Right in front of the Bocas del Toro city, there is a small key inhabited by black of afroantillano origin, mestizos, natives ngobe and foreigners. The locals live in houses that in their majority are constructed with wood with zinc roof and a minority of wood with palm ceiling. The foreigners have constructed hotels, restaurants and houses using the local materials and following their architectonic style. It only takes 3 minutes, in boat, to cross the channel that separates Carenero from Bocas del Toro

The origin of the name is the word careneer that meas a place use to repair the ships. It is known that Christophorus Columbus, during his 4th trip in 1502, when discover Bocas del Toro, stop in this island to fix his ships. Later, many other navigators, pirates and spanish conquerors, use this place for the same task.

In our times, Carenero was first a fisherman colony and today is a prosperous and beatiful site of several tourist business: beach hotels and restaurants offer to the visitors their services in a magnificent environment.

It is arrived by sea at the community and the transport more common are the aquatic taxis or boats that transport the locals and tourists, by a reasonable tariff.

The ways of the community are in part not paved and some sections, in form of docks and others of cement. Carenero has a primary cement school, electricity, telephone and potable water, all of them originated on Bocas del Toro town.

The more important local activities, are fishing, employ in the commerce and the government in Bocas, and the transport of tourists to the most attractive sites.