could be the boat ride along the coastline and its surroundings, tagging along with local fishermen and getting the chance of a lifetime to gaze at jaw-dropping scenery and watch brown pelicans billing and cooing on their nests.

Taboga is a place teeming with legends and traditions like no other piece of land on earth. The aquatic procession in honor of the Virgin of Carmen, on July 16, the longest procession recorded on the face of the earth because even though the stretch is short, worshippers take three steps forward and two steps back.

The islanders’ kindness and hospitality, team up with the laidback atmosphere everywhere around, make the island a perfect travel destination for relaxation.

Absorbed in your own peace of mind and swayed by the waves, you can make out bustling Panama City greeting from the distance, while Taboga remains trapped in a never-ending calmness that watches each and every one of your dreams.

Taboga is also known as the Island of Flowers due to its flower-hedged pathways and jasmine-scented steep streets.