Premium San Blas islands sailing right now and tourism tips? 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! Discover more information at San Blas yachting charters.
As you may have guessed, the San Blas Islands do not offer wifi. If you purchase a chip in Panama, then you’ll be connected, but to enjoy the islands to their fullest, turn off your phone and tune into nature. This is a perfect destination for the ultimate technology detox, as days are spent resting on the beach and drinking out of coconuts. You can still take a lifetime’s worth of beautiful beach pictures, perfect to share on social media once you return to the mainland.
You aren’t allowed to leave the boat and walk on Monkey Island, but the guides on the boat use special calls to get the monkeys’ attention. We saw 3 monkey species on our trip as well as a crocodile! I really enjoyed the tour and seeing so many monkeys was a great experience. Although we didn’t feed the monkeys, other people on our boat did and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. The monkeys here are supposed to be wild and I wasn’t aware before that tour groups feed them. This is one of those wildlife experiences that borders the line of being unethical. Yes, the island is protected and the monkeys are only fed bananas, but you’ll have to decide for yourself if this is the tour for you! We decided to take a tour to Monkey Island for $70 USD. From pickup to drop off it took just over 3 hours and the tour was really fun! You can book the tour I did here in advance.
I will never stop saying this: Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve is a hidden gem that you definitely shouldn’t miss when in Tulum. The Sian Kaan Lagoons and Cenote Escondido tour combines exploring the lagoons of Sian Kaan with the Mayan Ruins of Muyil, with a relaxing swim at beautiful cenote Escondido. Just the perfect combo. It’s pricey (all tours to Sian Ka’an generally are), but worth it IMO. This private cenote tour from Tulum brings you to Dos Ojos, one of the best (and most famous) cenotes in the area. By departing early in the morning, you’ll enjoy the two cenotes away from the tourist crowds – when I went as soon as it opened, I had Dos Ojos cenote all to myself and it was a unique experience! You’ll get lunch as well on this Dos Ojos cenote tour.
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.
Explore rowing on a kayak the beautiful Chagres River before it merges at the Gatun lake where the huge vessels and boats transit from Ocean to Ocean. The Chagres river is the main tributary of water of the Canal. A quite waterway, enjoying the sound of the wild life of this dense tropical forest. You might get the opportunity to see a sloth in a tree, a colorful bird peacefully living in the jungle or at the top the water plants, caimans, turtles among many others species of the local fauna. After a short hike to the small port used by the Embera indigenous at Gamboa, the tour last about 1 hour and 20 minutes (in the kayak) always accompanied by our bilingual guide and probably also by an Embera guide from the area who knows the place better than anyone.
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