By Ramiro Del Rio
Travelling Solo to San Blas: How It Works
San Blas works well for solo travellers, for one simple reason: everything is done as a group even if you arrive on your own. You share the 4x4 from Panama City, you share the boat and you eat at a long table.
That said, there are three things worth being clear about before booking: the price, the logistics and which format suits you.
The price: where there is a supplement and where there isn’t
On a one-day tour, the price is per person. Whether you come alone or with six, you pay the same. There is no single supplement because there is no room involved: transport and boat are shared, and that is already split between everyone.
With an overnight format, it changes. Lodging on the islands is in cabins, and a cabin for one person costs practically what it costs for two. There the difference can be real. Some islands offer a shared dorm, which is the option that levels the price; others do not.
The honest way to settle it is to ask before booking, with your date in front of you: we will tell you which islands have a shared option and exactly what each route comes to. The formats and their prices are on our prices page.
What the day is like arriving alone
The 4x4 picks you up at your hotel before dawn and you are already with other people from the group. It is a good two and a half hours to the port: by the time you get out, you know who you are travelling with.
In the boat there are eight to fifteen of you depending on the route. The guide travels with the group and in practice acts as a bridge: nobody is left on their own unless they want to be.
Lunch is served on the island, at shared tables. It is the moment of the day that generates the most conversation.
And then there is the part where a lot of people stop caring about the group: getting into the water. There, everyone does their own thing.
Which format to choose if you travel alone
One day. The easiest of the lot: no supplement, no lodging logistics and a group guaranteed. If it is your first time or you have little time in Panama, this is the one.
Two or three days. You gain the empty island once the day boats leave, and the night sky. In exchange you have to solve the single-occupancy question. It is worth it if you are after real disconnection; we tell it without decoration in sleeping in San Blas with two hours of light.
Sailboat. It is by some distance the most sociable format in the archipelago: you live alongside the rest of the passengers for several days. If you travel alone and you want company, this is the one that makes it easiest.
Which islands suit best
If the plan is to meet people, the busier islands work in your favour: Isla Chichime, an anchorage for sailboats that always has some life to it, or Isla Franklin, which has a reputation as the youngest and loudest in the archipelago.
If the plan is the opposite —to be genuinely alone— there are islands with nobody on them most of the year, like Ogopuki or the more remote cays of the Coco Bandero area. You can see the 30 islands and what sets them apart.
The practical side, which is where it usually goes wrong
Cash. There are no cash machines and no card readers on any island. Travelling alone you have nobody to borrow from, so the margin is yours: bring plenty, in small notes. It is laid out in cash in San Blas.
Coverage. It is patchy and there is no reliable wifi. Before you leave, tell someone you trust that you will be off the grid and say when you are back. It is the most basic precaution and the one most often forgotten.
Valuables. There are no lockers and no reception desk. What you bring goes with you to the island and stays on the sand while you swim, like everyone else’s. Bring the bare minimum.
ID and the entrance fee. The comarca entrance fee is 22 dollars for foreigners and 7 for residents, in cash, and it is paid separately. You need photo ID.
Is it safe?
As far as the day goes, yes, with the normal precautions of a place without infrastructure: do not swim into currents without asking, protect yourself from the sun —it punishes harder here than it looks— and tell someone where you are.
What there is not is a lifeguard on the islands or a health centre. It is not a dangerous destination; it is a destination where help is far away, and that weighs more when you travel alone.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a single supplement? On one-day tours, no: the price is per person. On overnight formats there may be one, because the cabin costs almost the same for one as for two.
Will I be on my own all day? No. The 4x4, the boat and lunch are all shared, so you are with a group from the moment you leave the hotel.
Can I book for one person? Yes, with no minimum number of people on the regular tours.
Which format is the most sociable? The sailboat, and after that any shared tour. Islands with an anchorage, like Chichime, also have more going on.
And if I want the opposite, to see nobody? Choose routes to remote cays and, if you can, stay the night: the day boats leave in mid-afternoon and the island empties out.
Is it safe for a woman travelling alone? It is a destination that receives solo women travellers as a matter of course. The precautions are those of any place without infrastructure: travel with an organised group, say where you are and do not run out of cash.