The Honey of Our Extended Moon – The San Blas Islands
We spent 3 unforgettable honeymoon nights in the San Blas Islands in Panama, between February 17 and 20, 2016. The San Blas Islands are a territorial independent region of Panama since 1921, in which the Kuna Yala community live and control the area. Although the region stays politically connected to Panama and the Kunas have their own political leaders that represent them, the region has territorial autonomy and the land can be owned only by community members. The Kunas earned this independence through a war that lasted 4 years, in which they claimed they received army supplies and support from the United States. The Kunas celebrate their independence annually on February 24 and 25.
Although we heard and read multiple complaints regarding the Kuna Yala community monopoly over the San Blas Islands from many locals and travelers feeling they have been overcharged to visit the area and that it is not as well maintained as it should be, we actually feel grateful about the fact that the archipelago is still under the control of this indigenous community. Even if this means we had to pay a “higher price” to visit it, we were pleased the islands have not become the tourist monopoly of a few wealthy people or foreigner investors. Some islands may not be as clean as we all wish, but they are not being overwhelmed by huge hotels and resorts either. If the finances are managed as the Kunas say, the money collected is not going to only one person. From our understanding, each island is owned by a cooperation of families that divide the work and profit. Of the little we saw, we loved the low-key profile the islands continue to hold, the simple huts from the Kunas, and their pride of ownership. Yes, there were times in which we hated having to pay “a lot” to be there, but overall we admired the community’s ability to control their own land and be independent. How different would life of other indigenous communities around the world be if they could also maintain the ownership to their land, natural resources, and win the war against colonialism? In our present time, foreign investment and capitalism implies the same savage forces as colonization did in the past. We cannot deny we feel proud and spirited by the Kuna’s ability to stand up for their land and manage it in a lucrative way without selling them out but keeping them for the benefit of themselves in the present time and for future generations. In this article, we hope to give you a clear picture of our experience there, including not only the paradise we enjoyed but how we reached it and how much it cost us to be there.
Visiting the San Blas Islands was a must for us. However, choosing the best way to reach the archipelago took some research and time. Before traveling to Panama, we were in Cartagena, Colombia, where we debated on the pros and cons of the three alternatives we found to traveling to the San Blas Islands. At the end, the main factors to our final decision were the cost and ability to travel independently. These are the three alternative ways we researched getting from Cartagena to Panama City with a visit to the San Blas Islands:
This option was a 5-day organized tour that included two days sailing and three days in the islands. The cost included transportation, food, accommodation, and the Community Kuna Yala entry tax. The only additional expense would be transportation from Carti to Panama City.
Sail boat from Cartagena, Colombia to Carti, Panama: $550 USD
Transportation from Carti to Panama City: $25 USD
Total: $575 USD per person
This option was a 4-day organized tour that included food, accommodation, and the Community Kuna Yala entry tax that initiated from Capurgana, Colombia. The additional expenses would be the transportation from Cartagena to Capurgana, food and accommodation expenses in route to Capurgana, and transportation from Carti to Panama City. An alternative to this option was to take an independent boat to Carti from Capurgana, but the problem was that the boats did not have a regular schedule and leave when they get full. We had researched that these boats cost about $150 USD per person for the transportation only.
Boat tour from Capurgana, Colombia to Carti, Panama: $395 USD
Combination of buses and boats from Cartagena to Capurgana: $50 USD
Approximate food and accommodation expenses (1 night, 1.5 days): $25 USD
Transportation from Carti to Panama City: $25 USD
Total: $495 USD per person
The third option and the one we chose was to fly to Panama from Medellin, Colombia and travel independently to the San Blas Islands. We were fortunate to find a low budget airline, Viva Colombia Airlines, which flew this route. Once in Panama City, we bought groceries to take to the islands to minimize cost. The transportation and accommodation expenses in the San Blas territories were all negotiated successfully to get the lowest rates possible. The following are the actual prices we spent per person.
Bus Cartagena to Medellin: $35 USD
Flight from Medellin, Colombia to Panama City, Panama: $125 USD
*Note: We paid for one checked-in bag and one carry-on bag
Groceries for three days and food we bought on the island: $45 USD
*Note: On the island we bought two lobster lunches, two beers, and two coconuts
Bus from Panama City to Llano: $3 USD
Private transfer from Llano to Carti: $15 USD
*Note: After three hours of unsuccessfully trying hitchhike we paid a passerby
Community Kuna Yala Tax Entry: $20 USD
Round trip private boat from Carti to Perro Grande Island: $40 USD
Port Use Tax: $2 USD
Three nights camping in Perro Grande Island: $15 USD
Transportation from Carti to Panama City: $25 USD
Total: $325 USD per person
We know this 3-night getaway sounds very expensive on a backpacking budget, but believe us it was priceless. Sal was actually mad and frustrated with all the costs until we got to see the beautiful island we had all to ourselves. It was not until we reached our destination, Perro Grande Island, that all the effort and process of getting there seemed worth it. We both smiled and started enjoying ourselves. A small island, white sand, crystalline ocean, palm trees, sun, breeze, our tent, us, what else could we need? This experience confirmed how much we love simplicity and that for us one of the most wonderful things of life is being alone in nature.
Great moments of peace were collected in this tiny piece of heaven, for example when we were lying on the beach at night looking at the moon and the clouds that moved rapidly… no wifi, no other people, just mother earth and us! It was so magical to be there: sitting together while looking at the immensity of the ocean, resting on a palm tree and contemplating the colors of the sunset, struggling to fix our tent because of the inclement wind, preparing our own meals, surrounded by sea stars and fish while swimming, and burying each other in the sand like little kids!
We camped three nights in the beautiful Perro Grande Island in the San Blas Archipelago. The first two nights, besides the Kuna Yala family that lived on the island, we were the only tourists there. Some tourists came during the day for just a few hours to swim, eat, and then leave… Luckily, we visited the island during the week and left on a Saturday, when more visitors arrived. It was not until Friday that a big group of locals arrived to camp on the island. The small island we visited is just one of approximately 400 that exist in this gorgeous archipelago. The islands are family inherited and Perro Grande Island rotated 16 Kuna families that would stay for two months at a time to keep it clean, charge visitors and campers, and sell food, drinks, and traditional crafts. The island had a small toilet and shower unit.
Overall, we cannot deny that camping in one of the San Blas Islands was an amazing and priceless experience. We hope we can always remember the peaceful feeling of solitude and calmness of those days, while we were the privileged residents of our own tiny island in the Caribbean with so much beauty surrounding us. We have never been in an island this small and living there for a few days was without a doubt the honey of our extended moon around the world. 😀
