We love to sail. Grant used to work on a tall ship in Oxnard, we owned a sailboat when we lived in San Diego, and we chartered boats in the Caribbean with Grant’s family. So where does Panama come in?
When we were backpacking Central and South America in 2018, we kept meeting people who were taking sailing trips between Cartagena and Panama via the beautiful San Blas Islands. Our route was a little weird. We met friends in Colombia for New Year’s and then backtracked to Guatemala so we skipped Panama all together. I keep a list on my iPhone of things I want to do that we skipped and this was one of them. Flash forward to 2022 and we have a two year old and a brand new 3 month old baby…and we’re planning a Panama vacation. I knew I had to include these gorgeous islands on our itinerary. Read all about our two weeks in Panama here.
The San Blas Islands are technically called Guna Yala (named after the indigenous people to which they belong) and while they are a popular travel destination, they are super remote and have literally nothing on them. Most of the islands are just palm trees, and a few have huts you can stay in and one or two “restaurants” (a kitchen in a old building).
Where to Stay on Guna Yala – San Blas Islands
At first I thought we would stay on one of the islands rather than a boat, but the Airbnb huts (and I mean huts! The floor is sand) were $300/night! I’m not talking about a Tulum eco chic glamping hut, but like a literal hut. Truly insane. I then started to see sailboat listings on Airbnb and went that route. I ended up booking directly with Click and Sailing here. There were some nicer companies but we were on a bit of a budget so this was our splurge. We went for the catamaran (even though more expensive because) we wanted the space and large trampoline upfront for the boys.
Getting to Guna Yala – San Blas Islands
The islands are insanely gorgeous and worth it, but the trek is BRUTAL! You first have to drive to Barsukun Port and take a water taxi to the boats. Barsukun Port is only 2.5 hours from Panama City, but the road is terrible. (And this is coming from someone who lives in Costa Rica!) The interstate is fine, but once you exit it is a crazy pot hole filled road for one hour! A 4×4 vehicle is required.
Guna Yala has its own government (similar to an Indian Reservation in the States) so we had to show our passports and name a cabin “Little Dog Cabanas” on the island we were staying at. The captain basically told us to lie to government officials because they aren’t supposed to rent out their boats! The water taxi is $50 a person (pretty steep for a short ride!) and you have to pay a park fee of $23 plus parking and taxes!
We were relieved when we arrived to the “port” (This is a loose term as it is one building in a patch of grass!) only to see a few dark clouds rolling in. We were getting sprinkled on and then the boat pulled up and the crew was wearing full rain slickers and life vests. (Not a good sign!) It started down pouring and we got absolutely soaked! Marin was a good sport and thought it was fun while I was trying to shelter 3 month old Hobie in the wrap and under my rain coat!
We couldn’t see the boat names through the rain and our captain wasn’t looking for us (even though he was expecting our arrival). In retrospect he was probably hungover! Thankfully, this nice family let us come aboard their catamaran and gave the boys snacks and towels and us hot coffee. They were so kind and reminded me why I love travel and meeting new people. The rain died down and we finally met up with our captain and boarded our boat.
What to do on Guna Yala – San Blas Islands
Thankfully it cleared up in the afternoon and the next two days were absolutely beautiful! There is not much to do on Guna Yala but that is the beauty of it! Relax on the boat (is that possible with two babies!?), swim, snorkel, kayak, all the things!
We walked around one of the islands and bought souvenirs from local women. For lunch our captain took us to an island with a fun vibe where we ate fresh-caught fish and drank smoothies! I think staying on the boat instead of on the island is the right call. Otherwise you may get bored stuck on one island!
What does it cost to sail the San Blas Islands?
We spent $1000 for two nights and that was all-inclusive. For dinner one night we stopped at one of the island “restaurants” which was a a bare bones hut. Other boaters were there too so it was a fun experience meeting people who had been sailing all over the world. The second night the captain, who was from Spain, cooked us lobster paella with lobster we purchased from a local fisherman! The included breakfast and lunch were pretty weak, but it was nice that it was all included!
Funny story: We were sailing in the remote San Blas Islands with two small kids and were looking to relax in nature and spend our nights looking at the stars. Our captain had a different plan! He parked us super close to the “restaurant” and after crushing beers all day he drove his dingy to the bar where he blared his bluetooth speaker and played cards all night! He thought we were asleep and missed all of this and he acted like nothing happened the next morning when he was clearly hungover! We got a good laugh out of it.
Are the San Blas Islands good for babies?
In short, not really. Keeping non-swimmers safe on a boat is a full-time job. There’s not much time to relax and they’re too small to enjoy many of the activities.
Getting them to sleep in the hot, rocking cabin is also a challenge! If you’re not a boater I don’t recommend it but our family loves and prioritizes sailing adventures like this so to us it was totally worth it! We had a great time.
Sailing in San Blas,
-Ray