Want to experience tropical and deserted islands and not see other tourists for days? The San Blas Islands are the one.
We took a tour with San Blas Adventures, a company we had been recommended, from Cartegena all the way to Panama City. Rather than the traditional route, where you sail and live on a boat for five days, this tour company take you via speed boat and via islands each day, giving you the opportunity to sleep on different deserted islands each night.
The tour picked us up from a central hostel, took us to some out of town spots where we stayed for the night, all en route to the most beautiful islands in the world. You might be thinking, “but, isn’t the area between Panama and Costa Rica one of the scariest in the world?”. Yes, the Darien Gap is scary, and going overland there would be a crazy idea. But, we were purely seabound, and the only interactions we had were with the incredible sea life and the lovely Kuna people living on the islands off the coast.
We are lucky, we have seen some incredible beaches (check out our Kudat blog for more), but the San Blas Islands were more beautiful than we had ever expected. Stunning white sandy beaches, dotted through the horizon, surrounded by the clearest sea we’d ever seen. Who knew there was this island paradise hiding down the east coast of Panama? We didn’t, and we are so glad someone recommended we should go.
The tour was originally supposed to be four days, zipping island to island on a lovely little boat and drinking fresh coconut water and rum along the way. However, fate had other plans, and when we had to wait an extra day in a charming little Colombian town before we set sail, due to a border control malfunction, it’s easy to say we weren’t that bothered; those chilled Colombian vibes were keeping us content, and who doesn’t love an extra beach day?!
The company we did the tour with (San Blas Adventures) was run by two lovely guides, and of course, the amazing Kuna guides too. The food was lush, and there is just nothing like waking up in a hammock and going for a morning swim straight away to prepare you for a day of chill and volleyball.
Yes, it wasn’t the cheapest tour we’d ever done. But sometimes you’ve got to save a little in one place to enjoy another more; and that we did.
Check out this video of our time on the islands:
Keep living these wild journeys ✌🏼
These Wild Journeys 