San Blas Islands

To get from Panama to Colombia, you can either fly, which is cheaper but boring, or you can take one of the many sailboats that offer the trip for tourists. There is no road. The jungle between the two countries is considered dangerous, it is used as a smuggling route and provides shelter for many criminals.

Of course, I chose the sailboat. On October 4th, exactly six months after I boarded the CMA CGM White Shark in Antwerp for the Atlantic crossing, I'm finally heading to South America. I expected maybe 3-4 months in Central America, but not six. Well, my dear sister Jacqueline knew from the beginning that I would need more time than planned. And then I had to skip Nicaragua because of the riots, I could have probably spent another month there...

So now we're taking the shuttle bus from Panama City to the Caribbean coast to a small town where Captain Erwin, an Austrian, is waiting for us with his boat Wilson in the bay. Of course, we went shopping first. You can't sail through the Caribbean without a bottle of rum in your luggage (Ahrrrrr ☠). After dinner at the restaurant, we board the boat. Ten passengers from Germany, Canada, Australia, USA, Netherlands, England, and me from Switzerland, as well as the captain and the cook. A colorful group that gets along great right from the start, which is somewhat important because we will spend the next five days together in a very confined space. We set sail at midnight and sail through the night to arrive at the San Blas Islands the next morning. There, on one of the few inhabited islands, we get the departure stamp for Panama.

The San Blas archipelago consists of 365 islands that are located just off the coast of Panama. Most of them, as mentioned, are uninhabited. The area is managed, together with a large part of the mainland south of Panama City, by the indigenous Kuna Yala tribe, largely independent of the state of Panama. So much for the facts.

First, we sail a little further between the first islands and shortly afterwards we arrive at our destination island where we spend the first day and the next night. The island, like the others we will visit, is indescribably beautiful. Turquoise blue water, white sandy beaches, covered with palm trees and no people as far as the eye can see. Shortly after the anchor was dropped, the local fishermen come by and offer the catch of the day, lobster and langoustine. The captain takes some. For dinner, all this is freshly grilled on the island. A true feast, priceless for us.

The next two days are the same. Each morning we drive for one to two hours to the next island, anchor there and spend the day snorkeling, lying on the beach, and doing nothing. In the evenings, after the beautiful sunsets, the rum comes out and we wait for the cook Robi to serve dinner. Every night, the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye and we end the evening by the campfire.

On the third day, we finally raise the anchor and set off for the journey across the open sea to Cartagena, Colombia. For many who make this trip, this is a very tough part of the journey due to rough seas and wild storms. We sail during the main rainy season (!). However, the weather gods seem to be very kind. We had neither rain nor wind, a almost flat sea. Since we didn't expect this, the rum supplies were already running low at this point. But the captain still had an emergency ration on board, which sweetened this day, when all we could see was water.

Nothing but water? Not quite. At some point, a group of dolphins appeared and swam alongside our boat. What an experience!

And suddenly, a small tuna was wriggling on the fishing line. The cook skillfully dissected it and turned it into sashimi. Another culinary highlight.

Shortly before midnight, we reach the port of Cartagena, Colombia. Some are ecstatic. Instead of a small fishing port, we arrive in a metropolis with a great skyline. We spend the night on board again because we are only allowed to enter in the morning.

What an adventure this was! And yet so relaxing. For the first time since the start of the journey, I didn't have to do or organize anything for a few days. No booking hostels, no buying bus tickets, no choosing a tour, and no planning a travel route.

The Wilson crew decides to spend a few days together in Cartagena. I'm looking forward to the hometown of the famous Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marques (editor's recommendation!) and to new adventures on the new continent.

PS: Here you can see my problem. I actually wanted to let the pictures speak for themselves about the San Blas Islands, and now it has turned into another half a novel. It's hard to stay up to date with the reports like this. But I'm still on the road for 2-3 days and still have time to catch up...

PPS: On March 31, 2018, I set off by train to Antwerp. Almost a year!!! 😀 And still not tired...