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1-night San Blas Islands – Isla Tubasenika

2-days/1-night
Isla Tubasenika, San Blas Islands, Panamá
Offered daily
Pick-up and drop-off at your hotel
No pre-payment & free cancelation
Covid-19 precautions

Stay on Isla Tubasenika, an island straight out of a dream. Tubaniseka is a small island covered with palm trees, surrounded by a white beach and crystal clear waters that invite you to a swim. Choose between simple, palm-thatched cabins (private or dorm) or upscale wooden cabins.

This tour is identical to the 2-nights San Blas Islands – Isla Tubasenika package but with different duration.

Duration

2-days/1-night package

Departure & Return

Departure Day: Pick-up between 5-5:30am at your hotel in Panama City
Return Day: Departure from the island on the last day after breakfast, drop-off at your hotel in Panama City around 12pm/1pm (depending on traffic)

For Veracruz/Playa Bonita earlier pick-up/later drop-off plus additional charges

Price Includes

Roundtrip transport to San Blas & backIncl. pick-up/drop-off at your hotel, in shared SUV/4x4 (for max. 6 persons)
Boat transfer to Isla Tubasenikaca. 15mins, incl. safety vests
1 night on Isla Tubasenika
Meals3 meals per day, starting with lunch on Day 1 - vegan/vegetarian options available on request
Afternoon tourVisit 1-2 closeby islands and a natural pool

Beverages, drinks, snacksCan be purchased or brought along
Sunscreen, towels and personal items
Governmental entrance fee to San Blas and dock fee$20+$2 for foreigners, $5+$2 for nations/residents

Cabins

Option 1: Upscale private cabins with a wooden floor and western-style beds (mattresses, pillow, sheets) for 2-6 people of the same group. Bathrooms are shared.

Option 2: Simple private cabins – thatched huts with sand floor and western-style beds (mattresses, pillow, sheets) for 2-6 people of the same group. Bathrooms are shared.

Option 3: Dorm bed in a simple cabin – thatched huts with sand floor and western-style beds (mattresses, pillow, sheets) for up to 8 people (mixed). Bathrooms are shared.

Bathrooms (for all cabin types) are shared and equipped with a western-style toilet and shower (no hot water).

Discounts for Children

Children 5-8 years: 50% of package price + full price for car ride
Children 0-4 years:Stay is gratis (excl. food, which can be purchased in the restaurant), car ride: on parent's lap (free) or purchase of car ride (at full price)
Governmental Entrance Fee: free entrance for children 0-8 years old

Covid-19 precautions

The number of visitors is limited to reduce crowds
All areas that customers touch are frequently cleaned
Masks are mandatory in all public and crowded spaces (e.g. during transport)

What to Expect

A tropical island paradise
Sleep in your cabin right next to the beach
Island surrounded by crystal-clear waters and colorful reefs
Taste freshly-caught local fish
With a bit of luck, see starfish, dolphins or turtles

Photos

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival

Pick up at your accommodation in Panama City between 5-5:30am
After ca. 2-3h arrival in Cartí, San Blas. From here, boat ride to the island (ca. 20min)
Spend the day on the island, enjoy lunch and dinner here
On one of the afternoons, go on a tour to visit surrounding islands
At night, sleep in your cabin right next to the sea

Day 2: Departure

Departure from the island after breakfast, arrival in Panama City at around 1pm
If you book late departure, stay on the island until the afternoon (including lunch) and return to Panama City at around 7pm

Map

FAQ

Read this before booking your trip

A trip to the San Blas Islands is most likely very different to your usual vacation. All operations in San Blas are by law 100% owned and operated by local Kuna people, foreign investments are banned and foreigners/Panamanians are not allowed to conduct any business in San Blas. Most of the cabins are run by large families and provide income for a very large number of people. Many of the operators or employees have lived their entire life in San Blas, some never left the Comarca and most have never traveled to another country or stayed in a hotel. Kuna people have for hundreds of years lived a very simple and basic life consisting mainly of fishing and hunting. Tourism is fairly new and only very few have had real experience in the hospitality sector.

At the same time, the islands are very remote and difficult to reach. Everything that the islands themselves cannot provide (building material, gasoline for the boats, food,…) needs to be sourced in Panama City and sent for a high surcharge in a 4WD/SUV to the dock of Carti. From here, it is then redistributed via boats and again for a fee to smaller sellers and cabins. The islands are not provided with any infrastructure (electricity or running water) and locals live a simple life in tune with nature.

As you can imagine, great effort is required to provide a basic service to tourists and the locals do it to the best of their knowledge. As such, we kindly ask you to leave your mainland expectations behind and be open and try not to compare the $-value of a night in San Blas with a night in other parts of Panama. The simplicity of the cabins reflect a mix of the basic traditional lifestyle and the expensive sourcing for material with external financing being not allowed. Similarly, meals reflect local food patterns (fish/sea food with rice) with limited access and the attempt to adapt to foreign tastes with a bit of sides and salads. Drinking water needs to be imported from the City and is a luxury to most locals. Providing electricity and fresh water requires great effort and usage times might be restricted. Bed linens are washed by hand in the river on the mainland or sent to Panama City. There is no communal trash collection or recycling system in place. Only few locals speak English and some don’t even speak Spanish.

Nevertheless, we work closely with cabin owners to ensure that you will receive a great service, experience clean and functioning facilities and that your stay will be a remarkable one!

With this in mind, be ready to jump into your island adventure! Once on the island, you’ll most likely find that in such a beautiful setting, most modern-day luxuries are not needed and that there is a point to the simple and relaxing life that the Kuna people live 😊

How do I pay for the trip?

Payment is in cash on the day of the tour.

What should I pack?

You’ll be spending an entire day out on the ocean and in the sun so we highly recommend dressing accordingly!

Please bring mandatory:

Passport: mandatory, it will be checked upon entering the Comarca of Kuna Yala (San Blas)
Sufficient cash:in US Dollars to pay for the trip in cash, to buy drinks, snacks, souvenirs on the island (small bills of 1 USD and 5 USD highly recommended) – Credit cards are not accepted and there is no ATM in San Blas

Additionally, we recommend:

Sun protection: for the island and the boat ride (sun blocker, hat, T-shirt with sleeves, towel)
Towels
Water to drink: Water/soft drinks are not included in the package, please bring sufficient or purchase on the island
Snacks
Swimming gear
Sandals, flip flops
Wetbag or plastic bag for your valuables in case of a wet boat ride or rain
Flash light
Clothes (to change if you get wet on the boat ride + it might get chilly/windy at night)
Snorkeling equipment

Please wrap sensitive items and put them in a waterproof bag as the boat ride to and between islands might get bumpy and wet at times. Have your passport and cash with you during the car ride and ready to present when entering the Comarca of San Blas (passport check + payment of the governmental entrance fee).

Which currency is most widely accepted on this tour?

San Blas is cash-only, there are no ATMs or card payments in San Blas. Please bring sufficient cash (US Dollars), preferably in bills of $1 or $5 for paying for snacks, water, taxes etc. since locals rarely have sufficient change.

Why is there a governmental fee to enter San Blas?

All visitors to the Comarca Kuna Yala, and thus to the San Blas islands, have to pay a fee upon entering. For this purpose, there are inspection points at all entrance points to Kuna Yala, such as along the only road, all ports and all airports. This fee is used to protect the rich biodiversity of the Kuna Yala rainforests.

It is $20 for foreigners and $5 for nationals and residents.

Can I drive to San Blas myself?

San Blas cannot be reached via public transport and entrance to the area is strictly controlled by the local government. A limited number of independent drivers are certified to bring tourists to the San Blas islands in SUV/4WD as sort of chartered taxis at a fixed price. It is currently NOT possible to drive in your own car to San Blas or hire a taxi-service and the transport needs to be organized together with your tour/stay.

We organize the transport to San Blas and back for you together with your stay and for this collaborate closely with a selected number of licensed drivers.

Is a visit to the San Blas Islands suitable for children?

Yes, you can definitely come to San Blas with children. Children usually love the beaches, the boat rides and being on an island. We recommend that children are at least old enough to walk when visiting the islands and keep in mind that most places do not have special baby equipment (baby beds, baby seats or special food/drinkable water).

Please also consider our special discounts for children.

How much luggage can we bring?

We advise to bring only as little luggage as necessary because space in the cars and the boat is limited. Often you can arrange with your hotel/hostel to leave your luggage there.

1-night San Blas Islands – Isla Tubasenika

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