San Blas Islands Full-Day Tour: Explore Paradise with Transport from Panama City
4.3
25 Ratings
Panama City
Experience the ultimate paradise on a full-day tour of the San Blas Islands with transport from Panama City. Enjoy pristine white sand beaches, warm turquoise waters, and excellent snorkeling opportunities. Indulge in a delicious lunch and explore the beautiful islands with ease.
Duration: 14 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Panama City - We pick up our guests from their lodgings in Panama City.
What's Included
  • Lunch
  • Island Taxes
  • Shared roundtrip transfer from your hotel in Panama City to Port of Carti
  • San Blas Day Tour
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • One beverage: Bottle of water, soda or beer
  • Shared boat/lancha transportation all day
  • Use of Snorkel Equipment (snorkel and mask)
What's Not Included
  • Guna Entrance Fee paid to Border Patrol ($22 for Internationals, $7 for Panamanian residents)
Additional Information

Discover a slice of heaven!!! Visualize an environment reminiscent of Robinson Crusoe’s dwelling. The beach is adorned with soft white sand, the ocean holds a comforting warm touch, and the palm trees offer a comforting shade. Snorkeling opportunities are exceptional, and the local Guna will cater to your needs by showing you around their island home or leaving you to enjoy your solitude. It is indeed a haven! We welcome you on board our San Blas day tour VISITING ISLA PERRO, ISLA DIABLO or ISLA Yansailadup, or Arena Blanca & THE NATURAL POOL. Get enchanted by this little paradise on your own. Our tour explores some of the most eye-catching islands in San Blas.

We ensure the best of services:

•Prompt pick-up service from your accommodation in Panama City
•Roomy and comfy 4x4 rides
•Comprehensive insurance cover for vehicles, vessels, and clients
•All our ferryboats come with sun shields and large canopies.
•Lunch of premium quality made in a sanitized kitchen from FRESH ingredients.
•Day-long provision of snorkeling gear for every guest

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking.
  • Departure time is between 5:00am and 5:45am from your Panama City lodging. If staying at Playa Bonita area, your departure time is between 5:00am and 5:15am.
  • You are welcome to bring a cooler with your own drinks, potable water, snacks and beverages (fruit juice or alcohol). The driver will stop at a supermarket on the way to San Blas in order for you to purchase additional items.
  • PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO BRING YOUR ORIGINAL PASSPORT. WITHOUT IT, YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO ENTER THE KUNA TERRITORY AND THE SAN BLAS ISLANDS.
  • Please be advised that San Blas is in the Guna territory, which is an autonomous, Indian zone. The services are very basic. The Gunas will be providing all touristic services, such as meal preparations, car and boat transportations, lodging, and tour guiding. We are proud to be working with this friendly tribe and with each booking we give back to the community, supporting their customs and their traditional way of life. We kindly ask you to respect this beautiful culture and their simple way of life, leaving your expectations behind and learning about their innocent culture.
  • We recommend that you bring your personal hygiene items, such as towels, sunscreen, hats, mosquito repellent.
  • In San Blas Islands there are no ATMs, please bring cash. You can buy additional drinks, snacks, souvenirs etc.
  • “Tigo” is the cell phone company that has the best reception in San Blas.
  • Infants need to sit on laps
  • PLEASE BE PREPARED FOR A 2.5 to 3 HOUR CAR JOURNEY EACH WAY OVER CURVY ROADS! THERE IS ALSO A 25-30 MINUTE BOAT RIDE TO YOUR FIRST ISLAND WHICH CAN GET QUITE BUMPY AND WET. We feel that the islands are worth the long drive, but some travelers have complained about the drive and the fast boat ride from and to the port. While we strive to provide our guests the best service and an unforgettable experience in San Blas, we are not responsible for road and ocean conditions, and we would like you to be aware of this fact :)
  • AGAIN!!! Please be prepared for a 2.5 hour car journey each way (1 hour on a highway and about 1.5 hours through the mountains over curvy roads! Please do not leave bad reviews because of the road. We try to warn you ahead of time ;)
  • IMPORTANT SAN BLAS DISCLAIMER - PLEASE READ! While San Blas is a beautiful island archipelago with stunning beaches and clear waters, it also has its downsides, for which we would like to make you aware off. In San Blas only the Kuna population is allowed to work in the territory. The services and infrastructure are not what most of us are used to. Kunas are not very service oriented and can often seem shy or reserved. A stay in San Blas can be compared to a camping vacation that offers minimal comfort, services and amenities. We strongly advise those who have 5 star expectations to think twice before embarking on this adventure. We do have alternative tours in Panama with more high-end services. We really care about our reputation and we want our guests to enjoy their vacation with us. We attempt to be as transparent as possible in order to set guest expectations from the start. We do not own any of the islands and we pride ourselves in providing excellent service during your booking process and attempting to assist you during your San Blas vacation. However, please remember that we cannot guarantee the same excellent service during your stay in San Blas. Please read all the below information well! San Blas is very rustic without the amenities and standards you might be used to from home. Compared to places such as Tahiti and Maldives that are managed by international hotel chains, San Blas has remained autonomous without the influence of outsiders. When visiting San Blas, it should be viewed as a cultural experience where guests visit the paradise islands of the Kunas and respect their traditions and their primitive ways of living. No air condition - None of the islands offer A/C No Wifi - You can buy a prepaid SIM card (Tigo or Digicel), which may or may not have signal. No luxury facilities - Bathrooms may be dirty, sinks may get clogged What seems like trash and clutter around the local huts, are items and tools that Kunas re-use for their daily lives. Please respect the fact that different cultures have different education, perspectives and ways of living and do not expect the cleanliness you may be used to from your home country. All services will all be handled by the indigenous Kuna. While Tao Travel 365 strives to provide the best service possible and train the Kuna in customer management, some of the below services are often out of our control. Car transportation - the ride to San Blas takes 2.5 to 3 hours, with 1.5 hours over slow, curvy roads. For those with motion sickness, please prepare accordingly. The transportation is in a shared 4x4 SUV, with one seat up front, three seats in the middle row and 2 seats in the back row. Seats are assigned randomly. Those who require additional space in the car must purchase an extra seat. Pick up from your lodging is scheduled between 5:00am and 5:30am, but can sometimes be as late as 5:45am depending on the timeliness of other guests that we pick up. Out of respect for all others in the car we ask everyone to wait in the lobby of their building at 5:00am. If you are not at the designated meeting point, the driver will make an effort to locate you, but he cannot delay the transportation by more than 10 minutes. No refunds are awarded to guests who don’t show up on time. Boat transportation - depending on weather and ocean conditions, the 20-40 minute boat ride might be bumpy and wet with ocean spray. Island kitchen - meal are prepared fresh in the local kitchen and usually consist of fried or grilled fish with salad and patacones (fried plantains). Most Kunas DO NOT speak English. Trash is a worldwide problem and unfortunately San Blas has not been spared from the ever increasing issue. During certain tides and ocean and wind conditions plastic trash from throughout the Caribbean ocean accumulates on the beaches of San Blas. While the local Kuna are working hard to collect the constant flood of plastic trash washing up on their beaches, guests will nevertheless find evidence of plastic spread out on the island. Furthermore, Kunas tend to collect certain “trash” and re-use it for their purposes. During the wet months (April - December) or during windless days, all of San Blas experiences sandflies, which are little blood-sucking flies that leave itchy marks. Please ensure to bring insect repellent and prepare to return to Panama City with a few itchy memories. Weather: Panama is located in the Intertropical Convergence Zone, which means that the weather is very unpredictable and is impossible to forecast with accuracy. The weather forecast will usually show rain and thunderstorms for most days of the year, when in reality there are oftentimes beautiful, sunny days in San Blas. Please do not rely on the weather forecast in Panama. Due to the tropical conditions in San Blas rain can occur at any time and we do not offer refunds for rainy days. Travel Emergencies: The San Blas islands are located in a very remote region of Panama. We ask all guests to be responsible for their own well being and to be aware that medical assistance can often not be provided right away. The closest medical facility in San Blas is very basic and can only provide assistance for minor issues. Guests with injuries such as broken bones that require more specialized treatment need to be transported to Panama City. Guests are responsible for all charges arising from a medical emergency, such as boat and car transportation and medical care. We suggest all guests to carry a Travel Insurance to cover emergency expenses. We kindly ask our guests to lower their expectation when visiting San Blas and to focus on the beautiful remote paradise that San Blas has remained despite the effects that modern society has caused to them. The Kunas are very gentle and kind people, but can also be somewhat shy at times. When approaching them with a smile and an open heart you will be guaranteed an innocent, happy smile in return. Arriving with the right mindset and expectation usually guarantees an unforgettable experience, where guests are able to focus on the beauties of the islands, beaches, ocean and the people, rather than on the limitations that we mentioned above
  • The road to San Blas is very curvy. If you are sensitive to motion sickness, please prepare accordingly by bringing appropriate medication.
Location
Panama City
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.3
(25 Ratings)
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Christina_r
May 19, 2024
Beautiful and Fun - Had the absolute best time. The ride was a little tight, but was expecting that, per the overview. Thankfully ended up in a friendly group. Everything seemed pretty organized with the amount of people and different tours. We had ample time at each island and the sandbar. Our guide made sure we had snorkels and searched for us when it was time to go. We were dropped off at the pickup location and we arrived back in Panama City in shorter time then expected.
Review provided by Viator
Katelyn_e
Apr 19, 2024
10/10 recommend! - It was a perfect! From pick up at the hotel to getting to all the islands, it was so smooth! When we arrived at the island I thought for sure it was going to be chaotic because there are SO many tourists/people who book this but they are so organized. The islands are beautiful and everyone is so friendly!
Review provided by Viator
Danny_s
Mar 19, 2024
San Blas visit before heading home next day - Great experience, beautiful place to visit. Our driver to and from San Blas was great. Our boat guide was very good too. Just wish I knew he had the mask and snorkels as I would have used them on various islands. As I had to ask for them just before the last island visit. The food was good, wife had the chicken and I had the fish. The portion of chicken is a lot. Also get a fruit plate and choice of drinks.
Review provided by Viator
Christian_s
Dec 31, 2023
Perfect trip. Well... - Perfect trip. Well organized. Driver and guide were really friendly guys. Trip started very punctual! Perfect communication.
Review provided by Viator
Expedition638362
Jun 1, 2023
We touched PARADISE - I enjoyed this tour so much, my husband and I captured some beautiful photos for our 5 year Anniversary! The beaches we gorgeous 😍 It is definitely a must do tour. Only thing is the drive to island gets a little bumper but very worth it!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
U5744vyericw
Apr 4, 2023
Fun day. - The ride to the San Blas is a bit rough as was the boat ride to island. Our kids were complaining until we got to the beaches. The beaches were beautiful the lunch was great. By the end of the day the kids did not want to leave. However, they were wore out enough to sleep on the way back.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Enio_e
Jan 2, 2024
It is a nice place to... - It is a nice place to visit. Nothing that we didn’t expect. The inconvenience was at the pickup time, we waited an hour in our hotel because they confused the address and supposedly went to a different hotel to pick up us. One hour that we could sleep. They need to better coordinate timing. It is not correct to offer a pick up window of 45 minutes and arrive one our from the starting time.
Review provided by Viator
Passport03799408720
Aug 11, 2023
Great adventure, beautiful coral and fish. - Great adventure. Beautiful islands, sand, palm trees, and crystal clear water. The snorkeling was very good, with big beautiful fan corals and schools of vivid blue fish at the first island out at the reef edge. Magical. No bugs while we were there. The roads and facilities were rustic as advertised. The traffic was crazy, so we were glad we did not drive ourselves. The lunch was bigger and better than expected, very filling. One thing that would make it better would be to provide swim fins to those who want them to go deeper, and the tidal currents were pretty strong to swim against at times without them. But overall the tour was a high point of our trip!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lifechanger27
Aug 30, 2022
good time, great people - what an amazing experience! there were only a few things that prevented me from giving all 5 stars. Our tour guides were awesome. the beaches were unlike anything I have ever seen! the only two things that were a turn off were the bumpy roads! my goodness it was a mess. our tour guide was a pro at maneuvering the potholes but sheesh, it added 2 hours back and fro. the second was the fact that there was no covid precaution taken. I wanted to go snorkeling but the mask has lipstick marks on it and other debris. the vests did not look cleaned between people either. I would suggest you bring your cleaning wipes to ensure your level of safety and comfort is met.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tia_m
Feb 13, 2024
Its an Experience - Be prepared to be out all day, its an experience. Overall I enjoyed myself but my friends made it enjoyable. The ride to the ferry is long bumpy and up many hills, and the ferry itself is very choppy. The beaches were beautiful and amazing and the staff was very friendly. Lunch was very fresh and hot and waiting when we arrived, again overall it was a great experience just long total about 15 hours
Review provided by Viator
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up to 14 guests
1 Adult
July 2024
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