San Blas Islands
Three hundred and sixty-five islands run by the Guna people, white sand and coconut palms.
Duration
10 hrs – 12 hrs
Best time
Departure before dawn
Open
Every day
Entry price
To confirm
The Guna Yala archipelago has around three hundred and sixty-five islands, some fifty of them inhabited. It is administered by the Guna people, who won autonomy after a rising in 1925: they issue their own permits, set their own rules and levy their own taxes.
The islands are tiny — some are a few dozen metres across, with three coconut palms — and the water is shallow and clear. Molas, the layered stitched textile panels made by Guna women, are their best-known craft.
Getting there
Three hours by four-wheel drive from Panama City on a very steep mountain road, then a boat. Departures are around five in the morning.
What the price covers
Guna territory entry fee, plus transport and lodging; cash only
What to bring
- Walking shoes
- 1.5 L of water
Rules on site
The territory is autonomous: a Guna entry fee is paid in cash, in dollars, and bank cards do not exist on the islands. Photographing a Guna person must be asked for, and is often paid for. The access road is punishing and motion sickness is common.
Other places in Panama City
- Miraflores LocksContainer ships lifted twenty-six metres, a few metres from the viewing deck.
- Casco ViejoThe restored colonial quarter, its iron balconies, and the modern skyline facing it.
- Metropolitan Natural ParkTwo hundred and thirty hectares of rainforest inside the city, with sloths above the trails.