Island hopping, crystal clear waters, volleyball on white sand, fresh lobster for dinner and a snorkelling experience straight out of an Attenborough documentary; this is what you can expect from the San Blas Islands Sailing Experience.
The San Blas tour is a popular travel route that navigates the border between Panama and Colombia, a particularly tricky border crossing due to the Darian gap.
Although it comes with a slightly heavier price tag, I haven’t met a single traveller who will talk you out of it. In fact, it is always the highlight of their trip and it was definitely one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.
My personal experience began in Cartagena and ended in Panama City, however, the other way is equally popular too!
But what exactly are you getting for your money? And how much does the San Blas sailing experience really cost?
Let me break it down for you.
What company did I go with?
There are many companies that offer sailing trips through the San Blas Islands. However, the company I was recommended above all the rest (and used myself) was Blue Sailing.
They were very communicative and efficient and made the whole process so easy. When you book you can communicate with them through WhatsApp and email which makes everything so much smoother.
Blue Sailing also organises your transport on arrival to Panama which takes you straight to your hostel in Panama City. The transfer is roughly 4 hours.
How far in advance should I book?
The boats can get booked up quite fast, especially in the warmer seasons. I booked about 3 to 4 weeks in advance, however, I was travelling in a group so we had to be more organised.
Travel plans change and the date you were thinking of departing might no longer work for you so the calendar feature on the Blue Sailing website was so helpful and allowed us to have a bit more flexibility in our plans.
The calendar allows you to see how many spaces are left on the boats for every day of departure, meaning if you keep an eye on this, you don’t need to book super early. I would recommend 2 to 3 weeks in advance, maybe more in peak season.
Note: on booking you pay a small deposit, mine was $60 USD.
Is there a choice of boat?
Yes. There are a few different options for boats and each one has a slightly different experience.
I opted for the cheapest sailboat option and had the best time! My boat was called Alessandra but if you want to read about a different sailboat, you can read about Sophia here.
The cost breakdown
Bear in mind the costs vary depending on the sailing experience you choose and they are referred to in USD as that is Panama’s currency.
For the cheapest, 5-day sail experience of the San Blas islands, this is how much it cost:
Total (including deposit): $680 USD or roughly £550 GBP.
You pay the deposit when you book ($60) and then the rest you pay at your briefing before you set sail.
They then recommend taking a further $120 USD in cash to cover tax, transport and any other personal expenses like drinks and local art on the San Blas Islands.
Before the briefing, I took out the equivalent of $680 (minus the $60) deposit, as well as the $120, in Colombian pesos.
When you go to the briefing you pay the remaining amount in full, they keep your passport and they can also change your Colombian pesos into USD (if you start in Cartagena).
The San Blas Islands do not have cash machines so you will need plenty of cash.
The cash covers drinks from bars on the islands, paying to go onto the beaches in some instances and the $20 kuna tax too.
Note: if you travel from Colombia to Panama, make sure you have extra dollars than they recommend for costs when you arrive in Panama City, this will save you a lot of hassle.
So, the total cost of the San Blas sailing experience is a minimum of $800 USD, depending on how many drinks you buy on the islands!
Taking money out
Blue Sailing offer advice on this when you book with them. They will also provide you with a very detailed email which answers any questions you may have.
I would recommend taking money out at these Colombian ATMs: Davivienda, Servibanca or Western Union.
I found that using my Starling card at Davivienda didn’t charge me anything. However, Starling does have a daily withdrawal limit so plan in advance.
When I attempted to withdraw from Davivienda using Monzo, Monzo charged me £3.50 (for only half of the money I needed in total)
As I was travelling in a group, we found Western Union particularly helpful as we could take all our money out together for a very reduced fee (when split between us).
Note: whichever card or bank you choose, fees will vary according to the individual terms and conditions your bank has set. As noted earlier, you cannot withdraw any cash 0n the San Blas Islands.
Are the San Blas Islands worth it?
Absolutely. Whether the sea crossing is smooth or particularly rough, you will hear everybody say it’s worth it for the islands.
5 days on a boat with a group of people from many different walks of life in a setting that looks like a Windows desktop, you can’t go far wrong.
If you can budget for the Blue Sailing experience of the San Blas islands, you will not regret it!
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