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Voykit pocket guide · Panama
San Blas Islands
Guna 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.
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.
- Country
- Panama
- Local name
- Guna Yala
- Best months
- Jan–Apr (dry season, calmer seas)
- Avoid
- Jun–Nov (rain, rough crossings), late Dec–early Jan (busiest)
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- PAB
- Money
- Currency is the balboa (PAB), fixed 1 to 1 with the US dollar; US dollar notes are the paper money in use, with Panamanian coins.
- Daily spend
- 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 (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Más Móvil, Tigo and Digicel SIMs at Tocumen and in malls; passport required.
- Emergency
- Police, fire and ambulance 911 · Police 104 · Fire 103
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · US-style plugs.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: 10% if not added.; Guides and boat crews: US$5–10 per person.; Hotel porters: US$1–2 per bag.
- Water
- Tap water is safe in Panama City and most towns; drink bottled on the islands and in Bocas.
- Toilets
- Western toilets; basic outhouses on San Blas islands.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Island day-use fee (beach, seats or hammock) | $1–7 per person |
| Camping, per person per night | $8–15 |
| Boat to a nearby island | $10–25 per person |
| Beer or soda from a small island store | $1–3 |
| Mola (hand-stitched panel) | $15–60 |
| Lodge meal package, per day | Usually included in the room rate |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- 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)
Typical fares
- 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
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get 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 and do
Known for
- Guna-run island lodges
- Snorkelling and reefs
- Molas and beaded jewellery
- White-sand cays with no roads
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Island-hopping by boat from your lodge | Boat arranged by the lodge or at the Cartí port | 20–60 min each way |
| Guna village visit (for example Narganá / Corazón de Jesús) | Boat from your island or from Cartí | 30 min–2 h |
| Puerto Obaldía | Small fast motor boat along the coast; no fixed schedule | About 6 h |
| Mulatupo o Sasardi | Boat along the coast, or a charter flight to the airstrip | 2–4 h by boat |
Sleep
- 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.No lodging; a shelter at Dibin takes tents. Boats to the islands gather here from about 3:30 PM.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Nuedinwe-di |
| Thank you | Nuedinwe-di |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta?kwan-to kwes-ta |
| Where is the boat? | ¿Dónde está el bote?don-de es-ta el bo-te |
| I don't want it, thank you | No, graciasno gra-syas |
| Can I take a photo? | ¿Puedo tomar una foto?pwe-do to-mar u-na fo-to |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'buenos días'; avoid: Skipping greetings in shops
- Dress: Long trousers in offices and churches; avoid: Beachwear in the city
- Guna communities: Ask before photos, pay the fee; avoid: Walking into homes or ceremonies
Scams and watch-outs
- 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.
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.
One and two days
No timed day plan for San Blas Islands yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Guna-run island lodges
- Snorkelling and reefs
- Molas and beaded jewellery
- White-sand cays with no roads
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá (official tourism authority): www.visitpanama.com/
- Wikivoyage: San Blas Islands, revision 5319439 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5319439
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
San Blas IslandsGuna Yala
Al puerto de Cartí, por favor
To the Cartí port, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
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.
Guna Yala is a self-governed comarca: local rules and fees apply, and cash is the norm. Carry small US notes.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/san-blas-islands). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.