San Blas Islands in Panama: Heaven or Paradise?

It’s hard to say if San Blas islands should be called heaven or paradise.

They’re both!

San Blas islands (sometimes called Kuna Yala or Guna Yala archipelago) are a group of nearly 400 tropical islands that are located on the north-east side of Panama and are governed by Kuna Indians. Only 40 of these absolutely pristine islands are inhabited.

The most common way to get to San Blas is to arrange transportation and accommodation at a hostel in Panama City; we booked our trip at Mamallena hostel in Panama City. Although we didn’t stay there, we decided to check out what they offer and booked our 3-night stay in San Blas with them.  Mamallena hostel offers arranging accommodation on 5 different islands. We chose Ina’s Island.

Later on, it turned out that it was a fantastic choice.

San Blas Islands in Panama: Heaven or Paradise?

The next morning, we were picked up by a 4×4 car and it took us to Carti, a place by a river where boats pick up visitors heading to San Blas islands. The cost of this transport was $30 one way (the currency used in Panama is the US dollar) and it took about 3 hours to get to Carti. To enter the area, we paid $20 at a booth on the way to Carti.

It took about 20 minutes to get to Ina’s island. During the boat journey, we saw a few very tiny islands with just a couple of houses on them.

Suddenly, we saw Ina’s island in the distance.

What a Paradise had we found!

Our accommodation was simple and nice.  Meals were served three times daily in a small restaurant for visitors. As vegetarians, what could we get on an island in Central America? Rice and beans!

The first day we spent only on the beach, enjoying the sugar white sand and warm turquoise water.

The quietness was unbelievable.

The island itself was really very small; it took us less than 10 minutes to walk around it!  There were just six bungalows for visitors, a restaurant and a small Kuna community on the island.

Kunas are indigenous people who, in the 16^th century, were driven out of their original home in Colombia by the Spanish colonizers. They moved to mainland Panama and at the beginning of the 19^th century, they started moving to the San Blas islands.

The government of Panama tried to suppress Kuna’s customs, language and dress, however Kuna Indians have maintained political autonomy, their own economic system, language, customs and culture until today.

On the second day we went to visit the Kuna community.  We only met women and children, the men were out fishing every day. The Kuna women make their living selling beads and molas to visitors.

Only one of the Kuna women could speak Spanish, so she was translating all our conversation to the rest of the women and children who didn’t speak Spanish. They spoke Kuna language. All of them were so friendly and curious!

They don’t normally sell beads ‘made on order’, but we asked them if they could make us bead bracelets. They agreed, so we spent the rest of the afternoon of our second day with them. We didn’t take off the bead bracelets they made for us until three months later.

Next morning, the two local guys, who were running the bungalows and a small restaurant for visitors, were heading to another island, a local Kuna village, to stock up.

They asked us if we were interested in joining them for this short trip. Of course we said yes! We were excited about visiting a real Kuna village. We had only 20 minutes to explore it. It was not much time, but enough to walk around the whole village and mingle a bit with the locals.

That day, something important was happening in the village and all the men were discussing some issues in a local town hall. We didn’t know what it was all about, but it seemed quite serious. Kuna women weren’t allowed to enter the town hall. They were standing outside, leaning against the walls made of bamboo sticks, looking inside through the gaps and trying to catch up with what was happening inside.

The traditional dress of the Kuna women was spectacular. They had gold nose rings, a headscarf, bands of beads around arms and calves, a skirt (a sarong) and colorful mola blouses.

Molas have their origin in body painting. Only after colonisation by the Spanish and contact with missionaries did the Kuna start to wear clothes and transfer their traditional geometric designs onto fabric, first by painting directly on the fabric and later by using the reverse appliqué technique.

It was amazing to visit the local village and it felt like we had been on the island for only 3 minutes when the guys told us that it was time to go back to Ina’s island.

After arriving back to Ina’s island, we immediately headed to the beach and spent the last afternoon on the white sand,  enjoying every minute of it. The only company we had that afternoon was dolphins jumping and local Kuna children playing in the sea.

Visiting San Blas was a highlight of our journey through Central America and it’s one of the most gorgeous places we have ever been to.

We were absolutely amazed by these pristine islands, loved the culture of the Kuna people and would like to go back one day.

Planning to visit San Blas?

How to get to San Blas and where to stay:

1)   Arranging transportation and accommodation in hostels in Panama City is the cheapest and most comfortable way to get to San Blas. We found that Mamallena hostel offers the best deal. It takes 3 hours to get from Panama City to Carti by 4×4 car.

Costs: 60 USD for a return trip by 4 x 4 car

20 USD for a return boat trip from Carti to the island you are staying at.

Accommodation: around 25 USD for a dorm bed (including 3 meals a day) or 55 USD for a double bed bungalow (including 3 meals a day).

2)  If you are interested in crossing the border from Panama to Colombia while sailing among the San Blas islands, you can take a sailing boat. The trip takes 5 days – 3 days sailing in San Blas, then 2 days on open sea between Panama and Colombia. The boat leaves from San Blas, Portobello or Puerto Lindo and arrives to Cartagena in Colombia. The 5-day voyage costs around 500 USD (including meals). Almost all hostels in Panama City will be able to arrange this sailing trip for you.

When to go to San Blas islands:

December to April is the dry season. During these months, there is very little rain, mostly sunny days and cool trade winds.

The rainy season in the San Blas Islands is from May through November. During the green season, it rains sporadically several days per week, but mostly in the late afternoon and evening.

During the months of June, July and August, the rains decrease and the winds are considerably mild.

What’s the most interesting island you’ve been to?

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