A Guide to visiting the San Blas Islands Panama
I first heard about the San Blas Islands Panama when I was travellingd you sleep on the boat. in Colombia. As there is no road from Panama to Colombia a lot of people opt for the 4 night/5 day boat trip. It’s quite an expensive option and as I get so seasick I believed it was a trip I was never going to do and a place I was never going to see.
When I found out I needed to get further away from the US than Mexico or the Caribbean to reset my visa I decided to visit Costa Rica & Panama, I had previously visited Costa Rica but hadn’t had time to go to Panama too.
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While I was in Costa Rica I decided to check out the lonely planet and see what there was to do in Panama. I was reading about these gorgeous islands and suddenly realised they were the ones I had been hearing about all the time I was in Colombia. I never knew that there was an option to visit this place from Panama City.
That was then decided, I needed to make my way to Panama City and visit the San Blas islands from there. I booked into the Mamallena hostel in Panama City as I knew that they could book my San Blas trip, and caught the overnight bus from Bocas del toro arriving at 7am.
Where are the San Blas Islands
The San Blas Islands are located just off the Caribbean Coast of Panama. There are around 365 islands with around of these inhabited.
Weather San Blas Panama
The dry season is from January to May with hardly any rain during this period and temperatures around 27 degrees celsius. This is when most visitors visit the San Blas Islands and it can get a little crowded.
I visited in October and had great weather, even in the wet season it does not rain all day and most of the time just tends to be an hour or so in the afternoon.
How to get to San Blas Islands from Panama City
After crashing on the sofa for a few hours as it was too early to check in, I sat down with reception and discussed my San Blas trip, decided on an Island and by 10am I had my trip to the San Blas Islands booked for 5.30am the next morning!! The transfer in the vehicle is around $70 US and takes about 3 hours to the small port where you pick up the boat for the island you have decided to stay. It can be a bit chaotic but the driver helps get you on the boat to the right island.
To get from Panama City to San Blas you can either book your transfer and accommodation through a hostel or a travel agency (there are travel agencies everywhere that offer this service). You also have the option of booking accommodation through booking.com and for an extra fee then can arrange the transfer for you.
I had chosen to stay at Franklin’s, a small island split in half, but our half had the nice beach and huts overlooking the water. I paid $26 US a night for a dorm room and this includes 3 meals. We bought snacks & water before going to the island but you are able to buy some there, just at a higher price. Just make sure you take enough cash for food & excursions as there are no ATM’s and you can’t pay by card. If you run out of money you have to leave!!
We got off the boat and went to the hut to pay up and then went to see our home for the next 3 nights. It’s basic but you get a bed, there are some shelves to put your bags, the floor is just the beach, and as a person who hates sand, it’s surprising how quickly you get used to it.
The hut is open to the elements and the birds, it rained a couple of the nights and during the first night I got woken up as it was raining on me!! The birds do come into your room, so just check your sheets for bird poo and you can easily get them changed, also make sure your food is well protected, the birds managed to peck through 2 carrier bags and into my crisps (potato chips) and biscuits!! They also tried pecking through my rucksack when I transferred the food into there!!
Here is me outside my hut and the view from my hut.
The first day I just chilled and enjoyed the beach. I swam in the sea, did a bit of snorkelling and walked around the island (that took about 10 mins!!). Meal times are set and you are woken up early about 7.30am for breakfast, lunch is about 11.30am and then dinner is at 4.30pm. It got dark early when I was there and as the generator was shut off at about 9pm we did get to catch up on much needed sleep!!
The second day most of us on the island (there were about 10 of us, the whole island can sleep about 90 people) decided to do a trip to a nearby reef and to Isla Perro which has a shipwreck. It was a great day, the water was clear and the shipwreck was close to shore so nice and easy to snorkel around. We were also joined by the local military who had come ashore and decided to do some snorkelling around the shipwreck too!!
After the trip it was back to the Island for a game of volleyball, before some card games once it got dark.
The final day a few of us decided to go to the main Kuna island for a visit around their local town to see the school and the local hospital. You get to see exactly how they live and many of them live in the same kind of basic huts that we only had to sleep in for 3 nights!! They have shops though and are making many different things to sell to the tourists that come.
After that it was back to the island for our final bit of relaxation and sunbathing before our 8am pick up back to the mainland the next day.
It was a truly amazing experience, no wifi and no electricity to charge appliances for 3 days!! And do you know what, I didn’t miss it!! Just relaxing and having the sea a few metres from your door and going to sleep listening to it was amazing. I love this place and hopefully I will be back again one day for another visit.
What to pack for the San Blas Islands
You only need to back the basics when you go to the San Blas Islands. If you are going back to Panama after then try and leave most of your luggage in your hotel or hostel there.
What you will need:
- Towel – A light microfiber quick drying towel is perfect
- Flip Flops
- Swim suit x2
- Sun screen
- Passport
- Gopro – perfect for filming and taking pics of your snorkelling activities.
San Blas Sailing
Another very popular option is to sail from Panama City to Colombia, this is quite expensive but does include your transport to the boat and all your meals for the trip. This does mean you get to explore a lot of the islands and reefs as the boat will stop at many during the day and then at night the anchor is put down and you sleep on the boat.
Where to stay San Blas Islands
If you want to book before you get to Panama and certainly a good idea for high season, then check out these options:
Enjoy San Blas – Isla Diablo – Stay on this small island in a little lodge with terrace and enjoying snorkelling and volleyball during the day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Click here for more information and prices.
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wow thats super interesting! I have never heard of this place and the way you describe it, it seems mystical; no plugs, no wifi, no atm, no credit card..and when you run out of money, you have to leave 😀
Beautiful photos! That’s so cool you saw a starfish! The price for a dorm isn’t bad — especially since you get 3 meals a day with the price!
This is the kind of break we all need from time to time. Disconnect and connect with nature. The beach looks really amazing
San Blas Islands is so beautiful and I believe it is a wonderful place to go for a few days digital retreat. Sleep with the sounds of the crush waves and wake up to the singing of the birds would be nature’s great gift. I am glad you enjoy it and it was not at all expensive.
Looks like a wonderful place and you would definitely be able to unwind without all those techno gadgets, although part of my relaxing is using those gadgets to read etc. Not sure I could do without them for 3 days 🙂 Looks simply stunning though.
I did have my kindle to read, luckily it does not need charging very often and my cameras were fully charged before I left!!!
I’ve wanted to go to Panama ever since I was a teenager after we had an exchange student visit from Panama one term. It looks and sounds really amazing! That beach looks stunning – and must have been awesome to snorkel around the shipwreck!
WOW. I want to go there! Sounds like quite an interesting adventure, thank you for the great read love your photo’s especially the under water pictures.
Looks so beautiful! I’ve seen starfish up here, but the water is too cold to get too close to them 🙂 Wouldn’t mind being there right now!
I love a tropical island but had never heard of San Blas. I think 3 days is probably the most Ai could probably go with no technology! I know The Hubs would have an issue with the sand on the floor in the huts! The one thing Ai would struggle is the set meal times. That early dinner would kill me lol. What a truly unique experience you had.
As a travel sickness traveller, I really sympathise with your sea sickness. I’m so glad that you made it to these islands.
San Blas looks like such a beautiful place. I need to go there 🙂
Wow, it’s totally paradise. Such a beautiful part of the world, thanks for sharing! Happy travels 🙂
San Blas islands really look like the ideal island getaway. Your photos really show how beautiful it is there, I want to go! 🙂
If I was to be on that beautiful island without phone, wifi and internet, I wouldn’t miss it either. It looks fantastic! It’s amazing that you can choose the island you want to stay on and that they are so small. Practically, you can have the entire beach to yourself.
I’ve heard wonderful things about the Panama Islands, but I never got around to actually looking to them more! Franklin island sounds like a cute little place to stay- especially since it’s so unique, being split down the middle! And good tip about the ATMs and food on the island. I have some food allergies, so I’m always packing snacks. The birds would love me! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Such a nice, place, I wonder why no tourists flocking there. Looks like a very relaxing environment
In the high season the islands are full, I was there just at the end of the wet season so not too busy which was nice 🙂
The San Blas islands sound amazing! I’ve never heard of them before so I really enjoyed learning about them. Snorkeling around a shipwreck sounds fantastic. I love beaches too! Thanks for providing details about the cost for certain transportation and activities.
this is a very good finding! I also wanted to explore San Blas islands but I was not happy with the Colombian option. You gave me the perfect excuse to visit Panama soon!
It sounds like a paradise! A perfect place to recharge your batteries and forget about the real world out there. Glad you pursuit your dreams and found the way to visit San Blas!
What an incredible view from your hut! Great post, thanks for sharing 🙂
I keep hearing Panama is a great place to visit with the stability of the Canal Zone keeping the country very stable and prosperous. Escaping to the peace and quiet of San Blas seems like the best of both worlds.
Oh this really does look like a real hidden gem and absolute paradise! I love the idea of no wifi or electricity, a true off the grid experience!
So good that you finally managed to visit with a 4 days boat trip! I love the idea of getting off the beaten track for a bit, with no access to wifi. Sometimes it is hard to switch off until you don’t have the choice! I love the idea that you could swim around an actual shipwreck – and see how the locals live.
What a beautiful place to detach and unwind. It would have been awesome to go snorkelling around that shipwreck! The beachy views are enough to make anyone jealous of this trip!
Truly beautiful, straight out of paradise! I love the emptiness there and this is truly essential in my opinion for such places. For me it is not really the kind of perfect vacation when you are in such a place but have to share a beach with 500 others 😉 But this one here seems to be really “private”….
$26 US a night for a dorm room including 3 meals sounds absolutely fair to me!
Thank you for presenting this hidden gem!
This seems like an amazing place to visit. Looks like the locals are happy to help get you booked and to your destination. This definitely makes the experience much more pleasant. The little huts you stayed at were adorable and the views are amazing. The excursion also looked like fun and it seems you lucked out with the people that were with you. Amazing trip.
I have never heard of this hidden paradise, it’s really an incredible island, I would love to visit it. What I liked the most is that it doesn’t seem full of tourists, which means tranquility and freedom haha, Thanks for sharing, thanks to you now I will add this to my bucket list
This is my first time hearing about San Blas and it sounds like it’s a hidden paradise. No ATM, limited electricity, no frills- the perfect place to unplug and unwind. I can’t believe all three meals are included with the room at only $26USD… That is such a steal!
That beach looks beautiful. We took a no wifi, no electricity trip a few months ago and loved the freedom and all the extra time we had. Sometimes you don’t really realize how much time you spend on phones and computers until you are completely without them.