San Blas tours

At the moment there are various tour operators in San Blas. They offer trips to the islands ranging from one to as many days as you want. Depending on your interest, budget and time you can visit multiply San Blas Islands and Kuna communities. A typical San Blas tour starts in Panama City and shows you around in Guna Yala.

Our sailing charter picks;

• Rendezvous sailing charter (average)
• Velero San Blas(average)
• Catamaran San Blas (luxury)

Tours in the San Blas archipelago

As we mentioned above the day-trips and tours to San Blas can be modified to your own vacation preferences. We offer information on various San Blas tours such as snorkeling tours, meeting the Guna, hop from island to island, beach-day and sail away. Depending on your time you can combine various San Blas tours for your trip.

Day-trip tours to San Blas

If you are looking for a day-trip to San Blas you are going to have a speedy day. Most San Blas tours start from Panama City and take you by 4×4 jeep to the speedboats (lanchia’s) that transport you to any of the San Blas Islands. This will take around three hours before you arrive on any of the islands. You can leave Panama City from around 06:00 a.m. so it is possible to arrange a day-trip, keep in mind that the last water taxis leave the islands around sunset. Check out our top beaches page for any island suggestions if you don’t know where to go. Most lanchia’s will take you to any island within an hour.

Snorkeling tour in San Blas

Snorkeling is possible on every island in the Guna Yala region. Nevertheless, there are some supreme spots that offer the clearest seawater and great varieties of fish and other marine life. Our favorite is Dog Island (Isla Perro) or Isla Diablo in the Cayos Limones. Both places are perfect for snorkeling tours and relaxing on the beach.

Sailing tour in San Blas

The best way to explore the pristine beauty of the San Blas Islands is by sailing through the calm waters. You will help the captain with some course corrections to your favorite spot in San Blas. Sailing tours are definitely on top of our list of San Blas tours because it mixes some adventure, laid-back cruising and stunning views over the deserted islands. One of the lucky might even see a few dolphins jumping along the ships bow. The sailboats are the only boats that may enter Guna Yala since the Kuna’s banned any motorized yachts in the area. With the expectation of the water taxi’s and control teams of the Panamanian narcotics police. Keep in mind that regular sailboat drug searches happen! So do not take drugs on a journey to San Blas, the penalty will be severe and probably result in jailtime.

Island tours

Are you looking to hop from island to island than you need at least 2-3 days in San Blas. This way you can explore the far corners of Guna Yala and mix some culture with snorkeling and sunbathing. It is relatively easy to get around with the water taxi’s but finding accommodation can be hard since most of them are full without any reservations. Again the sailboat is by far the best option to hop from island to island. Most captains know the best places that have parties or are totally deserted; it’s up to you! Check out our sailing page for more information about sail charters into San Blas.

Our island sailing tours picks;

• Rendezvous sailing charter (average)
• Velero San Blas(average)
• Catamaran San Blas (luxury)

Meeting the Guna tour

The native inhabitants of San Blas are the Kuna’s or Guna’s. They have lived on the islands for centuries and are in control what of happens in San Blas. You can visit multiply island towns but some planning needs to be done beforehand. This is because not all Guna communities allow foreign to enter their island. It is even forbidden to enter some deserted island; doing so will result in a ban from San Blas and heavy fines. But in general the Guna’s are very friendly and happy to show you around in their little island village. You can meet the Guna’s on almost every tour since they are everywhere and live on the islands. You need to speak Spanish or Guna to communicate with them since they don’t know any other language, even Spanish only can be a hassle. Therefore, we suggest hiring a local guide or experienced sailboat captain to help you navigate between the Guna towns and islands.

Tours

The Lam family built the roads to San Blas, and we where transporting people and stuff by 4×4 when the roads where non-existent before anyone else! Everyone is a pro 4×4 driver like my father who is a champion in Club 4×4 Panama, so we where able to handle the dangerous roads. My father also built Port Barsucun/Barsuggun, and to this day it is Lam Tours’ main place of movement. Because of this movement we started, the roads opened allowing trade and tourism into San Blas, and effectively helping the Gunas thrive.

Today Lam Tours still takes people to San Blas, because our services are professional, well priced, and insured. We have about 20 years of experience, and a lot of recognition inside of San Blas. We transport by land round trip, and book your reservations on the islands for any amount of nights, and we also book sailing trips to Colombia, Cartagena/Sapzurro/Capurgana by Catamaran or SpeedBoat.

Carpe Diem offers two kinds of service. We have yoga retreats and sailing charters. Yoga retreats are one week long experiences where a yoga teacher organizes yoga lessons in the morning and afternoon. You will meet other people that share your passion for yoga and pure nature. In a sailing charter, you can select the dates that better suit you. You and your friends or family will be the only guests on board. So, the route will be decided by the group and the captain together. Capt. Carlos has been in Guna Yala for 3 years now and knows very well the islands and its inhabitants. This will give you the opportunity to get in touch with the local community and get a better picture of the Guna People.