Best San Blas Islands Snorkeling

Northeast of Panama City on the Caribbean coast of Guna Yala, the San Blas Islands offer numerous snorkeling opportunities. The Guna Yala province is an autonomous region of Panama that is home to the indigenous Kuna indians. Also known as Comarca Guna Yala, the San Blas Islands consists of 365 small islands with some still inhabited by the Kuna Indians. They are roughly 100 miles off the coast and are accessible by a 20 minute flight from Panama City by private plane or sea plane. During San Blas Island snorkeling, you may encounter sea turtles, octopus and sharks.

To reach the snorkeling in Panama by air, fly into Tocumen International Airport (PTY) located just east of Panama City. From Panama City, there are domestic flights to destinations throughout the country.

The domestic terminal at Tocumen International Airport tends to serve destinations in western Panama. The main domestic airport in Panama City is Aeropuerto Marcos Gelabert located in the Albrook sector of the city. The only domestic airline is Air Panama, which luckily serves many of the San Blas islands via it's fleet of small planes to land on local island airstrips, such as El Porvenir. There may be a cash fee to enter the Guna Yala territory. Much of the island to island travel is by privat boat transfer.

When leaving Panama, there is a required departure tax of $40USD per person in cash. This may be included in the international airline ticket (reconfirm that it is included).

Overall, San Blas Islands is the 5th most popular snorkel dive spot of all 7 snorkeling dives in Panama.