What to pack for San Blas
For a day trip everything fits in a small backpack: cash for molas and drinks, sunscreen, a towel, dry clothes and your ID or passport. The rest is optional. And one thing you cannot improvise out there: the islands have no ATMs and no card machines.
You are travelling two and a half hours by 4x4 over mountain roads and then by boat, getting wet. The less you carry, the better the trip.
The list, in order of importance
Top to bottom: without the first three the day genuinely goes wrong; the last ones only make it more comfortable.
| What | Why | If you forget it |
|---|---|---|
| Cash in small notes | On the islands there is no way to pay by card. The entry fee does take cards, if you pay it to the driver | You do not get into the comarca. It is the only item that can leave you outside |
| Sunscreen | You are nine degrees from the equator, on white sand, over reflecting water | You burn in an hour, and there is nowhere on the island to buy it |
| ID or passport | You cross an entry checkpoint into the comarca | They can turn you back at the post |
| Towel and dry clothes | You come back wet to an air-conditioned 4x4 with two and a half hours ahead of you | The ride home feels very long |
| Insect repellent | They come out at dawn and dusk, especially on islands with vegetation | You get bitten, that is all |
| Cap, sunglasses and a rash guard | Shade on a cay is four palm trees, and snorkelling is done face down in the sun | Your back is what burns worst |
| Dry bag or zip bag for your phone | You get in and out of the boat with your feet in the water, and it splashes the whole way | It is the most common accident of the day |
| Charged power bank | On the islands electricity runs on a schedule, and on a day tour there is nowhere to plug in | You run out of camera by mid-afternoon |
How much cash, exactly
The comarca entry fee is $22 per foreign visitor and $7 per Panamanian resident. It is paid once, on the tour day, in cash or by card to the driver, and it belongs to the community: it is not ours and it is not included in the tour price.
On top of that, bring some loose change for whatever you buy on the island: a mola, a beer, a coconut. Everything is cash, and nobody will be able to break a fifty for you.
The last ATM is in Panama City. There is none on the road to Cartí, and the 4x4 leaves at five in the morning: sort it out the night before.
What you do NOT need
Food and water
Lunch is included and there is water on the boat. Carrying a cooler means carrying a cooler over a mountain.
Snorkelling gear
We provide it. If you own a mask and would rather not share, bring that; the rest is dead weight.
A suitcase
It is a same-day round trip. A small backpack and nothing else: space in the boat is shared.
Hotel towels
They come back full of sand and soaking. Bring an old one or a microfibre.
The five most forgotten
Of everything people write to us about afterwards, this is what repeats: enough cash, sunscreen, the dry change for the ride back, the dry bag for the phone, and telling someone you will be off the grid. None of them costs money; all of them cost the day.
Book the day tour
Pick a date and travellers, and hold your spot. Free cancellation up to 72 hours before.
Questions about what to bring
How much cash do I need for San Blas?
The entry fee ($22 for foreigners and $7 for residents) can be paid in cash or by card to the driver. The cash you really need is for molas, drinks or souvenirs. All in small notes, because nobody on the island can break a large bill.
Can I pay by card there?
Not on the islands: there are no ATMs or card machines and the signal is not good enough for phone payments. The tour is paid online by card and the comarca fee can be too, to the driver; the cash is for island spending.
Which sunscreen works?
A high-factor one, and ideally reef-safe: the ones without oxybenzone or octinoxate. You will be swimming over live coral, and whatever dissolves in the water stays there.
Do I need special footwear?
Flip-flops or sandals are enough for sand. If rocks or sea urchins while snorkelling worry you, water shoes help, but they are not essential.
Can I bring alcohol?
On a day tour you can bring something for the day, in moderation and always in cans or plastic — no glass on the boat or on the sand. All rubbish goes back with you: there is no collection on the islands.
What if I am travelling with kids?
Add a cap, a rash guard and an extra change of clothes. Child-size life jackets are on the boat; tell us when booking how many you need and what ages.
Is there anywhere to leave my things while I swim?
On the island they go on the group table, in the guide's line of sight. These are small, closed islands, not somewhere people pass through — but the usual common sense applies: money and phone stay with you or in the dry bag.