I imagine just about everyone has considered how cool it would be to have a white sand, turquoise blue water, palm tree lined, private island at least once in their life. As a ‘happiest at the beach’ person, I am guilty of digging quite deep into the pros and cons of the idea. I definitely have more thoughts after visiting the San Blas Islands in Panama. It’s an archipelago of 365 islands dotting the Caribbean, and my group of 8 pretty much had our own private island for 4 days (along with the Indigenous family who lives there and runs it). 

One of my favorite parts of the trip is the uniqueness of getting that cultural exposure. The Kuna people were never discovered by the Spanish explorers, and still live in their ancestral lands and practice tradition. I’ll talk more about them later. For now, I’m reviving the blog to share information that I wish I had known before we left and reiterate what’s important from the little I did find online. 

We knew we wanted to have a hut with a floor and an en suite bathroom was the preference. This limits the options a lot. I initially had booked to stay on Isla Perdido, from Netflix ‘money heist’ but the elder passed away and the family was navigating inheritance. Isla Wailidup was the next recommendation from the tour company I used, and they coordinated booking our cabins. 

Pick up from Panama City was between 5-5:30, don’t expect an exact time until the morning of, and the 2 4×4’s we had varied in comfort. Our driver, Erit, and car were lovely but expect to be packed in, with your own group or others. The first hour of the drive is getting out of the city, I recommend stopping at the halfway point before the turn to the coast to use the bathroom and get any snacks and drinks. If you want alcohol or a big variety of snacks, go to the supermarket before leaving Panama City. We had beer and water for sale on Isla Wailidup, the other side of the island bar had sangria, but those will be your choices. 

Getting to the dock wasn’t as bad as I had expected, nor was boarding the boat. We had a big group so it didn’t take long for our boat to be full enough to depart. It is a chaotic scene, and we just waited where the driver said to wait until someone found me and directed us to a boat. Also, entering the boat requires a bit of acrobatics and certainly not handicap accessible. 

The excitement starts to build as you leave the mainland and start seeing tiny islands with and without huts on them and the turquoise water. We arrived at Wailidup ready to enjoy our own little island. There were a few pleasant surprises in the cabins, and of course some not so pleasant. I’ll list them:

-the water in the shower and drainis salt water, do not bring a filter bottle of life straw like I did. The water also drains straight out of the bottom of the shower into the ocean. 

-some beds had working fans on the wall, some didn’t. The same with mosquito nets. We had enough people bring their own that we all ended up covered. 

-a plus was the lack of the mosquitos. By the last night I had the net pulled up for air flow. 

-another plus was the wind tunnel the room has when you leave the front door open, it really wasn’t a bad temperature. We were there in early April. 

-we knew this in advance, but be sure and bring a towel, for both shower and beach if you want to keep it separate.

-we did have service. I’m not sure if that’s a pro or con, I was a little disappointed and just chose to do a social media detox, but we were told we would not. 

-we had more electricity than I expected. Generally it came on at dusk and off at sunrise. One night it barely worked all night, so keep low expectations on both service and power and be prepared with a power bank

-the birds fly through the cabins and are ruthless about tearing into snacks or fruit that have been left out. Just keep everything in a sturdy bag & you’ll be fine. The mosquito net doubled as a bird poop catcher for a couple of ppl in my group over our 3 nights. 

-the meals are fish, chicken, or a mystery mixed seafood with rice or French fries. We brought our own hot sauce and seasoning mix and it was pretty good. Breakfast was eggs and bread with fruit. 

-the hosts were really sweet and accommodating, and always around in the main building if you need something. And you should buy a mola, it’s a big way to show. They had extra in their house they brought out to choose from. 

-I chose to bring items that are hard to find on an island in Central America. I found bulk neosporin, ibuprofen, sanitizer, children’s Tylenol, coloring books, frisbee, etc. Not necessary or expected, but appreciated. 

-the beach on the island wasn’t the best we saw, but the island across from the huts, and a $5 pp roundtrip ride, was lovelyyy. Fresh pineapple cup pina colada and some food on the menu as well. If you have a day without a tour planned, go here! 

-the tour day itself was meh snorkeling (other than seeing a sting ray and sand dollars) on the sandbar and first island, and lunch on a larger island with a nice beach.  Tbh it’s just nice to be on a boat cruising through all of the island dots. 

As for the Guna people, we had a lovely bonfire one evening where they told stories and explained the culture and traditions. They maintain one of the most intact indigenous cultures in Latin America, and the thing I took away remembering the most is that the hammock sits at the very center of that life. A Guna child is placed in a hammock at birth, and it remains present through every major life stage. Hammocks are strung inside the Congress House, where community leaders conduct meetings, and where centuries-old chants carrying Guna law and history are performed. Equally central to Guna society is the role of women.  Guna women inherit land and possessions, and it’s grooms who move into the bride’s family home and take her name. Women are also the keepers of the mola, the vivid hand-sewn textile art that has become both an economic boost and a proud symbol of Guna identity and independence. We enjoyed sifting through all of the molas, and I returned home and framed that one that I bought. 

I realize I totally skipped over Panama City itself, which is a shame as it far exceeded my expectations in terms of all of the skyscrapers and upscale options and the history of the old town. It’s a place that I definitely would like to go back to, as well as explore more of the jungle inland. But, this blog was mostly created to highlight the San Blas Islands, and deliver some much needed information for future visitors! 

To close, I found this trip to be unique in that you leave a major city and get a very immersive cultural experience with a tribe that has fought hard to maintain traditions and pride, plus you’re doing it in paradise. It is not going to be for everyone, but I would 1000% recommend this to my adventurous friends. A general statement, but if you are remotely comfortable camping then you’ll love this experience like we did. Otherwise, you can rent a catamaran and explore the islands that way! 

Check out this post for a few more do’s and don’ts on the island-

https://www.instagram.com/p/DXXd2_ZFMa7/?img_index=8&igsi=MWd1c2p6cGJzaW1sNA==