Adventure travel in San Blas, cabins and 2021 offers! Have you ever wanted to spend a day and a night on your own beautiful island? An island paradise smack-bang in the middle of gorgeous clear blue seas where there’s no one else around?A place where all you have to do is jump in the water when it gets too hot? Well, the island you see in the image above is one of those. We stayed there on our second night. Well that’s San Blas. It gets even better. We had a Kuna Native visit us. An hour after he left he dropped off some ice cold beers we could enjoy around the fire on our own island. I guess Robinson Crusoe wouldn’t have minded that service!

Your San Blas adventure starts early in the morning. A friendly driver will meet you at your Panama City lodging between 5:15am and 5:45am and safely transport you and up to five other guests to the Port of Carti. Relax and start enjoying during the 2.5-3 hour journey through the spectacular jungle highlands. Oftentimes we encounter wildlife, such as monkeys and sloths on the road and will gladly stop the car to give you opportunities to admire these beautiful animals and to take photos. Our drivers will also stop at a grocery store in case you want to purchase any items, such as snacks, water or fruit. When arriving at the port your “lancha” boat and San Blas trip tour guide will be waiting for you, ready to commence the San Blas tour. The 30-minute boat ride to the first island may be a little bumpy and, depending on ocean conditions, there may be some ocean spray. All of our boats have ample space and feature sun protection that will make this journey more comfortable. Read additional info on Darien Jungle Expedition.

One of Panama’s top surf destinations is Santa Catalina, on the Pacific Coast. This small but growing town has a laid-back surfer feeling about it. Small guesthouses and hotels, and funky restaurants, force you to slow down and relax. If you aren’t here to surf, great snorkeling and scuba diving spots are nearby, and horseback tours through the surrounding countryside are good options for those not interested in getting wet. One of Santa Catalina’s main draws is Isla Coiba. This lush island, now Coiba National Park, is almost untouched and is considered a biodiversity hot spot, with close to 200 bird species, crocodiles, turtles, and snakes. The scuba diving here is very popular due to the enormous whale sharks that frequent the area. These gentle giants are curious creatures and enjoy interacting with divers. Tours to Isla Coiba can be arranged in Santa Catalina. One of the most fun things to do near Boquete is visiting the local swimming hole at Los Cangilones. Set at a lower elevation than Boquete, the climate here is much warmer, and on hot days you’ll find a fun scene, complete with music, barbecues, food vendors, and Panamanians from far and wide splashing and jumping off the gorge edges into the crystal-clear, warm waters below. In this unique geological place, the river narrows into a gorge before opening up again in a shallow pool at the bottom. Daring adults and older kids jump off the edges into the slowly moving waters and then float down to the bottom, climb out, and do it all over again. Youngsters and visitors who are looking for something a little milder can wade into the shallow waters where the gorge opens up. The walls vary in height, so it depends on how brave you are and how high you want to go. This is very much a family destination.

Few locations include Playa Las Lajas is a beautiful beach that extends for more than 13 km (8 miles) along the Gulf of Chiriqui on the Pacific Coast. With little current and perfect water temperatures, Las Lajas is ideal for swimming and bodysurfing. Rustic shacks and cheap restaurants are clustered on the beach at the end of the road. For now it remains a hidden treasure still undiscovered by the large hotel chains and hordes of tourists.

There is no shortage of adventure in the San Blas Islands. Exploration opportunities include sailing from island to island and fishing and snorkeling in the crystal clear waters. You can also opt to kayak and paddle board the open waters, and you can even reach other islands if you’re up for the journey.

There’s not a great deal to do on the San Blas islands – in a way, that’s the point. Much of the time you’ll be swimming, snorkelling or reading on the beach. Normally there will be day-trip or two, to a nearby island that offers something different; that could be a shipwreck to explore, or an area full of starfish. Meals will usually be rice and fish. Once the generator cuts out in the evenings, it’s time to bed down. As the better tour operators will tell you, when you visit the San Blas islands you are doing so as a guest of the Kuna – and they are an indigenous group, not a tourist operation. So the jeep that picks you up from Panama City might be late, or might make unscheduled stops. The water taxi at the port might take a while to turn up. The toilets will be very basic. And so on. It’s certainly worth reading this list of what to expect before you go.

San Blas adventure travel destinations are an amazing thing right now. San Blas is the most stunning place I’ve been to – no exaggeration. It’s just the most amazing turquoise water mixed with blue and the sand is perfectly soft and white. There are starfish by the dozens below and with the addition of the unique Guna people living on the islands like they did hundreds of years ago, fishing with line, and chopping down trees with their machetes, it’s just an adventure that you won’t want to miss. It brings people from all over the world – but it’s not mass tourism here. It’s still pretty and quiet and while we sailed around we barely saw another soul. This is mostly because people think it’s hard to reach and don’t add it into their Panama itinerary. See extra info on www.taotravel365.com.