Visiting the San Blas Islands in Panama: The Ultimate Guide!

If you have a picture in your head of paradise on a desert island, the San Blas (or Guna Yala) islands lives up to it. The San Blas Islands in Panama are postcard perfect with white sand and crystal clear waters, it is a bucket list destination that won’t break the bank!

Why Visit the San Blas Islands in Panama

The San Blas islands are an archipelago of 365 individual islands. The islands are the protected home of the indigenous Guna people, and they have maintained the natural beauty of this amazing region. Because of this you will not find resorts or large hotels but you will find some of the most beautiful untouched islands in the world.

The San Blas Islands have been renamed as the Guna Yala islands in 2011. However, many tourist agencies and local people still refer to them as the San Blas islands so either name can be used.

The Islands Fame

If you have watched Casa Del Papel (Money Heist) on Netflix Season 3, you have seen the San Blas Islands. The scenes in which Tokio and Rio are living on a perfect island was filmed on the San Blas islands. I didn’t know this before I visited. When I arrived at the islands I turned to my friend and said ‘this looks like the place in Casa Del Papel’ she responded with ‘El you know that was filmed here right?!’. Makes sense that it looked like it!

San Blas has also been used by Windows as a screensaver option for over 10 years. So you may have seen these beautiful islands before without knowing it.

About Guna Yala

Guna Yala is the region of Panama that includes the San Blas islands. It is a region of Panama solely for the indigenous population called the Guna people. Guna people known for pride of automony. This is one of the reasons they have rejected offers of large hotel chains to buy property on the islands. The region is protected and it has maintained its natural beauty be

The revolution Flag of Guna Yala

You may notice the flag of the revolution of the Guna People. It is yellow and red with an inverted swastika on it. This is not the flag associated with the Nazis in World War 2. It is the flag of the revolution that the local population have used since 1925. As a European, I am not used to seeing the swastika on any flag but they have no link and are not associated in any way.

What to Expect

The draw of the San Blas islands is the crystal-clear waters and the perfect white sand. The sea water is so clear it also makes for some great snorkelling and starfish spotting.

The San Blas islands are not developed and that is one of the things that make them so special. But with this, do not expect luxury accommodation or resorts. The accommodation is very basic and most of the food is what can be caught or grown in the region which is again basic but very fresh. Some islands don’t have 24-hour electricity and don’t expect wifi. This is the perfect spot to step away from the hustle of Panama City and have a digital detox.

What to Bring to the San Blas Islands

USD Cash. Most tours include all meals. Cash is needed if you want to buy extra drinks, coconuts or souvenirs made by the local people.

Sun cream or UV protective clothes. Reef friendly suncream is a great idea to protect the marine life around the islands. If you are sensitive to sun, there tends to be not much shade so UV protective clothes is also a great option.

Swimming costume and beach towel – this goes without saying. No better way to enjoy the crystal clear water than by swimming in it! I have a dock and bay beach towel and I love it.

A good book. The San Blas Islands are a maximum relaxation zone. You will have plenty of time to relax and wind down. A great book and hammock with the sound of the waves are a perfect combo. I use a kindle when I travel to save the weight in my bag.

Bug repellent. There are quite a few bugs including mosquitoes so bug repellent is very useful.

External battery pack, ideally solar powered. Not all of the lodges have 24 hour electricity so if you need power having a charged battery is very useful.

Underwater camera or nice DSLR camera to take some beautiful photos. Personally, I love the GoPro Hero 11 and the Canon 2000D.

There is no wifi on the islands although there is local sim service. If you have a local sim card this is the best way to stay in contact with the outside world. If you have an iPhone such as the iPhone 14, you can use an eSIM. I used the app Airolo for mine in Panama.

How to Visit the San Blas Islands

If you are thinking about visiting the San Blas islands solo, think again. Running tours is on of the main sources of income to the Guna community and all trips to the islands are run by them. There are many Guna run tour companies so a trip is very easily organised.

All hotels are run by the local Guna people too. The community has turned down offers from many large hotels to develop the region. Because of this, the islands keep their natural beauty. There are many islands that local people live on and tourists are not allowed to visit.

There are 2 main ways to visit the San Blas Islands by Sailing Boat or by an organised trip to multiple islands.

Visiting the San Blas Islands as Part of an organised tour from Panama City

If you are planning on staying in Panama the best way to do this is organise a trip through one of the local agencies, this is what I did. Personally, I used Sea San Blas. With these trips, you choose the type of accommodation you have and how many days you want to visit. All food is included in these trips which usually consists of freshly caught fish and potatoes and coconut rice. All transport is included and most

Visiting the San Blas Islands on a Sailing Boat to Colombia

The Guna Yala region borders on the ‘Darien Gap’ that carries on to Colombia. The Darien region is given the name gap because it is the break in the pan American Highway. There is no road that passes through this region. It is not recommended to travel through this region for safety.

The way many travellers choose to cross between Colombia and Panama through the Darien Gap is by sail boat. The trips are usually 5 nights in total and go in both directions. The trip includes 3 days in the San Blas and 2-3 days sailing depending on the conditions. The trips start from Cartegena in Colombia and Panama City in Panama. The trips are not cheap costing at least $550USD per person. I personally didn’t do this trip as I wasn’t going to Colombia but I met many people that said this experience was the highlight of their trip and they used Blue Sailing.

How to Get to the San Blas Islands

To access the San Blas Islands you need to take a boat from the Port Carti. Most tours start from a pickup from your accommodation in Panama City. The journey from Panama city takes about 4 hours. At least 2 hours of this is on an extremely bumpy and windy road. The pot holes are completely unavoidable and it is a very uncomfortable journey even in a 4×4.

From the port, a smaller boat will take you to the beautiful islands and this part of the journey takes up to 30 minutes depending on the island you visit.

Requirements for visiting the San Blas Islands

To enter the Guna Yala region, you must pass through a check point on the road. At this point you need to pay $20USD in cash only. You must also show your passport – the original only, no copies allowed.

How to visit the San Blas Islands Respectfully

The local Guna people are proud of their traditions and have made a conscious effort to make sure the nature is respected in the region. They are very autonomous people.

Apart from tourism, a big portion of income for the Guna people is agriculture and fishing. One of the largest exports is from the sale of coconuts. So, if you happen to see a coconut on the ground, don’t help yourself. They are sold very cheaply on the islands.

Do. Not. Touch. The. Starfish. One of the beautiful things you will see in the sea are very large bright orange starfish. If you touch them, you do a lot of harm and could kill them even if you are ‘gentle’.

Guna people are traditional people and nudity and public displays of affection are considered very rude. Guna people are very accepting of LGBT+ people.

There are corals and lots of animals in the sea around the San Blas islands. I recommend buying a reef safe sun cream before you go to protect the wildlife as much as possible.

Can you Visit the San Blas Islands for a Day?

You can, in principle visit the San Blas islands for a day. But prepare for a very very long day. The journey to the port is at least 4 hours and you are picked up at 5am in the morning. So a day trip to the San Blas is of course feasible but it means 8 hours of driving in one day.

How Long to Stay?

I stayed for 4 days 3 nights in the San Blas islands. Dare I say this was slightly too long? I was with a friend for the first 2 days but was alone the second 2 days so I got slightly bored. Make sure to bring a good book.

What do you do in the San Blas Islands?

If you take a tour of the islands, you will visit many islands across the archipelago. There is plenty of opportunity for snorkelling and seeing the marine life around the islands. One of the islands that I spent quite a bit of time on had a shipwreck which had a huge variety of fish swimming around it – I loved it!

The main activity in the San Blas is relaxxxxingggg. There is plenty of time to lay on the beach and just enjoy being in paradise. Some tour providers provide paddle boards which is a lovely way to enjoy the ocean. There are also natural swimming pools to visit which are pretty spectacular – the water just comes up bright blue!

My favourite thing when I visited the San Blas islands was to wake in the sunset in a hammock over the water. There were always beautiful sunsets and it was magical to it in with the sound of the waves underneath.  

That’s the end of the ultimate guide to visiting the San Blas Islands in Panama

I hope you enjoyed this guide to visiting the San Blas Islands in Panama and you found it useful. Please let me know in the comments how you found the San Blas!