• To book a tour, please provide your guest information, desired island, dates, and accommodation via our contact form or email. We do not accept direct bookings on our website to ensure availability with the island first.
• Once confirmed,you’ll receive a payment request for a small deposit via email, which can be paid by credit/debit card or PayPal. The remaining balance is paid in cash (USD) on the day of your trip.
• After paying the deposit, you’ll get a confirmation email with all the details. Please review it carefully. Note that almost all payments go directly to the Guna community in San Blas, so the balance must be in cash. There are no ATMs in San Blas, so make sure to withdraw cash in Panama City before your trip.

Included in the prices of the San Blas Panama tours is your round trip transport (jeep and boat) from your accommodation in central Panama City, accommodation of your choice, typical meals- starting with lunch on day one, and a day tour to other smaller islands. You can read more about what’s included on the individual island pages.

Not included in the price is the entrance fee to Guna Yala (San Blas) and port fees: 23 USD per person for foreigners, 8 USD per person for Panamanian residents. Snacks and beverages (water, soda, alcohol) are not provided. You are welcome to bring your own drinks and snacks along or purchase them on the island (1-3 USD). Snorkeling gear is provided for some islands, or available to rent on others. You can read more about what’s not included on the individual island pages.

• All our San Blas Panama tours depart from and return to Panama City. Transport to/from accommodation far from central Panama City can be arranged at additional cost.
• 4x4 jeeps are operated on a shared basis and fit up to 6 guests. Seats are randomly assigned. The jeeps start picking up from 5:00 am in the morning; the order of pick-up is determined by the driver and we will reach you between that time and 5:30 am.
• We pick up from your accommodation in the central area of Panama City. This does not include hotels in Playa Bonita, Playa Blanca, or Summit Rainforest Resort.
• Transport almost always runs to schedule, but it sometimes happens that customers are not ready or there is traffic in the city, and the jeep is running late. In this case, we ask for some patience while the drivers get to you.
• The jeep drive to the port in San Blas takes 2.5- 3 hours. Once you arrive at the port, a member of your Guna host family will take you by boat to the island. From this moment, all boat transfers, day tours, accommodation, and meals will be taken care of by your Guna host.

• For most San Blas tours, kids of 6 years and older are charged full price.
• Kids under 6 years are charged a discounted rate.
• For kids under 4 years: $70 includes their own seat in the jeep transport to/from Panama City.
• Meals are not included but can Be arranged for a separate cost; they share a bed with parents.

• Check-in: You will arrive at your home island around 12pm noon on the first day and your Guna host family will check you in to your accommodation.
• Check-out: For morning departures, the boat picks guests up from the island around 8:30 am on your final day, and you will arrive back in Panama City around 12 pm. For afternoon departures, guests will normally still need to check out of their accommodation in the morning (8:00 am) and can leave luggage in a secure place on the island until departure. With this departure, boats pick guests up around 2:30 pm from the island with arrival to Panama City around 7 pm.

There are many reasons to enjoy San Blas but how you spend your time is entirely your choice. Every tour we offer includes a day tour to other smaller islands to snorkel and enjoy different beaches. Swimming, laying under a coconut tree, playing volleyball, reading a book, relaxing in a hammock, interacting with the local community, and drinking from a fresh coconut, are all activities that are possible in the islands.

Drones, surfing, kite surfing, spearfishing, scuba diving, pets, nudity, and drugs are prohibited in the islands.

• Most islands do have cellphone coverage, although it can be patchy at times.
• “Más Movil” (+movil) and “Tigo” are local carriers that work best in San Blas.

• All of the islands include a day tour in their pricing, which can be taken on the first or second day of your trip. The day tours all visit similar spots, which are considered some of the highlights of San Blas, so it’s likely you will be sharing these with other visitors.
• The tours are not guided in the traditional sense. You will be accompanied by someone from your host family who may not speak English, but will ensure you are looked after throughout the tour.
• Day tours from the islands depart in the morning after breakfast or in the afternoon after lunch and take around 3 hours. Your host family will communicate the tour information with you once you arrive to the island.

• The host families do their best to accommodate special diets, including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free.
• Meals are traditional-style and use ingredients that are typical to the San Blas region. We recommend taking along extra snacks.

It’s a good idea to book in advance to secure your preferred dates and island is available to you. In high season (December to May) it’s advisable to book as early as possible.

• Most of the facilities on the islands are shared, except for islands that have private bathroom options.
• Bathrooms are basic. Most islands use salt-water showers to converse fresh water. There are fresh water showers on some islands, but during the dry season these may not be available.

• Accommodation in San Blas is very basic but comfortable. There is no luxury accommodation in the islands. Basic bedding is provided. Mattresses and bedding are of average quality.
• Some islands offer traditional cabanas with sand floors while some of the newer accommodations offer wooden floors. Shared and private options are available.
• None of the islands have air conditioning. Some islands have power outlets in the accommodations while others only have them in the shared dining area. Power is often Switched off during the day and back on in the evening

Weather in the islands is tropical and can be unpredictable.

• December to April is windy (dry) season. The weather at this time tends to be better and there is less rain. The seas can be rough and the boat ride is bumpy and sometimes wet.
• May to November is rainy season. Weather can be changeable during these months. Rain usually comes in spurts that last a few hours and is heaviest in October.
• It is recommended that you bring a light rain jacket for boat rides and line your backpacks with large garbage bags and protect electronic devices and valuable items in zip lock bags. Bring a light sweater for the evenings. Tours will proceed even in the event of rain. Sadly we cannot control the weather and do not give refunds for bad weather unless the tour was canceled for safety reasons.

If you need to cancel your San Blas Panama tour reservation, we ask that you give us as much advance notice as possible. Refunds of deposits are given when a guest cancels their booking more than 72 hours prior to departure. If cancellations are made by guests within 72 hours, the deposit will not be refunded. This applies to bookings made within 72 hours of the trip departure. In the rare case that we cancel your booking, due to weather conditions, or other miscellaneous events, refunds will be issued.

We promise to do our best to ensure your trip goes as smoothly as possible. But occasionally things might not go exactly as you expected. Sadly we do not provide refunds in the following scenarios:

• Driver arrives late for pick-up in the morning. Please remember the transport is shared and delays due to traffic, weather, checkpoint, and other pick-ups can occur.
• Guests are not in the arranged pick-up location on time and miss the transport. In this case, we will do our best to arrange another pickup but there may be an additional cost.
• The weather is “bad” or it rains during your trip. We cannot be held responsible for weather conditions unless we cancel your trip due to extraordinary circumstances that we deem unsafe for travel.
• Guests decide to leave the islands earlier than scheduled or not to take part in the day tour. Islands that are booked and paid are unlikely to give refunds if guests decide to depart early.
• Minor delays or inconveniences that may occur during your trip. At times the port can be hectic and seem unorganized, boat rides can be wet, the toilets/bathrooms may not be as clean as you like, or there may be rubbish on the islands. Please keep in mind tourism is still relatively new to San Blas. Most accommodations are rustic, meals are basic, and timing is often not precise. We ask guests for patience, respect for the local community’s way of doing things.

We recommend packing a smaller bag for your trip, if possible and buying any supplies in Panama City the day before your tour.

• Packing list: Your original passport, extra cash, snacks, fruit, water, bathing suit, towel, hat, sunglasses, light clothing, a light rain jacket, Insect repellant, sun protection, reading material and fully charged electronic devices.
• There are drinks (water, soda, beer), as well as local handicrafts, that guests can purchase on the islands and support the local Guna community.

We recommend packing a smaller bag with the items you will need for your trip to San Blas and leaving your larger suitcase at your accommodation in Panama City. There is limited space in the jeeps.