Cocovivo Dolphin Pod

Hut in Cristóbal Island, Panama

  1. 4 guests
  2. 1 bedroom
  3. 2 beds
  4. 1 bath
Hosted by Ulrich
  1. Superhost
  2. 15 years hosting

Listing highlights

Exceptional check-in experience

Recent guests gave the check-in process a 5-star rating.

Beautiful area

Guests love this home’s scenic location.

Ocean and bay views

Soak up the views during your stay.
This cozy waterfront cabin is ideal for a couple or tight-knit family. The cabin features an upstairs loft for catching the sunset glow and downstairs, a ‘floating’ sofa/bed that overlooks a vibrant coral reef. When night falls, bioluminescent plankton illuminate the water - magical! Jetsons-meet-Flintstones" is the vibe here. Please read the “Other things to note” section so you know what to expect!

The space
Here's what guests say they like best about Cocovivo:

The coral is the #1 reason to visit Cocovivo. The reef is healthy, vibrant, and right at your fingertips. Snorkel gear is free at our Reef Center.

The food here is not only fresh and local, but prepared by 5-star chefs. The three course dinners rival the very best restaurants in town.

See bioluminescence, and better yet—swim in it! A real-life fairy tale.

You will see a sloth. Guaranteed!

Whether you’re on the paddle board or the hiking the sloth loop, our dogs will be your protectors. You will fall in love with Capitan and Mazoo.

Magical encounters with animals are a daily occurrence here at CocoVivo. Not only sloths, but howler monkeys, kinkajous, frogs, and dolphins.

Starlink internet: about 40 Mbps in the cabins, and over 200 Mbps in the Reef Center!


Here’s what some guests find challenging:

Think of your experience at Cocovivo as glamping in the jungle. While our walls keep out the majority of the bugs, it’s not uncommon to find an ant, gecko, or small spider in your cabin. If you have phobias of insects, Cocovivo might not be the best place for you. 



While every cabin has a pee-toilet, the full service toilets (one flush, two composting) are a short walk away and shared with other guests. This is for eco-reasons (it would not be sanitary to have septic directly at the waterfront where we all swim).

Sandflies. Not everyone is affected by them, but many are. Be prepared. We try to keep them away with bug spray, smoke, and incense coils.

The weather can be an adventure here. We have both sweltering heat and torrential rain—often on the same day! There is no AC in the cabins.

We have no hot water in the showers, but this is the tropics where it is hot all the time. You won’t miss it.

Guest access
The cabins are designed for privacy, tranquility.

Shared areas include:

-The Reef Center, our communal dining, snorkeling, and co-working area.

-Complimentary standup paddles boards and kayaks are available at the end of the main dock. Keep in mind, we are one of the few resorts that offers these resources free-of-charge, so please leave the equipment in the same shape in which you found it (including inflating the boards) so they are ready-to-go for the next set of guests.

-Two composting toilets and one flush toilet are shared by everyone on the property.

-All the hiking trails on our 55 acre property are open for your exploration. For longer hikes and to learn about the biodiversity of the jungle, we encourage you to sign up for our $12/person jungle tour to make the most of your adventure.

Other things to note
!!! IMPORTANT: THIS IS A RUSTIC PLACE, NOT A LUXURY RESORT !!!

It's for the adventurous, who want comfort in a remote setting, and want to experience realities of rural life in the tropics. In addition to the abundant pleasures of the lush forests and reefs, you should expect to…..

WEAR BUG PROTECTION when being outdoors during dusk and dawn: We are bug conscious in the design of our accommodations. You will see dozens of geckos feeding on the insects on the outside of the screens that keep you bug free in the house.

THERE ARE NO RESTAURANTS nearby CocoVivo and only one of the cabins (the Mangrove Treehouse) has a kitchen, so most guests choose to participate in our mealplan. Our rotating teams of private chefs offer delicious communal meals for an additional fixed fee. When you message us, please tell us what your plan for food is, or ask us to provide more information about the mealplan.

FEEL, SEE, HEAR, AND SMELL NATURE: Maybe the howler monkeys will wake you up. Maybe you will see spiders of unreasonable size. Maybe there will be a tropical storm, blowing warm lush rain in all directions. Our cabins are designed for maximum nature experience, and to bring in the breeze - and sometime with it some moisture. Maybe it’s a perfect, calm night, and while you are looking at a perfect reflection of the milky way in the water, you notice the natural smell of a healthy mangrove forest. All these things can be part of the experience.

Where you’ll sleep

What this place offers

Bay view
Ocean view
Waterfront
Wifi
Pets allowed
Unavailable: Carbon monoxide alarm
Unavailable: Smoke alarm

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Rated 4.93 out of 5 from 213 reviews.

Guest favorite
This home is a guest favorite based on ratings, reviews, and reliability
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Overall rating

  1. 5 stars, 94% of reviews
  2. 4 stars, 5% of reviews
  3. 3 stars, 1% of reviews
  4. 2 stars, 0% of reviews
  5. 1 stars, 0% of reviews

Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars for cleanliness

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for accuracy

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for check-in

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for communication

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for location

Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars for value

Where you’ll be

Cristóbal Island, Bocas del Toro, Panama

This neighborhood is WILD!

You really become PART of the eco-system when you stay at CocoVivo.

We take sharing this paradise very seriously and we want to keep it comfortable for our animal neighbors too. The fish, the dolphins, the sloths, the howler monkeys, the herons, the parrots, the kinkajous and the iguanas were all here before us, and luckily still are. Please be conscious of trash you bring; remember that cold beer and soda are available for a reasonable price, in bottles that will be reused. No need to bring beer/cans/plastic bottles.

Most sunscreens can harm the coral reef; if you plan on using sunscreen when snorkeling, swimming, or kayaking, please bring reef-safe sunscreen or ask us for it.

Meet your host

Superhost
1107 reviews
4.9 out of 5 average rating
15 years of hosting
My work: Panama
Speaks English, German, and Spanish
We love exploring the world and its people, ideas, and minds. In 2002, while driving from California to Patagonia, Ulrich fell in love with Bocas del Toro and bought a semi-abandoned cattle farm on the shore of a remote tropical island. Together with locals, we planted thousands of trees, all native species, to help offset the CO2 emissions my travels have produced, to restore the degraded environment, and to give future generations access to the beautiful hardwood lumber that used to be plentiful in Bocas. Now that we have restored the land to a healthy, balanced ecosystem, together with some amazing friends, we set up a unique eco retreat, an experiment in combining the inspiring experience of raw nature and life in the tropics with amenities that make the place accessible for adventurous spirits who want to experience a different lifestyle, for days, weeks, or month. Come visit!

Ulrich is a Superhost

Superhosts are experienced, highly rated hosts who are committed to providing great stays for guests.

Co-hosts

  • Elisabeth

Host details

Response rate: 98%
Responds within an hour
To help protect your payment, always use Airbnb to send money and communicate with hosts.

Things to know

Cancellation policy
House rules
Flexible check-in
Checkout before 10:00 AM
4 guests maximum
Safety & property
Carbon monoxide alarm not reported
Smoke alarm not reported
Some spaces are shared

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