San Blas Day Tour Prices: $114, $135 and $149

Day tours fall into three prices. What goes up isn’t the service — it’s the islands and the group size.

The ladder

• $114 — Día Clásico and Paradise Express. Two or three islands plus the Natural Pool.
• $135 — most of the catalogue. Here you choose by theme, not by budget: snorkelling at Chichime, photography at Nugnudub, family day at Isla Diablo, sunset at Pelícano, romantic at Perro Grande.
• $149 — Día VIP: 4 islands plus a visit to a Guna community, in a small group.

All three include hotel pickup in Panama City, 4x4, boat, lunch and a Guna guide.

When to stop looking at day tours

A day in San Blas is about six usable hours once you take the road out. If the archipelago is the reason for the trip, the jump is sleeping there: from $190 a night in an overwater cabin, and $365 for island hopping around the remotest cays. The most requested format is two days with one night. That’s when the sea stops being an excursion and becomes where you are.

What no price includes

The Guna Yala tax: $22 foreigners, $7 nationals, cash on arrival. The community collects it. Under-10s exempt.

Drinks and handicrafts aren’t included either. No card machines or ATMs out there — bring small bills.

See the formats and their prices — book with a deposit, no middlemen.