San Blas Islands
Discover San Blas Islands
The San Blas Islands is a group of islands just off the Caribbean coast of Eastern Panama. The indigenous Kuna Yala tribe have self-governing authority over the islands. The local people, the Kuna, are a wonderful example of how an indigenous people continue to flourish and practice their age-old customs surrounded by the modern world. They are friendly and mostly welcoming to tourists. The Kuna self-govern the comarca Kuna Yala which essentially comprises of the islands and the neighboring mainland and extends all the way down along the coast to the border with Colombia.
Taste of San Blas Islands...
The larger villages in San Blas have small restaurants with limited menus. Villages also have small grocery stores that sell basic food items and beverages. Ice is very hard to come by in San Blas. Kuna hotels and lodges typically include meals as part of the stay. Meals usually include locally caught fish, crab and lobster. Available vegetables are typically the basics, tomatoes, carrots, yucca, onions and potatoes. Do not expect a wide variety of foods as the kuna diet is very basic and exposure to western-style foods is highly limited. Some of the islands have one small bar that caters to the locals and tourists alike. Ice is in short supply. Drinks, including beer and sodas, can be purchased at small stores on some islands. Water in most villiges is piped directly (unfiltered) from streams on the mainland, and is therefore unsafe as drinking water for tourists. As a non-native, beware of any locally-prepared beverages including: hot chocolate, chicha (fruit or vegetable-flavored drinks), chicha fuerte (alcoholic chicha), water, and ice. Follow sanitary practices with all eating utensils and plates/bowls, as they are likely washed using non-potable water. Tourists are advised to bring their own drinking water and drinking receptacles. There are small and very rustic hotels on some of the islands, and due to the lack of restaurants, they offer all-inclusive meal packages.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsThere are a number of different boating options if you want to get here to or from Colombia: 'Sailing boats' to/from Colombia/Cartagena (prices from $600 for usually 5 days all incl). There are over 30 vessels operating this route. They vary widely in safety, comfort, and price. A person would be ill advised to book an 180 nautical mile ocean passage on a vessel he hasn’t inspected with a captain he hasn’t met. The waters between San Blas and Colombia can be challenging at times. Don’t depend on second hand information. Vessels depart regularly from Portobelo, Puerto Lindo, Carti islands and Porvenir. iTravel byBoat, based out of the San Blas islands knows most of the boats on the islands and arranges trips and transportation. Ave Maria Sailing offers a 5-night island hopping sailing voyage from Panama to Colombia via the San Blas Islands. Captain SailColombiaPanama.com offers automated online reservations 24/7, plus advice from Captain Jack, a professional sailor....
Getting Around & Staying
Where to Stay
There are small and very rustic hotels on some of the islands, and due to the lack of restaurants, they offer all-inclusive meal packages. Also most hotels will include day trips to some of the smaller islands, where they will leave you alone for several hours to snorkel, sunbathe or swim. These Islands offer pristine white sand and crystal clear water, and coconut trees that offer natural shade from the hot sun. Be aware that all the accommodations are very basic, often simple huts made of sticks as rooms - which is also what the locals live in. You hear your neighbours, you might see them as the walls are a little see-through at night if the lights are on inside, and you share a bathroom with toilet and shower look alike. There is no dedicated lodging at the ports. You can pitch a tent for free in a shelter at Dinib (there is a guard all night). As of late 2016, there is still a construction site for a school (yellow building) about twenty minutes walking before you reach the ports.
Money & Budget
The native peoples wear very colorful traditional clothing and make and sell beaded jewelry and molas, which are creatively stitched squares and articles of multi-layered cloth that can be very elaborate and take weeks to make. They also incorporate the mola craft into clothing, shirts and other various articles which can be purchased. The larger villages in San Blas have small restaurants with limited menus. Villages also have small grocery stores that sell basic food items and beverages. Ice is very hard to come by in San Blas. Kuna hotels and lodges typically include meals as part of the stay. Meals usually include locally caught fish, crab and lobster. Available vegetables are typically the basics, tomatoes, carrots, yucca, onions and potatoes.
Language & Talk
Tulekaya is the first language of the indigenous people of San Blas. The language is only written phonetically, i.e., you will find the same word written in many ways like islands of "Gardi" and "Cartí" which refers to the same place. The younger generation is for the most part being schooled in Spanish in Panamanian-run public schools and therefore is fluent in Spanish. Generally, anybody who is professionally interacting with tourists will be fluent in Spanish. Knowledge of English is, however, very limited. In the more remote villages of Kuna Yala you may find that even knowledge of Spanish is much more limited.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
The Kuna are usually timid, though friendly and welcoming of tourists. There is drug trafficking in this region, but it occurs without incident in almost all cases, using small fast boats that deliver drugs to the mainland from Colombia mainly late at night. There are almost never any incidents involving these drug runners locally. There are rumors that they "camp out" on vacant islands. This is patently false. The drug runners are typically interested in getting in and out as quickly as possible to dodge surveillance. The San Blas Islands is also a heaven for cruising yachts and sport fishing boats. Most of these yachts keep to themselves and rarely venture onto the village islands. For the most part, the San Blas Archipielago is extremely safe and tourist-friendly.
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of San Blas Islands
San Blas Islands - Panama photo made by rouichi / switzerland
San Blas Islands
San Blas Islands
Beach of San Blas Islands, Panama. Sailing tour from Cartagena to Panama made by rouichi / switzerland
San Blas Islands
Beach on San Blas Islands, Panama. Sailing Tour from Cartagena to Panama made by rouichi / switzerland
Paradise on the San Blas Islands - Panama photo made by rouichi / switzerland
A Boat Trip from Cartagena (Colombia) to San Blas Islands and the Panama East Coast. made by rouichi / switzerland
San Blas Islands - Panama photo made by rouichi / switzerland
San Blas Islands
San Blas Islands
Beach of San Blas Islands, Panama. Sailing tour from Cartagena to Panama made by rouichi / switzerland
San Blas Islands