San Blas sailboats in 2023 and travel tips? Of course, you can also do the 3-night adventure starting in Panama City and also returning to Panama City. This is a great option if you don’t plan on visiting Colombia (although you should!) You can book this 4 day San Blas Island tour from Panama City (back to Panama City) with the company San Blas Adventures (who I did my tour with.) However, if you’re just reading about the islands now or you’re short on time, you can actually do day trips and overnight tours from Panama City. This way you won’t miss out on your taste of paradise. This specific day tour takes you to visit 4 islands in one day from Panama City. With that said, I will warn you it involves just over 6 hours of driving and the tour lasts for 14 hours! Instead, I would highly suggest doing an overnight tour like this one. They’re not much more expensive and you’ll only do 3 hours of driving each day and spend way more time enjoying the stunning islands. Discover more information at Teotihuacan Pyramids.
I know, there are so many incredible historical sites in Mexico so it’s hard to choose which one to visit. However, Chichen Itza is the only one which is one of the 7 Wonders of the World and a UNESCO site, so it’s a safe choice! The Chichen Itza, Valladolid and Cenote Tour is the highest rated tour on Get Your Guide and it’s also very affordable. This full-day tour will bring you to Chichen Itza where you’ll have time to explore and take photos of the beautiful pyramid. The next stop will be at Cenote Hubiku for a refreshing swim, before a buffet meal. The last stop will be the charming colonial city of Valladolid.
In this place the first Spanish settlement in the area was built in the early seventeenth century and was also where San Blas was founded. On the San Basilio Hill the most important Colonial Ruins on the Pacific Coast are found. The old fort of San Blas also known as La Contaduria (now semi-restored) and the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary «La Marinera» dating from 1769, where you can find the famous bronze bells immortalized by Henry W. Longfellow in his posthumous poem «The Bells of San Blas.» These Colonial ruins are not restored but well worth visiting… The church is beautiful and gives us a clear idea of the Spanish community that settled in San Blas in those days.
Visiting San Blas is mainly about enjoying the beauty of the nature and spending your time relaxing on these incredible islands, think of it as a way to get away from it all. I find that it’s the small things that you can do on these multi-day, get aways that make them unique. Here are a few highlights of the speedboat trip I did with San Blas Adventures from Colombia to San Blas.
Entering the Panama Canal you will get to photograph huge Ocean Liners up close. The Canal opens up into the pristine Gatun Lake where we head to the Monkey Islands. Here we photograph three types of monkeys, iguanas, crocodiles, a wide range of stunning birds and maybe an elusive manatee. You leave with the complimentary SD Card from the camera with your wonderful memories. This tour starts in the morning at Gamboa park. You will navigate in the Gatun Lake together with cruises, vessels, container ships or even submarines as they cross the Panama Canal As you navigate the Gatun Lake you will encounter different animals that live in the rainforest surrounding the lake like sloths, different kinds of monkeys, iguanas, crocodiles, birds, etc. You will be taken to a beautiful spring fed water hole by canoe but for the adventurous, kayaks are available as well as fishing at the lake. See more info on TaoTravel365.
At Tao Travel 365 we strongly believe in eco-friendly travel and strive to support the environment as well as the local population where we conduct our tours. Read more on our philosophies in About Us. In line with our eco-friendly travel philosophy we only offer tours in exotic locations, away from mass-tourism and the immense carbon footprint. We are nature enthusiasts and enjoy breathing clean air, swimming in unpolluted waters and observing healthy wildlife in its original setting. We have greatly enjoyed all the adventures we are offering and are excited to share them with you.
One of Panama’s top surf destinations is Santa Catalina, on the Pacific Coast. This small but growing town has a laid-back surfer feeling about it. Small guesthouses and hotels, and funky restaurants, force you to slow down and relax. If you aren’t here to surf, great snorkeling and scuba diving spots are nearby, and horseback tours through the surrounding countryside are good options for those not interested in getting wet. One of Santa Catalina’s main draws is Isla Coiba. This lush island, now Coiba National Park, is almost untouched and is considered a biodiversity hot spot, with close to 200 bird species, crocodiles, turtles, and snakes. The scuba diving here is very popular due to the enormous whale sharks that frequent the area. These gentle giants are curious creatures and enjoy interacting with divers. Tours to Isla Coiba can be arranged in Santa Catalina. One of the most fun things to do near Boquete is visiting the local swimming hole at Los Cangilones. Set at a lower elevation than Boquete, the climate here is much warmer, and on hot days you’ll find a fun scene, complete with music, barbecues, food vendors, and Panamanians from far and wide splashing and jumping off the gorge edges into the crystal-clear, warm waters below. In this unique geological place, the river narrows into a gorge before opening up again in a shallow pool at the bottom. Daring adults and older kids jump off the edges into the slowly moving waters and then float down to the bottom, climb out, and do it all over again. Youngsters and visitors who are looking for something a little milder can wade into the shallow waters where the gorge opens up. The walls vary in height, so it depends on how brave you are and how high you want to go. This is very much a family destination.