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Major city · Panama

San Blas IslandsGuna Yala

Go for 2 nights on one island with meals included; skip if you want hot water, Wi-Fi or nightlife. Day tours from Panama City are a 12-hour dash.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
PAB
Best months
Jan–Apr (dry season, calmer seas)
avoid Jun–Nov (rain, rough crossings), late Dec–early Jan (busiest)
Airports
PTY · PAC · PVE
Nights
2–3
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 6Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua (CA-4) giv…
  • Central America ↗Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua (CA-4) give one shared entry allowance, usually 90 days in total; leaving for Belize, Costa Rica or Mexico and coming back does not always reset it — check with immigration before a long stay.
  • Central America ↗Cross land borders in daylight and early in the day; many posts close or empty of transport by late afternoon, and the approaches are where robberies happen.
  • Central America ↗Several borders charge entry, exit or municipal fees in US dollars (Belize exit, Nicaragua entry and exit, Honduras entry); carry small, clean US notes and ask for a receipt.
  • Panama ↗Check entry rules for your passport with Panama's National Migration Service or a Panamanian consulate; proof of onward travel and funds may be asked for.
  • Panama ↗Do not travel independently in the Darién; the UK and other governments warn against parts of it, and there is no road crossing to Colombia.
  • Panama ↗Guna Yala (San Blas) is governed by the Guna people: visitor fees apply, and photography of people usually needs permission and payment. Book through Guna-run or licensed operators.

The San Blas Islands (Guna Yala) are about 365 small islands off the Caribbean coast of eastern Panama, self-governed by the Guna. Stays are rustic island lodges with meals included, reached by 4x4 to Cartí then a motor boat. Two nights is the useful minimum; three lets you island-hop. This is a place for snorkelling, hammocks and early nights, not resorts.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about San Blas Islands, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • BeerBeer or soda from a small island store$1–3
  • Budget bedCamping on a cay (own tent), a night, per personPAB 8
  • Mid-range bedPrivate cabin for two, meals included, a night, per roomPAB 200
  • High-end bedPrivate cabin for two, meals included, a night, per roomPAB 320

A day, not counting the bed: Budget PAB 60 · Mid PAB 110 · High PAB 200

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Guna-run island lodgesSnorkelling and reefsMolas and beaded jewelleryWhite-sand cays with no roads
Airports
PTY Panama City — Tocumen International (Most arrivals; then 4x4 to Cartí, about 2–2.5 h) · PAC Panama City — Marcos A. Gelabert (Albrook) (Charter flights and helicopter charters to Guna Yala airstrips) · PVE El Porvenir (Small Guna Yala airstrip served by scheduled and charter flights (check current operators))

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

San Blas Islands: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

31°C

24°C

6 rd

Feb

31°C

24°C

4 rd

Mar

31°C

24°C

4 rd

Apr

32°C

25°C

7 rd

May

31°C

25°C

14 rd

Jun

31°C

25°C

17 rd

Jul

31°C

25°C

18 rd

Aug

31°C

25°C

18 rd

Sep

31°C

25°C

17 rd

Oct

30°C

24°C

19 rd

Nov

30°C

24°C

19 rd

Dec

31°C

24°C

12 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Everything moves by boat. From Panama City a registered 4x4 runs to the Cartí ports (about 2–2.5 h), then a small motor boat to your island, priced by distance. Between islands you arrange a boat with your lodge or at the port; there is no timetable. Bring small US notes for island entry fees and boat fares.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Island-hopping by boat from your lodge

go

Door to door: 20–60 min each way

Boat arranged by the lodge or at the Cartí port

Most lodges include a day trip to a smaller cay with snorkelling; confirm what is included before booking.

Guna village visit (for example Narganá / Corazón de Jesús)

caution

Door to door: 30 min–2 h

Boat from your island or from Cartí

Villages are living communities, not attractions. Ask before photographing people, and buy molas directly.

Puerto Obaldía

overnight

Door to door: About 6 h

Small fast motor boat along the coast; no fixed schedule

The immigration point for onward travel to Colombia; departures are irregular and often leave at sunrise.

Mulatupo o Sasardi

overnight

Door to door: 2–4 h by boat

Boat along the coast, or a charter flight to the airstrip

Far east in Guna Yala; only worth it if you are already heading that way.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Island lodge, one island for the whole stay

Cabin or hut with meals and boat transfers included; the standard choice for 2–3 nights.

Camping on a small cay

Pitch your own tent on islands such as the Perro Chico / Perro Grande pair; pay per person per night (about $8).

Cartí Sugdub

Village island 10 min from the Cartí ports; very basic hostels, useful only if you are stranded or arriving late.

Cartí ports (Barsukun, Niga Kantule, Dibin)

No lodging; a shelter at Dibin takes tents. Boats to the islands gather here from about 15:30.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
$60–90 incl. simple bed and meals
Mid
$90–150 incl. cabin, meals and boat trips
High
$150+ incl. private cabin or charter flight

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Private cabin for two, meals included1 × 2 nights × PAB 200PAB 400
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × PAB 110PAB 440
4x4 Panama City → Cartí, each way2 × PAB 25PAB 50
Guna territory entry fee, road to the ports2 × PAB 20PAB 40
Boat Cartí → island, each way2 × PAB 15 · Rises with distance.PAB 30
Snorkel gear rental, per day2 × PAB 5PAB 10
eSIM, about a week of data2 × PAB 25PAB 50
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgePAB 102
Trip total≈ PAB 281 per person per day, bed includedPAB 1,122

2026 estimate in US dollars, which is also the local currency (PAB = US$1). Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Island day-use fee (beach, seats or hammock)Charged separately on many cays.$1–7 per person
Camping, per person per night$8–15
Boat to a nearby islandBy distance.$10–25 per person
Beer or soda from a small island store$1–3
Mola (hand-stitched panel)Price tracks the weeks of work; buy from the maker.$15–60
Lodge meal package, per dayFish, crab or lobster with rice, yucca and plantain; menus are short.Usually included in the room rate

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

The archipelago is generally very safe for visitors and the Guna are welcoming. The real risks are small boats, sun, unsafe water and no medical care nearby: check the life vests, drink only bottled or filtered water, and know that the nearest hospital is in Panama City.
  • There is a Guna territory entry fee on the road to the ports (about $20 for foreign visitors, less for nationals); keep the receipt.
  • Island use is charged piecemeal: hammocks, seats, beach and camping each carry a small per-person fee. Carry $1 and $5 notes.
  • Tap water and ice are not safe to drink; bring your own water and a filter or purification tablets.
  • Electricity on many islands is generator-only and is switched off at night; bring a power bank and a torch.
  • Wi-Fi is rare; mobile coverage is patchy and mostly +móvil or Digicel. Download offline maps before you leave Panama City.
  • Boat crossings can be rough in the rainy season, and some boats are overcrowded. Check for life vests for everyone aboard before you board, and refuse a boat without them.
  • If you continue by boat toward Colombia, immigration is handled at Puerto Obaldía; there is no immigration office at La Miel.

Emergency numbers

Police, fire and ambulance (national)
911
Police
104
Fire
103

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

San Blas IslandsGuna Yala

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

Al puerto de Cartí, por favorTo the Cartí port, please

Emergency

  • Police, fire and ambulance911
  • Police104
  • Fire103

Embassy

No embassies in Guna Yala; all are in Panama City. The US embassy is in Panama City (check the address); the UK, Canada and Australia have embassies or high commissions there too.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • 4x4 Panama City → Cartí ports: about $25 per person each way, 2–2.5 h
  • Boat Cartí → island: from about $15 per person, 45 min to Perro Chico
  • Boat Cartí → Puerto Obaldía: about $90–110 per person, about 6 h, irregular departures

Say or show

  • Nuedi — Hello (nwe-di)
  • Nuedi — Thank you (nwe-di)
  • ¿Cuánto cuesta? — How much is it? (kwan-to kwes-ta)
  • ¿Dónde está el bote? — Where is the boat? (don-de es-ta el bo-te)
  • No, gracias — I don't want it, thank you (no gra-syas)
  • ¿Puedo tomar una foto? — Can I take a photo? (pwe-do to-mar u-na fo-to)

Guna Yala is a self-governed comarca: local rules and fees apply, and cash is the norm. Carry small US notes.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for San Blas Islands. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Jan–Apr (dry season, calmer seas) · avoid Jun–Nov (rain, rough crossings), late Dec–early Jan (busiest) · month by month →
  2. 3 airports and 4 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 7 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for PTY and PAC: last 4x4 departures to Cartí, boat cut-off times, overnight fallback in Panama City.
  2. Four island clusters with rescue anchors: the Perro Chico / Perro Grande pair, Cartí Sugdub, Narganá / Corazón de Jesús, and the eastern cays.
  3. Place pages with verified cut-offs (Cartí ports, El Porvenir airstrip, Puerto Obaldía immigration) and eat pages with what a lodge meal actually includes.
  4. Wet-season and hostile-crossing fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Panama

Sources