San Blas is one of the last pristine island archipelagos in this world with the indigenous Guna Yala population that to this day still lives in a very simple and happy way. Tao Travel 365 is the highest-rated San Blas Tour in Panama, offering a San Blas adventure that will allow our guests a glimpse of paradise, spending a day on the beach. We designed this trip for those who want to spend a relaxed day on a paradise beach, enjoying the sun, breeze and warm ocean waters, without the boat rides to different islands.

Due to our close connections with the Kuna tribe, we are able to offer you the best San Blas Day Tour experience at the lowest prices. We are aware you will be faced with choosing from many different San Blas day tour companies. In order to make your decision easy, we offer you the best of everything at a competitive price:

• Timely pick-up from your Panama City lodging
• Spacious, comfortable 4x4 transportation with friendly and knowledgeable drivers
• Full insurance for guests, cars and boats
• All our boats have sun protection with big awnings, for the boat ride to the islands
• We include a quality lunch and one drink of your choice (water, soda or beer). Each meal is prepared in a CLEAN kitchen with FRESH ingredients.
• We include new snorkel equipment for each guest in order to be able to explore the underwater beauties of the San Blas reefs and shipwreck.
• Bi-lingual English/Spanish tour guides.
• Our San Blas tours lasts one hour longer than most others.
• Excellent customer service. We are available 24/7 in order to assist you with any questions or needs.
• Easy and secure payments online with any major credit card or Paypal account through our booking forms and secure payment portals.
• Best Price/Quality Guarantee

PLEASE BE PREPARED FOR A  2.5 HOUR CAR JOURNEY EACH WAY OVER BAD ROADS WITH POTHOLES AND SLOW CURVES! THERE IS ALSO A 25-30 MINUTE BOAT RIDE TO YOUR ISLAND, WHICH CAN GET QUITE BUMPY AND WET. We feel that the islands are worth the long drive, but some travelers have complained about the roads and the fast boat ride from and to the port. While we strive to provide our guests the best service and an unforgettable experience in San Blas, we are not responsible for road and ocean conditions, and we would like you to be aware of this fact :)

We are excited to share the beauty of the people and the islands with you and hope to become your premier provider for amazing adventures in Panama and beyond.

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TOUR OVERVIEW

Your San Blas Day tour starts early in the morning. A friendly driver will meet you at your Panama City lodging between 5:00am and 5:45am and safely transport you and up to five other guests to the Port of Carti. Relax and start enjoying the 2.5 to 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 a “lancha” boat with your San Blas tour guide will be waiting for you, ready to take you to your paradise island.

The 30-minute boat ride 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.

Arriving at your destination, Isla Perro, you will be greeted by a tropical palm-fringed island paradise and calm waters with various shades of blue and green inviting you to dive in and play with the multitude of colorful fish surrounding you, while snorkeling on the sunken shipwreck reef located close to the beach. You will have plenty of time to relax in the shade of a palm tree, explore the island, meet the amazing Kuna population or bathe in the crystal clear ocean, surrounding yourself with the iridescent turquoise water colors allowing for postcard perfect photo shots. We provide all of our guests with free snorkel equipment for the day to marvel at the colorful reef and the multitude of fish species surrounding the wreck. The island also offers kayaks for rent, if you like to glide over the azure waters and take postcard photos of the island.

At lunchtime you will be served a tasty and freshly prepared lunch, with a choice of fresh fish or chicken (note: we also offer vegetarian options and other alternatives, if you have diet restrictions. Lobsters must be ordered during the purchase of your tour).

Between 3:00 and 3:30pm 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.
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We also offer San Blas sailboat charter tours that will allow you to visit many more islands and enjoy all-inclusive amenities, such as gourmet meals, open bar, snacks throughout the day, kayaks, SUP boards and much more.

For those of you who long for a relaxing multi-day San Blas vacation, relaxing in a hammock, reading a book, sipping on a cocktail and watching spectacular golden red sunsets we offer San Blas cabins on various unique San Blas islands. Whether staying in an "Over-water" cabin and jumping into the ocean from your bedroom or sleeping in a traditional Kuna hut, we can provide you with options that suit your particular taste and style.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

• Shared roundtrip 4x4 Car Transfer from your lodging in Panama City to Port of Carti
• Shared roundtrip Boat Transfer from the Port of Carti to the island
• Beach day on either Isla Perro Chico or Isla Perro Grande
• Island Taxes
• Lunch (Chicken or Fish with rice, plantains and salad)
• One drink (Beer, Bottled Water, or Soda)

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

• Kuna Entrance Fee ($22 for Internationals, $7 for Panamanian residents)
• Lobster Lunch ($25 extra with advance notice)

TOUR SCHEDULE

(Approx. times)

• Pick-up from Panama City lodging between 5:00am and 5:45am
• Arrive in Port of Carti of San Blas at 9:00am
• Boat trip to the island, arriving by 9:30am
• Return trip to the Port at 3:00pm
• Pick-up from the Port of Carti by 4:00pm
• Arrive in Panama City by 7:00pm

WHAT TO BRING

• Passport or Cedula for Kuna territory entry
• Comfortable and adequate clothing to protect yourself from the sun and thus avoid the use of sunscreen. Creams (even biodegradable ones) are polluting and for that reason we do not promote their use

• Comfortable and safe footwear (sandals or water shoes)
• Swimwear
• Sun glasses
• Towel
• Camera
• Cap or hat
• A reusable bottle to fill with water during the day
• Insect Repellent 
• Cash

PLEASE NOTE

• ATTENTION LAST MINUTE BOOKINGS: Bookings made after 6:00pm for the following day are NOT guaranteed until we respond and explicitly confirm your tour itinerary. If your booking is not confirmed by one of our booking specialists, your tour will be scheduled for the subsequent day.
• Island may vary, depending on ocean and weather conditions.
• Add $25 per person for a fresh lobster meal (with advance notice)
• Round-trip transportation from Playa Bonita area for additional $10 per person

SAN BLAS DISCLAIMER - PLEASE READ

While San Blas is a beautiful island archipelago with stunning beaches and clear waters, it also has its downsides, for which we would like to make you aware off. 

In San Blas only the Kuna population is allowed to work in the territory. The services and infrastructure are not what most of us are used to. Kunas are not very service oriented and can often seem shy or reserved. A stay in San Blas can be compared to a camping vacation that offers minimal comfort, services and amenities. We strongly advise those who have 5 star expectations to think twice before embarking on this adventure. We do have alternative tours in Panama with more high-end services. 

We really care about our reputation and we want our guests to enjoy their vacation with us. We attempt to be as transparent as possible in order to set guest expectations from the start. We do not own any of the islands and we pride ourselves in providing excellent service during your booking process and attempting to assist you during your San Blas vacation. However, please remember that we cannot guarantee the same excellent service during your stay in San Blas.

Please read all the below information well!

• San Blas is very rustic without the amenities and standards you might be used to from home. Compared to places such as Tahiti and Maldives that are managed by international hotel chains, San Blas has remained autonomous without the influence of outsiders. When visiting San Blas, it should be viewed as a cultural experience where guests visit the paradise islands of the Kunas and respect their traditions and their primitive ways of living.

• • No air condition - None of the islands offer A/C
  • No Wifi - You can buy a prepaid SIM card (Tigo or Digicel), which may or may not have signal.
  • No luxury facilities - Bathrooms may be dirty, sinks may get clogged
  • What seems like trash and clutter around the local huts, are items and tools that Kunas re-use for their daily lives. Please respect the fact that different cultures have different education, perspectives and ways of living and do not expect the cleanliness you may be used to from your home country.

• All services will all be handled by the indigenous Kuna. While Tao Travel 365 strives to provide the best service possible and train the Kuna in customer management, some of the below services are often out of our control.
  • Car transportation - the ride to San Blas takes 2.5 to 3 hours, with 1.5 hours over slow,  curvy roads. For those with motion sickness, please prepare accordingly. The transportation is in a shared 4x4 SUV, with one seat up front, three seats in the middle row and 2 seats in the back row. Seats are assigned randomly. Those who require additional space in the car must purchase an extra seat. Pick up from your lodging is scheduled between 5:00am and 5:30am, but can sometimes be as late as 5:45am depending on the timeliness of other guests that we pick up. Out of respect for all others in the car we ask everyone to wait in the lobby of their building at 5:00am. If you are not at the designated meeting point, the driver will make an effort to locate you, but he cannot delay the transportation by more than 10 minutes. No refunds are awarded to guests who don’t show up on time.
  • Boat transportation - depending on weather and ocean conditions, the 20-40 minute boat ride might be bumpy and wet with ocean spray. 
  • Island kitchen - meal are prepared fresh in the local kitchen and usually consist of fried or grilled fish with salad and patacones (fried plantains).
  • Most Kunas DO NOT speak English.

• Trash is a worldwide problem and unfortunately San Blas has not been spared from the ever increasing issue. During certain tides and ocean and wind conditions plastic trash from throughout the Caribbean ocean accumulates on the beaches of San Blas. While the local Kuna are working hard to collect the constant flood of plastic trash washing up on their beaches, guests will nevertheless find evidence of plastic spread out on the island. Furthermore, Kunas tend to collect certain “trash” and re-use it for their purposes.
• During the wet months (April - December) or during windless days, all of San Blas experiences sandflies, which are little blood-sucking flies that leave itchy marks. Please ensure to bring insect repellent and prepare to return to Panama City with a few itchy memories.
• Weather:  
  • Panama is located in the Intertropical Convergence Zone, which means that the weather is very unpredictable and is impossible to forecast with accuracy. The weather forecast will usually show rain and thunderstorms for most days of the year, when in reality there are oftentimes beautiful, sunny days in San Blas. Please do not rely on the weather forecast in Panama.
  • Due to the tropical conditions in San Blas rain can occur at any time and we do not offer refunds for rainy days.

• Travel Emergencies:
  • The San Blas islands are located in a very remote region of Panama. We ask all guests  to be responsible for their own well being and to be aware that medical assistance can often not be provided right away. The closest medical facility in San Blas is very basic and can only provide assistance for minor issues. Guests with injuries such as broken bones that require more specialized treatment need to be transported to Panama City.
  • Guests are responsible for all charges arising from a medical emergency, such as boat and car transportation and medical care. We suggest all guests to carry a Travel Insurance to cover emergency expenses. For more information, please visit www.taotravel365.tours/travel-insurance/

We kindly ask our guests to lower their expectation when visiting San Blas and to focus on the beautiful remote paradise that San Blas has remained despite the effects that modern society has caused to them. The Kunas are very gentle and kind people, but can also be somewhat shy at times. When approaching them with a smile and an open heart you will be guaranteed an innocent, happy smile in return. Arriving with the right mindset and expectation usually guarantees an unforgettable experience, where guests are able to focus on the beauties of the islands, beaches, ocean and the people, rather than on the limitations that we mentioned above.

CANCELATION POLICY

Please read our Tour Cancelation Policy before booking.