Head to the Caribbean coast of Panama on a day trip from Panama City to the San Blas Islands. Traveling by boat check out a shipwreck and natural swimming pool, and enjoy the tropical scenery and atmosphere. Your tour includes breakfast, lunch, activities, and round-trip transport with hotel pickup and drop-off.

San Blas Islands day trip from Panama City
Go exploring with provided kayaks and snorkeling masks
Visit several islands in one day
Round-trip transport by minivan and boat included

What's Included

Snorkel MASK
Shared transportation from Panama City – Port – Panama City for 6 passengers
Shared Boat transportation from Port – Islands– Port
Tours to Perro Grande, Perro Chico, Diablo and Natural Swimming pool (4 Islands)
Welcome Snack (fruits)
Traditional Lunch (Fresh fish with salad and rice)
1 Drink (Beer, Bottle wáter or soda)
Kayaks & Paddel board
Umbrellas, chairs and towels under request and upton to availability.

Entrance and port fees (25USD per person)
Infant spot in the car $50USD both ways, or can travel in adult laps for free.
Pick in Dreams or Westin Playa Bonita $10USD pp. both ways.

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

05:00 am

Pickup details

We pick up in all hotels in Panama city. Just leave us a note with your hotel in Panama city if you dont see your hotel. Its not needed to call to confirm. We need also your room number once you make check in. Hotels in Playa Bonita has additional cost of 10USD per people to be paid to the driver in cash. Other hotels outside Panama city, please contact us to know the additional fee, we dont pick up in hotels in Playa Blanca, Summit or Gamboa Rainforest, or others hotels more than 30min far from Panama city.

What To Expect

San Blas Islands

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Isla Pelicano

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Isla Perro

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

San Blas Islands

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Panama City (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Departure time is at 5:20am in the reception of your hotel. Any delay will have an additional charge, or may imply not to go to SanBlas.
You are allowed to bring additional beverages.
Check out from the island is at 3:30pm you should be back in Panama between 6-7pm.
PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO BRING YOUR ORGINAL PASSPORT. WITH OUT IT, YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO ENTER TO SAN BLAS.
Please notice San Blas is an Indian protected zone. All the services are basic and rustic, only kuna people are in charge of all tourist’s services such as food, ground and water transportation, lodging, etc, we work with them to support the local economy. Please take this into consideration, the services are not as in the city, the waiting time can be long, and kunas are more informal. We have provided hospitality train to them, but they are still working on it, their culture is different, they are never in a rush, this is part of the adventure to San Blas. Food is basic such as fresh fried fish with salad and rice.
The vehicle is 4x4 for 6 passengers plus the driver. Pick up time is between 5:20am to 6:00am depending on the route, you can be first ones of last ones. Please be ready at 5:00AM to avoid any delays to other passengers. No Show – or Mayor delays will incur in a penalty – cost of reservation fee. In case you will be pick up in Costa del este or near to the airport, pick up time is between 5:45 and 6:00am
Day tour return is at 3:30PM. You will arrive in Panama City between 6:30PM and 7:00PM.

We recommend you bring your personal hygiene items, towels, sunscreen, mosquito repellent. You can bring a cooler with your own drinks, potable water, snacks and beverages (fruit juice or alcohol) you can by on site or bring it yourself.
The driver will make a stop in a super market where you can buy a disposable cooler, ice etc.
In San Blas Islands there are no ATMs, only cash in received. You can buy drinks there, snacks, souvenirs etc.“+Movil” and “Digicel” are the cell phone companies which works in San Blas Islands.
There is no power electricity in the huts, only light.
Infants must sit on laps
Infant seats available
Transport time is 2.5 hours way in and 2.5 back. Then 40 minutes to the island in boat. Real time in Islands is around 5 hours.
Most travellers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Featured review

Judith_J

Well organized from pick up to drop off. The roads weren’t as bad as we anticipated based on many of the reviews we read. There were quite a few curves, as we approached the checkpoint, but it really wasn’t that bad, and our driver navigated the roads with precision while educating us on the Kuna history and culture. The road is currently under construction to make it smoother, so in a few months it will improve. Our guide, Naidi Hernandez was great! Very attentive to our group and gave us advance notice when it was time to get ready to leave for the next island. The islands are beautiful! It’s the beginning of the rainy season and although it was overcast part of the day, it didn’t spoil the beauty of the islands and our trip overall. Would highly recommend using this company for this trip!

Reviews

4.5

463 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 463 reviews

Great experience!

Talysha_M, June 2023

Great experience! San Blas is paradise, look no further and just book. The ride there isn’t that bad plus they stop with you for breaks and pictures.

Enjoy our tour

Derome_A, June 2023

Gives you the opportunity to visit a number of islands in one day and very good food Some negative, Road leading to the harbour was very bumpy but driver seemed to enjoy it and does it on purpose

Worth it!

Julie_G, May 2023

Naidi Hernandez and the rest of the staff were wonderful. I enjoyed the tour and appreciated Naidi explanation of his culture.

Highly Recommended!

Judith_J, May 2023

A must do adventure in Panama!

Rayan_H, May 2023

The ride there is long and bumpy but well worth the wait. The islands are pristine and the water is clear. The guides are all very nice and patient. We had so much fun we barely took any pics

Great

Cristino_C, May 2023

Great time. The road was bumpy, but that was told to us from the beginning. Long ride to get to the destination, but it was all worth it. Our driver was the best and our crew to the islands were very professional and fun to be around.

Amazing tour :)

Kristina_T, May 2023

This tour was really amazing :) I very recommend tour with this company. I spent a beautiful day on 4 islands. The islands are really beautiful with white sand.

Absolutely worth it!

Jessica_R, May 2023

I can’t say enough good things about this trip, and I’m so glad I didn’t let the negative reviews hold me back from going. Our driver arrived promptly and picked us up from our location. An hour into the drive we stopped at a gas station for snacks and breakfast and continued on the drive. The drive is very bumpy. There is absolutely no other way to get to the San blas islands and the road conditions are very poor since it’s in the mountains through the jungle. Our driver was very knowledgable and skilled in driving in these conditions as this is something he does everyday. The boat ride is pretty much just like the drive through the mountains. Very bumpy as waves were very choppy. The Guna Indians were very polite and hospitable. The islands are like nothing I have ever experienced or seen with crystal clear turquoise waters and soft white sand. We were provided a delicious lunch with a drink and fruit upon arrival. This trip was 1000/100 and I can’t wait to go back and stay overnight!

Must experience when in Panama!

Annette_W, May 2023

Excellent transportation (if you get carsick/seasick though BEWARE). Great lunch. Loved paddle boarding and kayaking. Overall great way to visit the islands and spend a day. Well worth the money.

Amazing

lmeeks0405, May 2023

This day trip was amazing. The water was beautiful, absolutely worth it. I suggest packing food because it is a very long day.

Whole tour was excellent....

Balu_B, May 2023

Whole tour was excellent. Roberto had VERY good knowledge of PTY that he shared with me. Timing was perfect.

A long, rough trip with no payoff

Ryan_G, May 2023

The trip out to San Blas is 3+ hours by van, half of which is very rough and difficult. We arrived at the islands where a storm raged and we didn't get to spend one minute on the beach/outdoors. The ranchitos didn't adequately cover so many people from the rain so we were soaked and freezing after 2.5 hours. None of the activities listed were available and even though they provided two lunch options, one of those wasn't available either. I know that tours can't control the weather but I'm shocked that they wouldn't cancel or reschedule the reservations with such a bad weather forecast. We paid hundreds of dollars to get carsick for hours and sit inside a dark cabin.

Response from Host, May 2023

Hello, Thanks for your review. We are very sorry there was a storms during your tour today, we understand the weather in a beach destination change to negative the overall experince. Rain is very common in Panama actually predictions are +80% probability of rain everyday, still people is able to enjoy of it is only 1 hour which most of the time is short time of rain. Please let us know if you want to try another day and we can make a discount for you. Thanks again for travelling with us

San Blas doesn’t disappoint!

Anonymous, Apr 2023

Super great experience, gorgeous islands, nice & welcoming people. My boyfriend and I loved it. Would definitely do it again. Very tiring day afterwards though.

Recharge rejoice and repeat

Smokie_A, Apr 2023

I have a lovely it was amazing and will do it again.. next time I will book to stay overnight. The water is purely clear and gorgeous islands are tiny but spectacular the people are kind.. boat captain was really informative and our driver to the boat was lovely

awesome experience at the beach - very relaxing

Jade_E, Apr 2023

The distance to the islands from Panama City is 3.5 hours by car but worth it due to the beautiful scenic drive. Once you get to the boat, its about 15 mins to get to the first island. You will get to spend some time on three different islands with beaches that are lovely. The highlight will be to snorkel on top of a sunken ship! It was super cool. Highly Recommend once you don't mind driving a while to get to the beach.

Beautiful islands, ignorant guides

Laura_B, Apr 2023

The islands were unbelievable and out of this world beautiful but the tour guides were really inconsiderate and driving the boat dangerously fast so we were thrown around. It’s a shame because the ride to the islands could’ve been an enjoyable part of the experience.

Response from Host, May 2023

Hi Laura, we are glad you liked san blas islands. Our guides have all their life riding boats in the ocean, they start since very little with wooden canoes boats. It might be scary the ride in the boat when the ocean is choppy but it is not unsafe, or dangerous. Safety is our NoI priority and we reflect it in every aspect of the trip, everyone needs to use lifejackets, we have 3 people in our boats to help our clients get in and out of the boat, our boats have maintenance very frequently etc.. Thanks also for your comment, as we always try to improve everyday.

Bad Experience In San Blas

Sonali_B, Apr 2023

The driver did not inform us that he was running late until we called him. We were all adults and both daughters were told to sit in the rear seat which hardly had any leg space (less than 2 feet). The other family had only 2 members but since they were picked up first they got the larger seats. No accommodations were made. It seems like the company is just trying to squeeze as many people in without thinking about comfort. Our legs were cramped which was difficult during a total 5.5 hr car journey. The driver did not speak English at all making it difficult for us to communicate with him. On our way back from the boat ride we sat in the original car we came in. All of a sudden an unknown driver comes and asks us to get out of the car and go to a different car which was older and run down. Our driver did not even and tell us as to why we were moved to a different car. This time I had to sit with one of my daughters in the rear seat which had no room to move. The car was dirty and we could not feel any A/ C in the back. We paid for the price quoted and we should not have been moved out to a different car. Overall would not recommend this company for this excursion as they do not seem to care about professionalism, timeliness, communication, or the well-being of the customers.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Hi Sonali; Our cars are shared for 6 passengers, so the transport to san blas is not that elevated. We have other options to travel in private car for example for 4 people it cost 100USD more for your group both ways. Or we have also private airplanes for around 1200- 1500USD. Where you will arrive directly to the islands which is an unique experience. We have another tour where you can travel only in the 4 spots in front for 25USD more per person. Thanks!

Great tour! Everyone...

Loc_T, Apr 2023

Great tour! Everyone should try that when coming to Panama!We had a great day with 4 islands ! The road that take us to this tour was not really convenient, but it was worth to spend time for this tour!

Good other than motion sickness and racist remarks

Danielle_C, Apr 2023

It was beautiful, but you only spend about 5 hours on the islands (including the time traveling between islands). My biggest issue was how my driver (from Panama City to the boat) spoke about how “Chinese people will eat anything, monkeys rats everything!” I felt very uncomfortable as a Chinese American person. The roads are crap too and the drivers (especially from the boat back to Panama City) were very fast and just racing over the potholes. I would recommend some scopolamine more for the drive over the boat, but it’s helpful for both. I got more sick on the drive back to Panama City and he definitely was the more aggressive driver, speeding around other cars.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Danielle, Many thanks for your comments, we take very serously racist comment against anyone. We will intervene this kind of behaviours. Also we do not tolerate any drivers putting underisk our client security. We have a very large group of drivers that we talk everyday about safety first, and all our drivers are experienced with more +20 years driving san blas roads. Thanks again for letting us know!

Disappointed

Steven_L, Apr 2023

Review First thing I’d like to say about the tour was the water was the best! I’ve never seen water that clear and blue. It was one of the best takeaways from this tour. The lunch was good. We made new friends while enjoying the water. Now the bad! I was under the impression we would have an English speaking driver and tour guide. The driver didn’t speak any English at all and the tour director spoke just enough to say our names and lunch orders. Next, the driver and the transportation to the dock was too much. The driving was very aggressive. When he arrived to pick us up all he said was “2”. We had to ask the others on the tour in the truck if they were going. Which many of them didn’t speak English. None of the islands were described as which was which, just be back by this time. Time to depart the port, the tour operator from the boat came and said three people didn’t pay the $25 only $22. So he kept indicating that 3 people had to pay $3 each before we could leave. So three people paid. He returns and says the other three had to pay $3 each too. Why I asked? They couldn’t tell us and started taking amongst themselves. We paid it. But which meant the extra fees were $28 because they were hustling us for money is what it was. Then the driver stopped on way back at the gas station/market and we were all back at the car ready to go. He implied he was taking a coffee break. We were like in shock. He eventually came to leave. At the end, realizing that the transportation to and from the port was more time than we spent at the water was a disappointment. The water again was the best part had I known where I went. Next time knowing what I know I’d rather do this type of tour another way.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Hi Steven, Yes the people that make the 4 islands tours have to pay 25USD in taxes, as you are visiting more islands. Compared to the 22usd you paid when you only visit 2 islands. It is described on the non included in the tour description and this should not be a surprise. The tour also describes we only work with local people so all the experience is very authentic, basic english is spoken by local people. During the high season there is a lot of traffic to arrive to the islands, so yes it is about 3 hours ride each way for 5 hours total in the islands. We know it can be hard, but most of the people still enjoy the tour as you described the islands are beautiful. The only other way to go to san blas is via airplane so about 1200USD for a private charter for 2-3 people round trip, we have also this option available for our clients, but it is much more expensive. Thanks for your feeback! It help us to improve everyday!

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