San Blas
charters
Compare crewed catamarans and sailboats for private and shared sailing holidays in San Blas, Panama. Explore each boat’s cabins, guest capacity and onboard facilities, then ask us to check the right option for your dates and group.
FAQs
Is San Blas safe?
Yes. Guna Yala is a peaceful, autonomous indigenous territory and we sail sheltered anchorages between the cays. What matters is who you sail with: Nomad Sailors is a registered tour operator in Panama, arranges every permit with the Guna Yala authorities, sails insured boats, and every trip is led by an experienced captain who knows these waters.
How do I get to San Blas?
There is no airport in the islands, so every trip starts in Panama City. The classic way is a private 4x4 transfer that picks you up at your hotel around 5 AM, drives two to three hours through the jungle and connects with a 30-minute water taxi to the boat. The faster option is a 45-minute private flight to the San Blas airstrip, where our team meets you. We arrange either one for you.
Can we change the route once we are on board?
Yes. On a private charter the route is decided with your captain day by day, so you can stay longer at an island you love or ask for a new snorkel spot. Dates and boat can be adjusted before the trip depending on availability. And if a boat ever has a technical problem, you choose between an equivalent boat, new dates or a full refund.
How much does a San Blas charter cost?
Every boat on this page carries its own nightly rate, and the filter above sorts the fleet by price. What moves the total is the boat, the season, how many nights you sail and how many of you travel. The rate is all-inclusive: your captain and chef, three meals a day plus snacks, standard bar drinks, fuel, water and the gear on board. Paid separately, in cash on the way in: the Guna Yala entrance fee and the port fees. Send us your dates and we come back with the exact figure for the boats that are free.
Do we need sailing experience?
No. Every boat in this fleet is crewed — a captain who knows these waters and a chef on board — so you travel as a guest and not as crew. Take the helm if you want to and the captain will show you how. Spend the week without touching a rope and nothing changes.
When is the best time to sail San Blas?
There are two seasons and both are sailed. The dry season runs from mid-December to April: steady trade winds, reliable sun, and the busiest stretch of the year. The green season runs from May to mid-December: flatter water, fewer boats at the anchorages, and the one our crews quietly prefer. Neither is the bad season — they are two different trips.
What is the minimum and maximum charter length?
Charters are available from one night to as many nights as you want. Five nights is our recommendation for a complete San Blas experience, while one- and two-night escapes focus on the islands closest to the arrival area. Trips longer than seven nights are planned as custom expeditions around your dates, group and preferred pace.
Where exactly are the San Blas Islands?
San Blas — Guna Yala in the Guna language — is an archipelago of 365 islands along Panama's Caribbean coast, and an autonomous indigenous territory. There is no airport in the islands and no road that reaches them, so every trip starts in Panama City, either by 4x4 and boat or by private flight. Every boat in this fleet sails there and only there.
Still have questions?
Reach out and we’ll get back to you shortly.