Calm waters and white sand in the southern area, ideal for families and first-time visitors.
The calmest route in San Blas. The southern area is known for its sheltered, shallow water, ideal for families with children or anyone who prefers a quiet sea. You visit Isla Aguja with its iconic strip of palms, small Isla Fragata and Isla Perro Grande, with plenty of time to swim and rest on each one.
The sea here is what makes the difference: because the water is more sheltered, the boat ride between islands is noticeably smoother than on the northern routes — something you appreciate with small children aboard, or if choppy water isn't your thing. You reach the water around 8:30 and close in the Natural Pool at 15:30.
Pickup at 5:00 am at your hotel, door-to-door 4x4 and about two and a half hours of road. Includes boat with life jackets, a typical lunch and a local guide. The comarca fee is paid on the day of the tour, in cash or by card to the driver.
Great if you're travelling with children or older relatives, or rough water makes you uneasy and you'd rather stand up in it.
Maybe not your tour if reef snorkelling is what you came for: the strength here is calm and sand, not coral.
4x4 trip from Panama City to Guna Yala.
A short, peaceful trip to Isla Aguja.
Aguja, Fragata, and Perro Grande, with lunch on the island.
One last swim at the sandbar, then back to the city.
You leave before dawn and there is nowhere to buy anything all day. The full packing list, and what happens if you forget each thing →
With 72 hours or more of notice you get 100 % of the deposit back, or you change the date at no cost. Inside those 72 hours the deposit is no longer refundable, because by then your seat in the 4x4 and the boat is held and nobody else can use it; even so, if you tell us, we try to reschedule. And if we are the ones who cancel, which only happens for real sea safety, you choose between another date at no cost or 100 % of what you paid.
$135 per person, with the door-to-door 4x4, the boat, lunch and the guide included. The comarca entrance fee is paid separately, once: $22 for foreigners and $7 for residents, in cash.
3: Isla Aguja, Isla Fragata, Isla Perro Grande. The order is set by the tide and the sea that day, not by a fixed schedule.
Pickup at your Panama City hotel is around 5:00 am, and you are back in the city late in the afternoon. The early start is set by the mountain crossing and the tide, not by preference.
Because the southern zone has sheltered, shallow water: you can stand up at all three stops and the run between islands is noticeably gentler than on the northern routes.
That is not what this zone offers: its strength is calm water and sand. If you are coming for coral, the routes that have it are Coco Bandero and the Cayos Holandeses.
What does not depend on this tour — your ID, the comarca fee, route changes forced by the sea — is answered in one place instead of on every tour page. See all the frequently asked questions →
