Isla Cañas is located in the district of Tonosi, in the Los Santos province.
Isla Cañas is a wildlife refuge protected by the ANAM. It is Panama's biggest and most important sea turtle nesting ground, which means that every year thousands of sea turtles make their way to this beach to deposit their eggs, usually around the months of October through November (this also depends on the moon's cycle). It's also the home to many different sea birds, aquatic creatures, fish, dolphins, etc.
Isla Cañas is surrounded by a naturally occurring estuary that is bordered by 1,300 hectares of mangroves. The island is populated by a small fisherman village of about 800. In order to access the island, you need to jump on a lancha that weaves through the mangroves and crosses the estuary to a small dock. Welcome to the island!
There are approximately 13 kilometers of beach, which make it an ideal nesting spot for sea turtles. Most of the sea turtles are of the Oliver Ridley variety (lepidochelis olivacea).
Isla Cañas has very little development; it is still pristine and rather virgin, but it needs more protection by the authorities, as well as more cultural awareness of it's potential as a world wildlife sanctuary.
