What It’s Like to Sail Panama’s San Blas Islands

My friends and I booked tickets to Panama semi-impulsively because the flights were super reasonable (around $300). Once we started planning, we knew that we wanted to spend less time in the city and more time in the islands. Specifically the San Blas Islands.

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Located off the east coast of Panama in the Caribbean Sea, San Blas, officially called Guna Yala (or Kuna Yala) is an Indian country that has been autonomous since the 1920s. Only Guna people are allowed to live in the region and tourism is highly regulated.

After doing some research, we reached out to Sailboat Trips to plan our trip to visit one of the most untouched areas of the Caribbean. With more than 360 islands (only about 50 of them inhabited) we knew we needed a guide that was familiar with the area and its customs.

Booking a San Blas Sailing Trip

The booking process could not have been simpler: a few emails nailing down dates and details and a wire transfer for our deposit and we were good to go! As our trip drew closer we were put in direct contact with the host of our boat who asked about our food and drink preferences and what our goals were for this trip. We wanted to relax, enjoy the local culture, and eat fresh local cuisine. Spoiler alert: they delivered on all fronts!

Getting to the San Blas Islands

There are two different ways to get to the San Blas Islands from Panama City: a transfer that involves a 4×4 ride and a speedboat transfer or a charter flight from Corazon de Jesus. We did both.

Getting to the boat, we took the 4×4 and speedboat transfer option. The cost for that was roughly $85/per person. The process took about three hours and started with a 5 AM pick-up from our Panama City hotel. We stopped once along the way for snacks and restrooms. It was nice to drive through the lush countryside and showed us a part of Panama that we wouldn’t have otherwise seen.

For our return trip, we chose to take the charter flight from Corazon de Jesus to Panama City. The cost was roughly $150/per person and the flight took about an hour. The plane (shown above) seats six, so if small planes aren’t your thing, stick to the ground transfer option. That being said, this was the cooler option in my opinion. You could see all the little islands that make up the San Blas as well as ships waiting to enter the Panama Canal and it’s honestly stunning.

Day in the Life Sailing the San Blas Islands

Days aboard the Edelweiss, a 48′ Nautitech catamaran, followed a similar rhythm. We all wandered out of our cabins at our leisure, some of us near sunrise to see the beautiful start to the day, others a bit later. Our chef prepared us a lovely healthy breakfast made with fresh and local ingredients, then we chatted with our chef/host and captain about our plans for the day.

Most days we would visit an island in the morning, sail around mid-day, and visit another island in the afternoon before returning to the boat for dinner. When we weren’t at sail or on island, we would swim off the back of the boat, play on the paddleboards, or just lounge on the boat. From time to time, boats of local fishermen would pull up alongside us selling their fresh catch. Our chef took advantage of this and we watched as the fishermen filleted what would be our dinner that evening. It doesn’t get fresher than that!

After dinner, we’d play games that we brought with us (Pass the Pigs and Left, Right, Center are great travel-friendly games) and enjoy some wine until we couldn’t stay awake any longer.

It was as blissful and as relaxing as you might expect.

Worth Every Penny

“Sounds great, but I can’t afford that!” For four adults to spend 4 days/3 nights on the boat including all food, drinks (alcoholic included), and island fees our trip came to around $1000/per person USD. (Transfers are extra as outlined above.) The boat is crewed with a captain and a chef/host and is provisioned, so you don’t need to worry about a thing! While it isn’t the cheapest trip you’ll take, factoring in that the rate covers your meals, accommodations, and transportation between islands makes it actually quite reasonable. And it’s an unforgettable adventure.

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