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Proof that Panama is so much more than a big canal. These islands are a pure sea-lovers Caribbean paradise. Soft-white sand, warm cerulean waters, brilliantly red starfish, and numerous palm-covered sand spits worthy of weeks of island-hopping. The San Blas islands are slowly growing in popularity but thus far have been Panama’s best-kept secret. Let us help you plan the perfect trip to the San Blas Islands on a budget.
But is it worthy of the hefty price tag? Can you visit the remote islands independently? What do you need to bring & what to expect during your time on the islands? Is it even possible to visit the San Blas Islands on a budget?
We’ll break it all down so that you can have the perfect beach getaway and get the most bang for your buck!
Your Guide to the San Blas Islands on a Budget
Let’s dig into the nitty-gritty details. Like why should you even go to the San Blas Islands.
First, What to Expect in the San Blas Islands
The San Blas are a smattering of islands off the coast of South-Eastern Panama where the Kuna Gala people reside. Today, the Kuna Gala run ALL the tours of their islands so your money helps support the indigenous peoples of the area.
There are tons of different tours through the San Blas. All depart from either Panama City or Sapzurro (Colombia). Typical tours involve sleeping on the islands and spending your days island-hopping seeing a wide variety of places. More expensive tours involve sailboats & catamarans where you’ll sleep on the boats and sail about during the day also Island hopping.
The one-way cruises from Sapzurro to Panama City or vice versa are notoriously known as backpacker party tours. I’ll get to them later.
No matter which you choose, you’ll likely get to see several islands.
Can You Visit the San Blas Islands Without a Tour?
Yes. But you probably won’t save much money.
From Panama City, you COULD book your San Blas stay in one of the several guesthouses available on booking.com but these will be on the closer populated islands.
Then you COULD arrange private transport with the guesthouse to get the 3 hours from the city to the island (usually around $150 round trip).
From that island, you COULD pay water taxi boats to take you to other islands where you will also have to pay “entrance fees” for each island.
When all is said & done you’ll be spending the SAME amount as we did with a tour but likely see much less.
It’s one of the rare places in the world where it’s really more rewarding to just take the tour.
This is why arguably it’s not really possible to see the San Blas Islands on a budget. We visited for under $100 per day. Which is about 4x what we normally spend on the road.
Party Tour vs. Peaceful Tour
The San Blas has garnered a reputation as a party destination. And it’s not completely unwarranted. The Kuna Gala people like to have a good time. As do the beach bums that wind up on these empty dime-sized islands.
But I did NOT want to spend my entire day drinking bottles of cheap rum to near blackout and listen to shitty music all night instead of the calming waves.
Therefore, we skipped the party tours. We still had lots of cheap rum—don’t get me wrong —but in a more peaceful setting.
San Blas Adventures runs one-way 4-day tours from Panama to Colombia (& vice versa) through the San Blas islands. This will be very centered around partying. A good choice if that’s your vibe and you want to continue on to South America. They run about $500 per person.
The rule of thumb is…the further the island from the mainland the less it will be party central (& the more idyllic). No matter where you book if you want to avoid crowds, ask to sleep on the furthest islands. These are also uninhabited while the closer ones have large communities of Kuna Gala people living on them. To do this you’ll likely be sleeping on the SAME island every night and visiting new ones during the day rather than sleeping on DIFFERENT islands every night.
How Many Days Should You Spend in the San Blas?
Please do not bother with the day tour of the San Blas from Panama City. It’s 100% a waste of money. It takes 3 hours to reach the islands which means you’ll spend 6 HOURS in the car and on speed boats to even reach the islands. Then you’ll eat lunch see one or two other islands and that’s it. Also if you happen to choose a not-so-sunny day it’s even more of a waste of money.
You should allocate 4 Days/3 Nights for the San Blas to get the most bang for your buck.
The most popular option is 3days/2nights which is the least amount of time I would recommend for visiting San Blas. For those on a budget– you actually get more value for staying one extra night.
Are the San Blas Islands Worth the Price?
We paid $620 for 2 people to spend 3N/4D on the islands. During that time we visited 5 different islands, went snorkeling, ate 3 meals per day, transport to-and-from Panama City, & lots of local rum.
This is one of the most expensive things we did during our time in South & Central America (alongside the Inca Trail).
But I felt it was absolutely worth it. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it if I had hesitations.
If you are on a very tight backpacker budget however you’ll probably have to skip it. Don’t bother wasting money on a half-assed or short tour. There are other beautiful beaches in the world. Think Thailand or Myanmar or Sri Lanka. At the end of the day, it’s just a beach.
I’m a beach person and let me tell ya…these beaches were spectacular. If you’re looking to disconnect, enjoy empty scenic beaches, and swim in Caribbean waters— this is the tour for you.
Everything You Need to Know About the San Blas Islands
Here’s everything you need to know before you embark on your San Blas tour.
Food & Drinks
- Meals consist of pancakes & eggs for breakfast with coffee & tea. Lunch/dinner is either fried chicken or fried fish with rice, beans, & salad. Sometimes fresh fruit is thrown in.
- You can pay $20 USD extra to have lobster for lunch/dinner if they can catch one.
- All the guides were constantly drinking and sharing. Expect to get at least a little free rum and beer.
Accommodation
Every island is a little different. But since I’m sharing our experience and providing you with the contact info for our tour…this is what you can expect.
- There are dorm cabanas and private cabanas. Dorms are $50 less roughly. But if you have two people it’s cheaper to get the private cabana.
- There is solar power in the evenings in each cabana.
- Each cabana has a bed, small table, and a hammock out from. Other than that it’s a little sandy and very rustic. But it was perfect honestly.
- There is no running water on the island but there is shared bathrooms with real toilets looking out to the ocean.
Activities on the Island
- Kayaks.
- Paddleboards.
- Snorkel gear.
- Volleyball
- Small area that was decent for swimming.
Atmosphere
- Mornings were calm and often we were left to enjoy our island. One day we snorkeled, another we paddled around the mangroves on the far side of our island.
- After lunch you embark on your first island tour of the day.
- Sometimes day-trippers visit your island during this time you are gone.
- Evenings were very much about socializing and drinking. Playing card games with the other guests, dancing, etc. although because the sun takes a lot out of you it was typically an early night.
Which Islands to Visit
You’ll likely visit these 4 islands during your stay. These are my favorites in order of how much I enjoyed them.
- Starfish Island. It’s actually called conch island but it’s waters are filled with bright red starfish! A great beach for swimming too.
- “We” Island. This might have been my favorite swimming island on calm days. We came here twice.
- Volleyball Island. This is a busier island because lots of groups come here. The beach wasn’t great for swimming but we got to meet more people and play some beach volleyball.
- Natural Swimming Pool. It’s a very calm sandbar in the middle of the ocean. Not an island. Also a bunch of us got stung by jellies or something here. Still nice though.
All the extra things you should know before you go
- Always bring water, snacks, alcohol (or beer money) & ASK THE GUIDE FOR SNORKELS when you leave your home island. It was rarely communicated that we would be gone for HOURS and you’ll want some things to sustain you.
- Expect lots of downtime. It is a relaxing beach after all.
- You will get wet on all the boat rides.
- Avoid night swimming. I got stung by a jelly during the day and at night there are more of them. And sting rays.
Packing List for the San Blas on a Budget
The one problem with most San Blas tours is their lack of communication. I think it’s just the laid-back nature of the Kuna Gala people. This is what I wish we had been told to bring.
Note: All tours begin with a stop at the grocery store/ATM to grab the essentials before you go.
- Water for the trip. There is limited water on the islands. One day we were only provided with a single bottle for free then next day they had a 5-gallon jug. It’s definitely better/cheaper if you bring water for yourself.
- $22 in cash per person for the national park fees that go to the Kuna Gala villages.
- Lots of snacks. 3 meals per day are provided but it was the same chicken/fish dish each time & pancakes for breakfast. You’ll want some variety.
- Pedialyte or Gatorade for rehydrating. It gets hot out there.
- Passport.
- Sarong for beach lounging.
- Books. Downloaded podcasts & music. There is no internet on the islands so you’ll be disconnected the entire stay.
- Swimsuit. Obviously.
- Shampoo & Soap. Also a towel. Showers are rustic but it was nice to rinse the salt out of my hair at the end of the day.
- A sweatshirt. With the wind it got a little chilly on the island after dark.
- One outfit. You’ll literally be in swimsuits the entire time. We didn’t even wear shoes. Just have some clothes to throw on for the car rides to and from the dock.
- Charging cords/external charger. To charge your photo devices. There is power at some of the cabins (ours did) in the evenings for a few hours of charging.
- Dry Bag. & Extra black plastic trash bags. The boat rides can be quite wet even when the seas are relatively calm. Keep your valuables nice and dry.
- Snorkel gear. If you have your own snorkel set bring it! They have them on the island but our guide did not bring them out all the time.
- Alcohol. Some beer and rum will be provided but if you want to drink either bring your own bottle or expect to pay $20 for a fifth of Abuelo rum or $2 per beer. I recommend bringing at least a 6-pack each. They have refrigeration.
- Sunscreen. Lots of it.
- Sand fly repellent. Is that a thing? Someone told me it was. If so, find it, bring it. Otherwise Anti-itch cream will do.
- Aloe Vera for when you inevitably get a little pink from the sun. Lotion too if you’ve got it.
- Bandaids & Neosporin would come in handy too. We got some cuts from the coral reefs.
- Extra Cash. Just in case.
If you’re into photography like us you’ll probably bring your camera and *maybe* a drone. Every island had a different drone policy. We chose to just fly it & if someone told us it wasn’t allowed to bring it down. Honestly, we got different answers from every local we asked if it was allowed or not.
Best San Blas Tours for Relaxation
This is the contact for the tour that we took in the San Blas Islands. Feel free to reach out (this is in no way sponsored) to book directly with them via WhatsApp.
Brisas de San Juan is the name of the company we booked through.
WhatsApp: +507 6012 9523
This is the link to San Blas Adventures if the party cruise to Colombia is more your thing.
For those with a slightly larger budget, this looks like the ideal way to enjoy the San Blas Islands.
3 Nights in Catamaran + 3 Nights on the islands like we did.
I don’t however recommend the “sailing voyages” directly to Cartagena (Colombia) solely because most of your time will be spent on the boat crossing a vast expanse of ocean rather than enjoying the islands. & I’ve heard the sea crossing is absolutely awful.
How to do the San Blas on a Budget
If the tour is around $320 per person then the best way to save in San Blas is to avoid extra charges. & get the most value for money spent.
$320 spread all-inclusively over 4 days isn’t so bad (*The frugal $50-per-day-for-two traveler inside me is crying*). Here’s how to avoid spending more.
- Don’t splurge on the lobster.
- Be aware that some locals will ask for money if you take photos of them.
- Bottles of water or alcohol are also extra charges. Just bring your own.
- You get to choose your “check-out” time on the last day. Choose the afternoon (2PM). This allows you to stay longer on the island & you’ll stop at two more islands on the way home. The morning departure goes straight back to the island.
- You DON’T get lunch included if you choose to stay until 2 PM on the final day. Instead of paying $10 either bring something specifically for lunch on the last day or just save a bunch of your snacks.
- Skip Bocas Del Toro. This destination on the Northern side of Panama is very much like the San Blas but with way more people and more party. Now that you’ve seen the more idyllic paradise you can save money by skipping this one.
If I’m on a Backpacker Budget- Should I Bother Visiting the San Blas Islands?
Let’s get to the cut and dry truth of the matter.
If you’re a traditional backpacker who has saved up a chunk of change to travel throughout Central/South America on a gap year or other long trip…should you spend half a month’s travel money on a weekend in the islands?
No.
I’m not going to be one of those bloggers who spent big money on something & then doubles down insisting it was “100% worth the money”. Because really it is just some beaches. Beautiful beaches…but beaches nonetheless.
If you’re on a tight long-term travel budget, skip it. Your money will be better spent in destinations like Baja Mexico, Peru, or hell even in Santa Catalina, Panama.
If you follow all these tips you won’t get stuck with any extra charges. The San Blas islands are truly worth the effort and money to get there. The entire visit had me picturing “The Beach” by Alex Garland. You know, that Leo DiCaprio movie about isolated paradise. No Panama itinerary is complete without a visit to the San Blas. & it completely shaped how I felt about Panama as a whole.
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