San Blas Islands Panama
119
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Emerald Waterways (10 Cruises)
Emerald Azzurra
10 Cruises
Ponant (50 Cruises)
Le Bellot
26 Cruises
| 29 March | 11 days | One-way from Puntarenas to Colon |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
| 29 March | 9 days | One-way from Puntarenas to Colon |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
Le Bougainville
10 Cruises
Le Laperouse
12 Cruises
Scenic Cruises (16 Cruises)
Scenic Eclipse
8 Cruises
Scenic Eclipse II
8 Cruises
Windstar Cruises (31 Cruises)
Star Legend
13 Cruises
Star Pride
13 Cruises
Wind Star
5 Cruises
Frequently Asked Questions
By tender, directly onto the beach or a rudimentary jetty. Water shoes help. There is no terminal and no shops: passengers land on a strip of sand fringed with coconut palms.
More than 350 islands and islets set on a turquoise lagoon off Panama's Caribbean coast. Only about fifty are inhabited. The archipelago forms the comarca of Guna Yala, the autonomous territory of the Guna people.
The Guna people, who won through hard struggle, after a founding revolt in the 1920s, the right to govern themselves by their own rules. No foreign investor owns a hotel there: the Guna manage tourism, fishing and coconut harvesting themselves. Each community lives under the authority of its local congress.
A fabric panel sewn by Guna women using reverse appliqué: several layers of coloured cloth that the needle cuts and hems to bring out birds, fish, turtles or geometric motifs. Some pieces take weeks of work, and the finest end up in museum collections.
Seamstresses display them strung on lines between two palms. You pay in small US dollar notes and compare the tight stitching that marks out the good pieces. Dugout canoes also come out to the ship offering molas and the morning's fish.
Swim in warm, translucent water, follow the reef with a mask to catch sight of rays, sea stars and angelfish, walk right around the islet in a quarter of an hour, then sit in the shade and watch the frigatebirds. The programme fits in a few words, and that is the point.
Early in the day. The sea can get up in the afternoon, and reef swimming then becomes less pleasant and less clear.
Ask first, especially women in traditional dress — mola blouses, red and gold headscarves, strings of beads wound on the legs. A symbolic contribution is sometimes expected. This is a matter of respect, not a formality.
Cash, in small US dollar notes, Panama's currency. There is no ATM and no card terminal: without cash you will not be able to buy anything.
Water, a hat and sun protection, since there is no infrastructure at all. Carry all your waste back on board. Water shoes for the landing. Plan generously: on an islet of sand and palms, nothing can be bought on the spot.
