Jim's Articles

San Blas surfing and autumn 2020 packages

Adventure travel in San Blas, day trips and autumn 2020 packages! The archipelago has 365 islands picturesque and palm tree covered, uninhabited and set in indescribably beautiful aqua waters. When famous author John Le Carre of The Tailor of Panama stayed in San Blas his comment upon taking in an island view was, “This is not paradise, this is heaven.” This is the place to go if you truly want to “get away from it all” to be seeped in and surrounded by nature. Owned by the Guna indians, they’ve kept everything natural and authentic. What a pleasure to spend a few days where there’s no concrete, glass or steel. The second major attraction is the Guna people- a beautiful ancient people, largely unspoiled by modern life.

Our last stop, an island famous among sailors who know the best kept secrets in San Blas, gives you more time to swim in the beautiful calm waters. With two islands right next to each other and home to a big shipwreck, stranded on its outer reef, you can enjoy the pristine beaches and beautiful scenery. Between 3-4pm we will leave this island paradise and head back to the Port of Carti. Your driver will be waiting for you and safely drive you back to Panama City, dropping you off at your lodging by 7pm. San Blas is one of the last unspoiled and undeveloped places in the world and we hope you will get to experience the beauty of the islands and the innocence of the unique Kuna culture. For our guests who only have one day to travel to the “Guna Yala” nation, the San Blas Day tour is the best option and will surely make you want to come back again. Read more details on https://www.taotravel365.com/san-blas-day-tour.

Bocas del Toro is Panama’s main beach destination on the Caribbean. This collection of low-lying tropical islands, not far from the border with Costa Rica, is known for its outstanding soft-sand beaches lapped by crystal-clear, azure-colored waters. The atmosphere here is beyond relaxed, with many young travelers coming to the area and, in some cases, staying for months or years. Things to do in Bocas del Toro include surfing, swimming, diving, or just lazing on the beach. Activities are generally cheap. Although you can find luxury resorts with infinity pools, this is a budget-friendly destination, frequented by mainly singles or couples. The main town, also called Bocas del Toro or simply Bocas Town, is located on Isla Colon. The town itself is not known for beaches, but you can find lovely stretches of sand on other parts of the island or by taking a boat to nearby islands. Some of the most popular are Bluff Beach, Starfish Beach, and Red Frog Beach.

Few attractions include Old Customs, It is a colonial-style building, built in order to serve as traffic control office Port San Blas. Today is the Casa de la Cultura in which a museum which houses some prehispanic pieces found in some localities home, you can also see traces of its construction based on thick and solid walls and its ancient arches gateway.

In this place the first Spanish settlement in the area was built in the early seventeenth century and was also where San Blas was founded. On the San Basilio Hill the most important Colonial Ruins on the Pacific Coast are found. The old fort of San Blas also known as La Contaduria (now semi-restored) and the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary «La Marinera» dating from 1769, where you can find the famous bronze bells immortalized by Henry W. Longfellow in his posthumous poem «The Bells of San Blas.» These Colonial ruins are not restored but well worth visiting… The church is beautiful and gives us a clear idea of the Spanish community that settled in San Blas in those days.

The 360 or so tropical islands off Panama’s northern coast are home to the Kuna people, who since a revolution against the Panamanian government in 1925 have maintained political autonomy from the mainland. As such, they control tourism on their own terms – a very rare thing for an indigenous group. They know how many visitors are coming to their islands on a given day, where they will be staying, and they benefit directly from most of the tourist dollars spent. Aside from fuel for their motorboats, much of it goes on education, health or permaculture.

San Blas adventure travel tours are a trendy thing right now. When I was researching about the San Blas Islands in Panama before this trip, I was so disappointed with the information I found – and after going, I can honestly say it’s so outdated or written by people who did a day trip and stayed for a couple of hours. It seemed like this very difficult place to get to and that taking a day trip to San Blas Islands (on a tour) was the only option. This is not the case and I want to share some more recent San Blas Island travel tips so you can be much more prepared than I was. Before the trip, Silvia and I were messaging each other questions and both were unable to find answers online – it made me nervous about booking to stay there since it seemed everyone just went for the day and left but I’m so glad we gave it a go anyway! See additional details on this website.