Toilets, Shade and Fresh Water on San Blas Islands

This is the part no photo shows and almost everyone asks about once they are already in the boat. It is worth knowing beforehand: not because it is serious, but because the wrong expectations spoil a day that is actually fine.

Here it is, with no frills.

Toilets: there are some, not everywhere, and they are basic

Islands with a community, and the one where lunch is usually served, tend to have a simple toilet. That means a hut, a bowl, and water you flush with a bucket. There is no cistern, there is not always a seat, and nobody is cleaning it every half hour.

The small cays —Pelícano, Fragata, Coco Blanco, many of Cayos Holandeses— have no toilet at all. They are sand and palm trees.

Practical consequence: if the itinerary spends several hours on tiny cays, use the toilet on the island where you eat. The guide knows which one that is and will tell you if you ask.

Bring your own paper. It is the most useful line in this article and the one people thank us for most. A small roll in a ziplock bag takes up nothing.

Showers and fresh water: essentially none

On the islands fresh water is scarce and arrives in drums from the mainland. There are no fresh-water showers for visitors at most stops. Some islands with cabins may have something closer to a bucket shower, but do not count on it for a day trip.

You go back to Panama City with salt on your skin. That is normal and nothing to worry about: a spare bottle of water to rinse your face and a quick-dry towel solve 90% of the discomfort.

Shade: it depends a lot on the island

This is the biggest difference between one stop and the next, and worth being clear about if the sun is hard on you.

Islands with trees —Isla Perro Grande, Isla Aroma, the community ones— have real shade, the kind you can sit in for a long while. The ones with four countable palm trees —Isla Pelícano, Isla Coco Blanco— have symbolic shade: it runs out the moment the group arrives and it moves with the sun.

Some islands have huts or palm roofs where lunch is served, and there you do get cover. But the general rule of a day trip is that you spend many hours in the sun, and the glare off white sand and water multiplies what reaches you.

If the sun is a problem for you, the solution that works best is not an umbrella —the wind destroys them— but a long-sleeved quick-dry shirt you can keep on in the water.

Where to get changed

On islands with a toilet, in there. On the ones without, people change behind a towel, in the boat or behind a palm tree, with the naturalness of someone who has been in a swimsuit all day.

The usual advice: come with your swimsuit on from the hotel. That saves you the whole problem.

Food, water and drinks

Lunch is included in the tour and is served on whichever island it falls on, usually fish of the day, chicken or a vegetarian option if you say so when booking. It is cooked right there. We cover it in what you eat in San Blas.

Bottled water is on board. Soft drinks or beers, depending on the island, may be sold at a community stand: cash only, small bills, because there is no card machine and no change for large notes. That is one of the reasons we insist on how much cash to bring.

Rubbish, and one request

There is no collection service on the islands. Everything that comes in has to leave in the same boat: bottles, wrappers, cigarette butts, the sunscreen bag.

It is the only item on this list that is not a comfort of yours but a responsibility. A two-hundred-metre island does not absorb the rubbish of twenty groups a week, and whatever stays there stays forever.

Power outlets, wifi and phone signal

There are no power outlets on the small islands and mobile coverage is patchy: there are spots with signal and spots with nothing at all. Reliable wifi, no.

Come with your phone charged from the hotel and, if the battery worries you, with a power bank. And tell whoever needs to hear from you before you leave, because from the island you may not be able to.

Which islands to pick if facilities matter to you

If you are travelling with children, with an older relative or you simply want a less spartan day, favour routes that include an island with a community —where there is a toilet, shade and people— rather than routes made only of tiny cays.

You can see which tours each island belongs to and compare the fifteen day trips. And if you are unsure, write to us: we say which one fits without pushing the priciest.

Frequently asked questions

Are there toilets on the San Blas islands? On the islands with a community and on the lunch island, yes, and they are basic: a hut and a bucket. On the small cays there are none.

Are there fresh-water showers? On a day trip, essentially no. Fresh water arrives in drums from the mainland and is scarce.

Is there shade on the islands? It depends on the island. Those with trees, yes; the four-palm ones, very little, and it fills up immediately.

Where do I get changed? In the toilet where there is one, or in the boat behind a towel. The easiest thing is to arrive with your swimsuit already on.

Can I buy drinks on the island? On some there is a community stand. Always cash and small bills: there is no card machine and no change for large notes.

What do I do with my rubbish? It goes back with you in the boat. There is no collection on the islands.