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San Blas
Panamanian Caribbean
San Blas with everything included.
If you are a seeker of an eternal sun, you want to take a dip from your boat, swim in long Caribbean beaches with crystal clear, green and blue waters, practice paddle and snorkel watching hundreds of starfish, San Blas is an idyllic place to enjoy a magical vacation aboard a sailboat or catamaran.
This paradise is preserved intact and free from mass tourism thanks to the native Kuna of San Blas. You will also get to know the famous indigenous region of the Guna Yala, their rituals, traditions, language, their environment, mountains, jungle, sun, sea...
If you want to travel to San Blas we tell you which is the best option to stay and discover these paradisiacal islands.
Travel gallery to San Blas
Why travel to San Blas?
For its eternal sun, its tiny islands always surrounded by a soft halo of white sand, populated with fresh coconut palms and crystal clear waters that hide suggestive corals and virgin reefs with great biodiversity. Of the 378 islands that make up the San Blas archipelago, only 49 are currently inhabited and they have remained isolated from civilization for centuries. The islands are often lonely and only visited by a small handful of travellers.
To curl the loop, the San Blas archipelago not only has some beautiful postcard beaches, but also embraces a leafy mountain range covered in pure jungle along the continent, in which it seems that from one moment to another Tarzan will appear hanging among thousands of vines!
San Blas, also known as Guna Yala, is a place inhabited exclusively by the Kuna (or Gunas) indigenous people. In addition, you can live on land with them, which live in small straw huts (bohíos). The native Kuna have total control over the access of tourists to the San Blas Islands of Panama and they fight in a disciplined way not to be invaded by the mass tourism industry by protecting their lands. This makes the archipelago an 'Olympus' for those who flee from crowded beaches and seek privacy on a vacation surrounded by one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world and a complete and original culture in one of the most exceptional locations on the planet.
Did you know...?
The indigenous people of Kuna Yala are traditionally fishermen (the Guna themselves have specialized in fishing by free diving, that is, the traditional way), they are hunters, coconut collectors, producers and artisans of molas and gold, which caused with the arrival of the Spanish constant clashes in colonial times. In 2008 they opened the only land access to San Blas from Panama City, facilitating the entrance of tourists and giving them the opportunity to contemplate its beauty and culture. In the San Blas archipelago you will not find cars, so there is no noise... There are no restaurants, only some huts/hotels in San Blas run by the Kuna themselves who also serve typical food.
The Kuna have also managed to maintain their language, and in Guna Yala they have their own legislation, and there is a border that separates them on the Panamanian mainland, despite the fact that they continue to belong to Panama. We cannot conceive the islands of San Blas Panama without the Kunas, their presence makes this paradise a unique place in the world!
Did you know...?
These huts/hotels are built with the materials that nature itself gives to the Kuna in San Blas (reeds and wooden planks for the walls, dry palm leaves for the roofs, and yet an assiduous use of sheet metal). . There are no private toilets or bathrooms, most have hammocks to sleep in instead of beds, and the floors of the rooms are covered with the same sand as the island itself; no air conditioning, no TV, very little internet, no hot water, and in some cases no electricity, which means that until a few years ago only truly adventurous tourists came to San Blas Panama. In fact, you will not find jet skis or paragliders, scuba diving is prohibited, but snorkeling, canoe rides, visiting sunken ships, kayaking, paddle and sailing are allowed, which makes staying on a sailboat in San Blas is the best option to explore this paradise!
On some of the inhabited islands, travelers will be required to pay a small visit fee, and the two biggest rules of etiquette to respect are: no topless and no taking photos without first asking permission: Most Kuna will require a small fee of about $3 to be able to take the photo. However, if you buy some handicraft as a souvenir, it is possible that they will not charge you the fee... because the Kuna are aware of the exotic fascination that their image and their traditional lifestyle that they have managed to preserve, arouse among the tourists: They wear picturesque and colorful typical dresses (they still adorn themselves with the usual clothing of their culture, such as vibrant and geometric beads that zigzag from the ankles to the knees, and from the wrists to the elbows) and then there are the molas that are hand-woven fabrics. The men wear contemporary clothing.
What is it like to visit San Blas by boat?
Imagine that you get out of bed and the paradise of San Blas delights you every morning with the sight of a moving and always different sunrise. If you feel like it, have breakfast on deck or directly take a dip in the sea. While you swim in the turquoise and blue waters, so transparent, you can see the bottom, you see hundreds of starfish, turtles, dolphins, fish of all colors and manta rays... until you reach the beach that is a few meters away. of you snorkeling or practicing paddle. Meetings with Kuna friends and direct contact with their culture await you over a bottle of rum at night!
During your boat vacation to San Blas Panama, you can sail and sleep sharing a boat with other people who travel like you or on a boat exclusively for you and yours. Your hosts will be experienced sailors who love life at sea and are immensely happy to share it with you, opening the doors of their floating home while showing you the wonders of nature. The boat will be your apartment and means of transportation. For many cruise passengers who have already traveled around the world, San Blas de Panama is the most beautiful place they have ever seen!
As we like to eat healthy, we sailors fish or buy fish and shellfish directly from the Kunas, so fresh fish and shellfish will not be missing from the menu, even barbecued! But first we may drop anchor to our next island to eat. These trips around the San Blas archipelago by sailboat will normally be short, one or two hours, which we will take advantage of to sunbathe, relax on deck and breathe that pure air that only the sea is capable of giving us.
Afterwards, bath, food, siesta and maybe change to another island to spend the night, where you can go out to enjoy the party of the place or organize the party on board or on the beach with the rest of the crew. All that remains is to finish a wonderful day sleeping with the slight movement of the boat, feeling the sea breeze on your body every night, and in the most absolute silence where you will discover that you love nature more than you thought.
How to get to San Blas from Panama City.
Our boats will take you sailing directly to the most beautiful beaches of San Blas and spend the night in each of them. You can go ashore whenever you want, you can even reach it by swimming while every day we visit a different island and in a different culture. You have the possibility of sailing on a sailboat for individual seats, occupying your own cabin, or renting the entire boat. We can even change the course if we feel like it and stay longer in one place. Along with all these advantages, this option is more practical and economical in terms of value for money, so the best way to explore San Blas in Panama is by sea: no trip to San Blas will be complete without a few days sailing on a boat. !
Our companions with years of experience sailing in San Blas, will welcome you in perfectly equipped sailboats and with all kinds of comforts on board to stay and sail in Guna Yala. Simply let us know your concerns and preferences, and we will be delighted to help you find the perfect boat to live an unforgettable experience that you will never forget during your dream vacation in San Blas, Panama.
If you are a pursuer of beauty in this world, visiting San Blas in Panama traveling by sailboat and enjoying its long Caribbean beaches overflowing with palm trees with crystal clear waters, is living a great and magical experience! Come to rest, and isolate while living an inner journey in one of the few places in this world where there are no hotel complexes or restaurants and totally free from mass tourism. On the islands of San Blas, one feels nature so much that it multiplies their feelings like never before. Come see that the sky is not always so high and that it is also earthly. Where life has a more powerful imagination than your dream vacation, and where you will live unforgettable moments, inexplicable things, and meet incomparable people!
Do you want to know more about San Blas?
How to get there, what are you going to visit, curiosities, more about our team...
Visit our blog.
Information of interest for vacations in San Blas.
The San Blas archipelago is the only place in the Caribbean that offers a typically Polynesian landscape and is protected from hurricanes that cross the Caribbean, thanks to the privileged geographical location of the Isthmus of Panama.
Between 3 and 7 days is the recommended time to visit the islands of San Blas Panama, but if you wish you can always make a journey of more or less days.
Panama's currency is the US dollar (USD$), and it is recommended to take them in cash, since currency exchange is difficult and ATMs are non-existent in the archipelago.
Current passport.
Vaccines: In principle they are not necessary. You may need to get the yellow fever vaccine, but that will depend on the country you are traveling from. It is best to check with the health organization you have in your country.
The climate in San Blas is tropical with temperatures between 28-33ºC (80-90ºF). The temperature of the sea water is around 28ºC (82ºF). The months of January, February and March is the dry season. From April to December there are strong swells but within the archipelago the sea is calm. The rainy season begins in June and lasts until November with torrential rains and flat seas, but in general you can come any time of the year without much problem.
The time zone is GMT-5.
The planned route for this trip is not contractual and must be adapted and modified according to weather conditions, the state of the sea, the wind and the safety considerations for the crew and the boat estimated by the skipper. Conditions of various kinds during the trip, adverse wind, waves and safety reasons for the crew and/or the ship can modify this itinerary without giving rise to a claim.
Likewise, it should be noted that the distribution of the cabins is not individual but double. The availability of fresh water on board is not unlimited, and its consumption must be moderated responsibly.
The places will be occupied by strict order of reservations. The reservation is understood to be formalized once the entry of the corresponding reservation has been made.
People who have already sailed with us on other occasions will have a 10% discount and if you bring a friend we will also give him/her a 5% discount.
Any questions you have can be sent to us by mail at info@elbarcoingles.es or at +34 622.62.62.21
Life is too short not to give ourselves the luxury of making our dreams come true...don't you think so?
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