Panama’s San Blas Islands: An Adventure to the Perfect Escape

As an elementary school teacher, by the time winter break rolls around I am ready to relax and truly get away from it all!  This past December, I also completed my master’s degree.  I was ready to celebrate!

What I needed was some serious relaxation.  All I wanted to do was lay on a deserted beach, take in the sun, and forget all my worries.

Panama’s San Blas Islands were the perfect remedy to all my winter woes.

Getting There

We booked a 3 day-2 night tour to San Blas with Panama Travel Unlimited.  I paid a deposit online when booking and the rest was due the day before departure at Mamallena Hostel in Panama City.

The tour company picked us up from our hostel in Panama City early in the morning at around 6 am.  We were pretty groggy, but I brought my travel pillow and passed out for most of the 2 hour ride to the dock.  I say for most of the ride because, once we left the highway, the road got rough. This is an aspect of the trip that the tour company warns you about before you even book it.

It’s a windy uphill, downhill trek once you leave the main road. The girls in the vehicle with us got pretty scared, but I put my trust in our driver.  I mean, he drives the route every single day and he’s still around right?  At one point, we all had to leave the vehicle so the driver could get up a really steep hill.  The ride is not for the faint of heart, but we made it all in one piece.

 

If you’ve got some more time, sailboat cruises go through San Blas to and from Cartagena.

 

The Dock

This was the most confusing part of the trip. At the end of the ride you are dropped off at the dock… along with everyone else from every other tour company, people who live and work there, people who made the drive on their own…. It is extremely crowded.  A guy came up to the group in our vehicle, gave us all wristbands and told us to wait.

So we waited.  And we waited.  We began to notice that the girls who were in the vehicle with us weren’t there anymore, but we knew they were just there for the day so we figured maybe they went someplace different from us.  After awhile the dock soon cleared out and we were among the only people still waiting.  I decided to ask someone what was up.  After asking just about everyone on the dock, getting our driver to help us out, and calling the tour office, we were able to figure out whose island we were supposed to be on.  Then one of the guys at the dock called him and he came back to get us.

In the end it was no big deal.  The thing I love most about Panama is how friendly and helpful people are.  We had no clue what was going on or where we were supposed to be and literally everyone working out there helped us out. Although, I was very glad I can speak Spanish. I’m not sure how we would’ve been able to figure this whole situation out otherwise.

My tip:  Know what island you’ll be staying on and the name of the person who is taking you there, that way someone can help you if you get lost or left behind like we did.

 

Private cabanas on our island.

The Island

Once we finally arrived, I knew it was all worth it! Aside from a few simple cabanas, our island was completely undeveloped.  There were showers (cold water only), toilets, and a generator that supplied power so we weren’t 100% off the grid, but there was no wifi… just the sand and the sea.  This was exactly what I needed.

Once we’d arrived, it was time to go off on our excursion for the day.  Each day after breakfast, they take you out on the boat to one or more of the surrounding islands.  Usually, these islands are completely uninhabited with no buildings of any kind.  It was amazing to see the untamed and unblemished Caribbean.  Our guides brought along some water, juice, beer and on a couple of days some rum for Cuba Libres.  We swam, snorkeled, and just took in the beauty of the sea surrounding us.

After a few hours exploring the surrounding islands, we returned to ours for lunch.  Lunch generally consisted of either fish or chicken served with some vegetables and rice.  If you’re vegetarian they can serve you a vegetable salad and rice.  My favorite was eating a fresh fried fish each day with a side of coconut rice!

After lunch the afternoon is yours to do with as you wish!  Our island was very small. You could walk the length of it in less than 10 minutes.  If you’re a beach bum like me, you will be in paradise!  I recommend bringing a book and maybe a deck of cards.  It’s a very chilled out vibe like being on a camping trip.

Dinner was served around 7 pm and again, you get to choose between chicken and fish.  If you let them know early in the day that you would like lobster, they will catch lobster and cook it for you for an extra charge.  I highly recommend it.  We paid $10 for a whole lobster cooked in a Caribbean style sauce that was absolutely delicious!

 

Me enjoying my Cuba Libre and taking in these chill island vibes.

What To Bring

We left all our luggage with our hostel in Panama City.  All you need is a small backpack with a couple changes of clothes, bathing suit, snorkel gear (though it was also provided but we already had our own), and any essential items you might need.

On the island, they had jugs of filtered water you could refill your own bottle with.  They also sold sodas, beer, and rum.  Beer was $2 each. We brought our own bottle of rum in with us, which I do recommend as it is cheaper than purchasing there.

What To Expect

The tour company states this over and over again on their website before you book, but staying on the San Blas Islands is extremely rustic.  The cabanas are thatched roof structures with a sand floor. The beds do have an actual mattress and sheets.  It stays relatively warm but if you are prone to getting chilly at night I would bring a light blanket.  There are also tents you can stay in if you prefer that.  The bath houses are also very basic.  When I’m all hot, sweaty and sandy I really don’t mind a cold shower.  Just be prepared for it. Also, this is pretty standard throughout all of Latin America, don’t flush the toilet paper, you put it in the garbage can.

If you enjoy camping and being out in nature, you really will enjoy this and I highly recommend staying a night or two.  It is a long and tiring trip to get here and while they do offer day tours, I don’t feel they are worth it.  If you come for just the day, you arrive, go on the daily excursion, eat lunch and leave.  It would be a long and exhausting day.  For me, the 2 night 3 day package was perfect.  When I left I felt truly relaxed. I got to enjoy beautiful, empty,  pristine beaches…. it felt like pure heaven!