San Blas really is the stuff of desert island dreams. The waters are crystal clear and have those perfect azure, aquamarine and sea green colours that you daydream about when the weather is miserable. If you asked a child to draw a desert island, it would look like San Blas. Its pristine beaches have white sand so fine it squeaks, and which is raked free of tree detritus every morning by the locals, palm trees swaying gently in the breeze, the odd coconut dropping being the only sound to draw you out of your reverie as you gaze out to sea. As you walk along the beach in the shallows of the surf, the only hazard you may encounter are the perfectly formed starfish or the flawless conch shells casually scattered. Ok, so I am slightly romanticising it, there are a few sandflies that can get on your nerves but only when there isn't a breeze and sadly it seems that there is a growing rubbish problem on some islands. But there aren't even hoards of tourists around with their loud voices and inflatable pizza slices to disturb your perfect view and most of the time you feel like you have it all to yourself. The solitude you can find on the islands is I am sure, due to the fact that the islands are one of the few remaining places to still be governed by the indigenous Kuna people. They maintain control over everything limiting how many tourists enter each day, and you even need your passport to cross the ‘border’ into Guna Yala. Diving is strictly prohibited to protect the beautiful reefs but also because they are not set up for any accidents - the nearest hospital is hours away. They live their lives in the most basic of ways with no electricity or fresh water on any of the islands but are ridiculously happy with their lot and welcome tourists to this relatively untouched part of the world with open arms. Our yacht Bagaloo wasn’t the newest of the fleet but had all we needed, and our crew were very attentive. We were a little annoyed to discover the night before we left that Captain Rikki’s wife (and also the chef) would not be there but instead he had a Kuna friend helping him. I am sure this affected the dynamic of the boat as Gabi the Kuna chap did not speak any English and was clearly new to being the captain's right hand. Captain Rikki however wasn't so bad in the kitchen and rustled us up some delicious meals. Having lived at sea for almost seven years, he certainly looked the part, imagine something from the Pirates of the Caribbean, leathery tanned skin with a single dreadlock, but he was a man of the world and had some good chat which kept us entertained. The seafood, oh my days! There are so many lobsters in San Blas that you see them just crawling along the ocean bed when snorkelling. Gabi just plucked our lunch out from under a rock during a morning snorkel and if you can’t be bothered to do that, you can buy them from the fishermen for around US$4! And it didn't just stop at lobster, there are octopi, crabs and so many huge fish like red snapper and others we didn't know the names of. We wiled away the hours reading and sipping beer in the hammocks Gabi had hung for us at the front of the boat, and we snorkelled every morning in the clearest of waters. We saw trumpet fish, puffer fish, angel fish and so many other colourful beauties in all shapes and sizes. By our third day, with a sunburnt bum (me) and back (Rob) we felt ready to leave, in need of a proper shower, some AC and a steady bed, but so happy we had forked out the extra cash for an unforgettable experience. Memories made in this little slice of heaven. Guide to the San Blas Islands:
Planning a trip to San Blas is at first glance extremely confusing. We (I) spent hours researching all the different options and what is most frustrating is that almost all the websites providing trips to the islands have limited information, and you have to email or visit their offices to get a more concrete idea of what each company offers. So, I am going to break it down for you. San Blas is a group of over 360 Robinson Crusoe-esque islands in what can only be described as paradise. There are a few ways of seeing them: 1.) Travel from Cartagena to Panama via San Blas or vice versa. This takes around four days and is the tour that most companies try to push. Blue Sailing, Awesome San Blas Adventures, and San Blas Adventures are some of the most popular. Most of the routes are exactly the same but the main difference is whether you choose a sail boat or catamaran which you sleep on for the four nights, or whether you opt for the cheaper option of speed boat and then sleeping in hammocks or cabanas on one of the islands. Blue Sailing is one of the best for the real sail boat experience, the other options are definitely more budget. This seems to be the route most companies offer and try to push, we were frustrated by how many agencies offered us just this option and no alternative trips from Panama. In retrospect, had we done some research, we would have considered leaving from Cartagena, but in the end we were happy with how we did it as we didn't want to be stuck on a boat in unfavourable conditions. 2.) Round-trip multi day tours from Panama which is what we did. There are two options if you chose to visit San Blas this way: a) Sleep on the islands in a hammock, covered dorm or private cabana on more of a backpacker style tour. We would have booked with San Blas Adventures had we have chosen this option. For two nights, two days in a private cabana was around US$550 for two people. b) Charter your own boat either privately or as part of a larger group. You can do this for a day trip, or choose how many nights you'd like. We ended up chartering our own private yacht for three days and two nights. Extravagant I know, but we crunched the numbers and it was going to work out to be around US$200 more, which in the grand scheme of things isn't much. We figured that comfortable accommodation on a boat (i.e. no sand), excursions of our own choosing, unlimited booze and fresh food made just for us by our Italian captain was worth the extra dollar! The best options we found for 2b. were Coco Sailing and Sailing Life Experience. We were booked on to a boat with Coco Sailing but faffed around for too long trying to negotiate the price and lost our spot. Then we were referred to Sailing Life Experience and a lovely lady called Marina who acts as an agent for some of the private yachts who live in San Blas all year round. You tell her what you're looking for and she will find a boat best suited. Here is a breakdown of our costs. I hate talking about money but if we’d of found something like this online, it would have saved us hours of research so here we go! Crew: Ricardo & Pisana (Italy) Boat: Canados 44 (2 cabins for passengers) Price: 150$/person/day shared trip Private cabin Special price for 3 days/2 nights trip for 2 people: 700$ Prices are ALL INCLUSIVE on board: - Menu with seafood, assorted snacks and tropical fruits (Italian´s cook amazing!) - Juices, mineral water, and alcohol in moderate use. - Fuel and fresh water tanks - Bed linen and towels - Dinghy with outboard - Fishing equipment and snorkel equipment - Organization for transport from Panamá City to the Sailing Vessel. The transfer from Panama City to the sailboat is done by a jeep, which picks up passengers at their hotels between 5.30-6.00am. It's three hours to Carti Port. There, at 8.30am you embark on a shuttle water taxi that takes you to the sailboat, it takes approx. one hour. Not included in the price: Transfer fees and rates: - Transfer from Panama City to the sailboat (Jeep US$50 per person + shuttleboat $40 per person); Round trip prices - Entrance fee for Kuna Yala ($20 / person) + port fee ($2 per person) Total amount of transportation + taxes, per person: US$ 112 The value of the transportation is paid directly to the drivers and taxes to the authorities. For booking we ask US$100 in advance by PayPal (+$5) or by bank transfer to Spain. Weather: There are two seasons, windy and wet.
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AuthorsRob & Charlie's travelling adventures on their long journey back to London after living in Hong Kong. Four continents, twelve countries, lots of experiences. Archives
July 2017
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