When it comes to exploring the San Blas islands you have a couple options:

• Day Trips from Panama – these sound to be pretty intense and full on. It’s some 6 hours of travel for about the same amount of time on the islands but I get that it’s a good option for people who don’t do well for long periods on boats or don’t have much time.
• Speed Boat – a lot of people who know they get seasick choose this option. It’s about 3 days in total and a lot less time on the water, plus you sleep on the islands themselves as opposed to on the boat.
• Sail Boat – this is the only option I can speak for as I did the full 5 day sail from Colombia to Panama. If you do it the other way, the open sail is at the end of the trip as opposed to the start, I think that’s the only difference.

First things first, Blue Sailing is the company that organises these sails and they take care of pretty much everything. From immigration on both sides, looking after passports, money exchange, being super responsive over email/whatsapp, having all the info you need online in one place. Their website is fully comprehensive with a catalog of the available boats, their capacity, facilities, departure dates, etc.

The ‘Welcome Meeting’ is an opportunity to meet the people you’ll be spending 5 days straight with as well as the point in which you pay the remaining balance, (you pay a deposit online to secure the booking), for the trip in cash. Make sure to take out a little money each day leading up to it to avoid ATM/card withdrawal limits. They will also exchange Pesos for USD based on the XE rate as you’ll need USD on the islands and in Panama.

The biggest question is probably the price. For the sail, I was on the ‘Sophia‘, sailed around the beginning of May and I paid $710. There are cheaper options and more expensive options, depending on the boat you choose and the time of year. You’ll also need an additional $120 for Kuna Tax and transport from the boat to Panama City at the end of the trip. There was a $25 surcharge for a ‘special diet’, (I’m a pescatarian), and I spent another $196 in the supermarket beforehand on snacks, drinks, etc. In hindsight, I didn’t need to get as many snacks as I bought in the supermarket as we were so well fed, and nor did I need to pay the ‘special diet’ fee: if you’re a pescatarian like me, chances are you’ll be fine with the food on board as the majority of it was veggie/pesce anyways. That brings the total, all in, to $1,051 USD or ~£800, (~€912).

In terms of packing for the trip, consider it hand luggage only. Your big backpack/suitcase will be put in the hold so you’ll spend the 5 days with whatever you can fit into a smaller bag that you’ll have with you. I’d recommend:

As mentioned, the first part of the sail from Colombia to Panama is 32 hours of open water. Even if you don’t usually get seasick, take.the.damn.Dramamine! Once you start feeling sick, it’s too late, so don’t chance ruining your trip. It will give you the best sleep of your life and help that part of the trip go by quicker. Also, during the open sail the crew can’t cook so the food will be very basic for the first 2 days.

The sail is really an opportunity to just free will, all day everyday. Your accommodation, food and transport is essentially sorted for you which, (especially if you’re backpacking), is a real treat to not have to think about. Staying respectful to the people around you on the boat, your crew and the locals on the islands, you can swim, snorkel, dive, paddleboard, sunbathe, spot fish, sharks, dolphins, read, write, dance, sleep, literally whatever, go crazy.

The sail will end in Porvenir which is the ‘main’ island of the San Blas. This is where your captain will sort your entry stamp for Panama and you’ll pay the Kuna Tax. A sea taxi will pick you up with your luggage and take you to mainland Panama where you’ll jump into a taxi and make the 1hr ish drive to Panama City. If you’re like me, and need a decompress from spending 24/7 with people in very close quarters, Hotel Caracas is a no frills, but pretty cheap place to enjoy your own room and bathroom for the night before starting on the hostel dorm situation again.

This whole sail was genuinely such a fun experience and core memory for me now. I would love to do another sail at some point, I’ve thought about the Croatian Islands for ages and a Caribbean Island hop remains a bucket list activity. If The Yacht Week is reading this, do you guys fancy a post on this blog that my Mum and 2 of my friends read in exchange for a Polynesian island hop? (Meh, it’s worth a shot).