2-Day San Blas Adventure from Panama City with WiFi

Beautiful islands but cabin...

Beautiful islands but catastrophic cabin: no toilet, no shower, and no lock. The communal showers, as well as the sinks, everything is saltwater. No soap to wash your hands when leaving the restrooms. The meals are very similar and we are forced into really unpleasant schedules, and to call us to eat, they whistle at us (6:30 AM, 11:30 AM, 6:30 PM). Furthermore, we were only visiting an island with locals, but it is super awkward; we feel like we are doing unhealthy tourism, and their only goal is for us to buy things on-site, because there is nothing to see on this first island. The night was catastrophic; you can hear the waves, it is impossible to sleep. There is so much humidity in the room that it makes the night even more complicated to endure. There was no fan either. Viator only offers one option for this trip, even though we learn on-site that it is possible to leave early in the morning. We are asked to vacate the cabin at 8:00 AM even though we don't leave until 3:00 PM. In short, avoid it; you might as well do the excursion for the day.

Response from the operator: Nous sommes sincèrement désolés de recevoir une note d’une étoile pour des éléments qui font partie intégrante de la destination et qui sont communiqués à nos voyageurs avant leur arrivée. Les informations concernant les horaires de libération des cabanes, les conditions rustiques de l’hébergement et le fait que San Blas (Guna Yala) est un territoire autochtone sont envoyées par e-mail avant le voyage. Nous encourageons également tous nos voyageurs à bien se renseigner sur la destination avant de réserver, car San Blas n’est pas un complexe hôtelier classique. Les cabanes sont littéralement situées au bord de la mer. Pour beaucoup de voyageurs, s’endormir au son des vagues est justement ce qui rend cette expérience magique ; nous comprenons que vous l’ayez vécu différemment. Oui, l’environnement est naturellement humide : vous séjournez sur une toute petite île entourée par la mer. Il n’y a pas de climatisation et, sur cette île, les cabanes ne disposent pas de ventilateurs car les nuits sont généralement fraîches grâce à la brise marine. Concernant la visite de la communauté, il est regrettable de la qualifier de « tourisme malsain ». Vous êtes invité à découvrir une communauté autochtone Guna, sa culture et son artisanat. Personne n’est obligé d’acheter quoi que ce soit ; les achats sont entièrement facultatifs et permettent de soutenir directement les familles et artisans locaux. Nous respectons le fait que ce type de séjour ne convienne pas à tout le monde. Cependant, nous trouvons regrettable qu’une expérience soit notée une étoile principalement en raison de caractéristiques propres à une destination autochtone, isolée et rustique, qui sont expliquées avant le voyage. San Blas est précisément apprécié pour ce qu’il est : une expérience simple, authentique, au cœur de la nature et de la culture Guna. Il est essentiel de bien comprendre la destination avant de réserver afin de savoir si elle correspond à ses attentes.

via Viator (translated)

Worst experience ever

This tour is nothing like what was promised. It's absolutely unthinkable to have 2-night tours where the bathrooms only have seawater, forcing people to go almost 3 days without showering. And on top of that, the drinking water isn't free!! There isn't even water to brush your teeth!! Then, the food was terrible and in very small quantities. It's one thing to advise us to bring snacks, but it's quite another for lunch/dinner to be a tiny chicken leg, and for you to practically always need more food than is given. The guides deliberately delayed our community tour on the second day until it was raining, and we didn't even get to do the tours. Completely awful, I've advised everyone against it.

Response from the operator: Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are sorry to hear that San Blas was not the experience you expected. However, it is important to understand that San Blas is a remote indigenous territory where local communities live in a very different way from cities or tourist resorts. On the islands there is no public water network or running potable tap water like people are used to in cities. Fresh drinking water must be transported from the mainland in bottles or large containers, which is why bottled water is not unlimited or freely available everywhere on the islands. We understand this can be difficult for many travelers to understand at first, but this is the reality of life in San Blas. We do include one drink with every meal, which can be water, soda, or beer depending on availability, and we always recommend that guests bring extra bottled water and snacks if they prefer additional supplies during their stay. Regarding the meals, the portions are prepared in the traditional local style by Guna families and are usually balanced with rice, salad, fish or chicken. This is the traditional food served by the local community and part of the authentic cultural experience of visiting San Blas. Unfortunately, weather conditions are also something we cannot control. Rain can absolutely affect the perception and enjoyment of outdoor experiences and island tours, especially in tropical destinations like San Blas. Tours and schedules are always adapted according to weather and safety conditions at the moment. We truly appreciate your feedback and understand that San Blas is not a luxury destination, but rather an authentic cultural and natural experience in one of the most remote indigenous regions of Panama.

via Tripadvisor

Island wonderful, accommodation problematic

Solo travelers should be careful when booking this experience: although the system allows you to book a private cabin, you will probably end up sleeping in a dormitory with a dozen other travelers, which is quite annoying. At no time during the booking process you are being actively made aware that sleeping arrangements have changed. You will only find out when you arrive at the island and it’s too late. Given that two other solo travelers were also misled, proves that I’m not the only one who was misled. The islands and the trip itself were wonderful and well worth the money.

Response from the operator: You are right, the solo travelers needs to share cabin. You can ask us if another solo travelers are travelling the same day, so you can share one cabana with 1 more people, but this needs to be confirmed by us, and with a few days in advance. Thanks

via Viator

Unique experience!

It's an amazing place! I would return once and a thousand times the tour and the stay exceeded my expectations. The food very well the treatment the people of the island very ambles crystal clear waters is a place to disconnect and immerse yourself in the peace of the beautiful place. On-time collection and likewise return. Always in communication with us and seeing the needs! Tour 100 of 100 !!

via Tripadvisor (translated)

Great tour

Best Tour. Last minute trip planned exactly as discussed. Beautiful place. People were very helpful and nice. Very relaxing

via Tripadvisor