San Blas, Panama: The San Blas Islands, on the Caribbean side of Panama and east of Colon, form a semi-autonomous area of Panama inhabited by indigenous natives called the Guna...

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San Blas, Panama

Jan 28, 2024 13:53:34 #

Vienna74 Loc: Bountiful, Utah now Panama

The San Blas Islands, on the Caribbean side of Panama and east of Colon, form a semi-autonomous area of Panama inhabited by indigenous natives called the Guna (pronounced more like "kina"). A passport is needed to enter the Guna Yala, as this area is called. It extends over 100 miles along the coast of Panama. Most of the population is much farther to the east, but the western-most part of this area includes islands that are used solely for tourism. It is one of the favorite day-trips from Panama City, but it is a whole day, not suitable for the cruise ship crowd.

The first time we went, the road from the south (Pacific) side of the continental divide to the north (Caribbean) side was unpaved and bad. The only vehicles allowed to enter are those from licensed tour operators and all of their vehicles were well-equipped 4WDs. We went again two weeks ago, and the road is paved all the way to the area of the four harbors on the Caribbean.

Once one arrives at the harbor, one boards a boat that spends about 40 minutes getting out to one of the islands. The water is pristine, the views amazing and the swimming wonderful. I left my big camera at home and used my mobile phone. Here are just a few photos from that trip:
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