More Islands of the San Blas Islands
Posted by Travel Editor
This article explains the islands you can consider and travel to on your vacation in the San Blas Islands. Some are more populated and westernized than others. Other islands are deserted and lacking in tourist facilities, but if that is what you are looking for, these islands are perfect for your escape to the Kuna Yala archipelago.
Cayos Chichime
The Cayos Chichime lie west of the Cayos Holandes. The Cayos Chichime are better known as the Wichudup or Wichitup where you will find a place to stay if there is space, owned by a man called Umburto. These huts will cost you $5 a night, if there’s a vacancy. You can also get some freshly caught seafood and he will provide a boat ride to El Pouvenir for a price. These islands are quite beautiful and worth a visit.
Mamitupo Island
Mamitupo Island has an airstrip and is the gateway to the Isla Uaguitupo or Dolphin Island where you’ll find the Dolphin Island Resort or the Uaguitupo Lodge. If you arrive by yacht, you will be welcomed by a local, Pablo Nunez Perez, in a dugout canoe who is willing to act as your tour guide.
Playon Chico
It is better to go to Playon Chico by airplane because of the rough seas you’ll encounter between here and Corazon de Jesus. It’s a good starting point if you plan to visit more of the San Blas Islands. Playon Chico is a large busy island and probably the most modern of all the San Blas Islands. For the closest thing to a luxury hotel on the San Blas Islands, the island Isla Iskadarp houses the Sapibenega Kuna Lodge. It’s expensive, but has beautiful cabanas on stilts over the water, balconies, private bathrooms, hammocks and beautiful serene views surround the Sapibenega Kuna Lodge. For more information, read our review on the Sapibenega Kuna Lodge or visit their website for booking www.Sapibenega.com.
Corazon de Jesus
Corazon de Jesus is a busy place where there is also a landing strip for flying in, a large grocery shop, and a bank (in Nargana – the only bank you’ll find in the San Blas Islands). It is a bustling center of activity, concrete buildings and commercial activity. It’s an interesting place to visit but very westernized.
Near to Corazon de Jesus, you’ll find Isla Tigre (very clean and the inhabitants living the traditional Kuna lifestyle), Isla Kwadula where the Kuna people also live more traditional lifestyles. The islands are quiet and clean. Accommodation is available on Isla Kwadula with cabanas on stilts overlooking the sea. Good snorkeling will be found nearby in the coral reefs and it has a restaurant and bar.
Also nearby is Rio Acuzar where you will find a grocery store and other stores. Rio Acuzar is a popular stopover for those with boats traveling around the area of the San Blas Islands because of the available services here, including a medical center and phones.
Rio Sidra
There is an airstrip on the island of Rio Sidra and a general store. Rio Sidra is close to the beautiful islands of Isla Kuanidup and Isla Dup Askunikad. Both of these islands have some simple hotels where you will find both hammocks and marvelous beaches. On Isla Kuanidup, you will find some cabana accommodation with hammocks, white sand beaches, coral reefs for snorkeling. Great snorkeling on the reefs can also be found at Isla Nusatupo because of the large reefs, the lack of tourist facilities and tourists. Those with yachts will find the calm, quiet bays here a good place to drop anchor. Nearby, is Isla Maquina, worth a trip to but you won’t find any accommodations or restaurants here.
This sums up the major islands of the Kuna Yala archipelago. Read about the other San Blas islands I wrote in my previous posting, Find your island and enjoy your paradise here on the San Blas Islands.
The Islands of the Kuna Yala Archipelago
Posted by Travel Editor
There are some 365 small islands which form the archipelago known as the Kuna Yala or the San Blas Islands. The San Blas Islands are a collection of islands of pristine sun bleached sandy beaches, coconut plantations and palms and home to the Kuna people who govern the Islands. Most of the islands are unspoiled, the perfect place to kick back and forget the rest of the world. Accommodations are, for the most part, simple and rustic. But it’s the best thing in life to spend the day on your own tropical deserted island and be the first one to place your feet in the sand. You can book a day on a deserted island and a Kuna guide will take you by boat to the island and provide you with a simple lunch. It is possible to travel by road and boat to the islands, but the most convenient way is to fly by either Aeropuerlas or Air Panama. The following is an introduction to some of the major islands of the Archipelago de San Blas.
El Pouvenir
San Blas Islands Relaxation
El Pouvenir is the main island, the capital of the San Blas islands. It is a small island known by the name of Gaigirgordup to the native Kuna people. This is where many tourists will arrive when they travel to the San Blas Islands. There is not much here, but there is an airstrip where Aeropuerlas and Air Panama flights land in the early morning. You will find a small grocery store, a few small bamboo huts of the locals, the Museo de la Nacion Kuna, a museum which has some displays of Kuna Indian culture and artifacts. It is worth a visit as an introduction to the Kuna heritage. On El Pouvenir, there is a simple hotel (the Hotel El Pouvenir) and a small beach.
Islands close to El Pouvenir are Isla Nalunega and Isla Wichub-Huala – busier than El Pouvenir. Both islands have more of a selection of accommodations, local government buildings and a few shops which do not stock much in the way of merchandise. The Hotel San Blas is located on Isla Naluenga. Naluenga is cleaner but has no beach. A man named Alberto Vasquez rents out a couple of the rooms in his home to tourists. He also provides food if you arrange it with him. On these islands, you will experience the life of the Kuna villagers up close, especially by staying with a Kuna family.
Not far away from El Pouveir lies Ukuptupu Island between Isla Nalunega and Isla Wichub-Huala. The Cabanas Ukuptupu Hotel is located on Ukuptupu Island. This popular hotel consists of wooden cabins built on stilts over the water. Cruise ships stop at Isla Wichub-Huala and the island becomes full of tourists when the ships dock and Kuna women busy selling molas. The Smithsonian Institute was located on this island until until 1998. From the Cabanas Ukuptupu, you can watch the sun set, the canoes, the ships and yachts sail relaxing in a hammock.
Nearby lie some other popular small islands, worth taking a day trip to snorkel, relax and soak up the sun. These small islands include Isla de los Perros (Dog Island or also known as Achutupu) – are less crowded, with fantastic snorkeling about the shipwreck where underwater life is plentiful. The silence and the glorious beaches make it ideal for relaxation under the palm trees. Other nearby islands is Isla Pelicano – good for snorkeling on its coral reef and Isla Ogobsibu which is a private island.
Carti
At Carti, there is a landing strip for airplanes and some large villages of the Kuna people. There is also the Kuna Museum of Culture featuring Kuna mythology and culture, a medical center, a school, a library and post office. Many Kuna people dress in traditional clothes waiting for the cruise ships to arrive. Some of them then trade their traditional clothes for western dress. You will find many Kuna people here selling molas. It is polluted here with garbage littered on the beach and not as clean as one would like. There is basic hotel here, dormitory style accommodation on Carti.
Close by, there is the island which is less crowded and has beautiful beaches and palm trees – this island is called Isla Aguja of the San Blas Islands archipelago. You’ll like this island more if you like snorkeling and relaxing on white sand beaches under the palm trees.
Cayos Holandes
Cayos Holandes or the Dutch Keys are a group of remote islands, the furthest from the mainland of Panama, where a few Kuna people live. The Cayos Holandes are surrounded by clear water, coral reefs full of marine life and make a great location for snorkeling. If you are sailing near these reefs, careful navigation is required. You can hear the waves break against the coral reefs, most aptly named “Wreck Reef” because of the Spanish ships that got shipwrecked here.
I will write further of more of the San Blas Islands in another posting. There’s much to explore in the way of snorkeling in the coral reefs and observing shipwrecks and the stunning marine life, sunning on the white sandy beaches or under the palm trees and experiencing the culture of the Kuna people. If you are seeking a busy activity filled vacation doing anything more than boating, snorkeling and relaxing, this may not be the vacation for you. A San Blas Islands vacation is the perfect place to relax and escape from it all.