Page 254 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

252 Guna Yala
Independent booking You can also make your own where you can check out departures for that day. Transfer
arrangements with Transporte y Carga Kuna Yala in Panama fees vary, starting from around $20 return to one of the
City (C 33, Calidonia; T225 4900, Wfacebook.com/transport islands near Cartí and Río Sidra. Many communities in the
ekunayala); or contact Transkuna (see box, p.253). As well as western and central isles have daily early-morning
the usual pre-dawn departures for Cartí, they sometimes departures (5–6am) for Cartí, which can then transport
leave later in the morning. The rates are the same as those you back to their island, leaving Cartí between 8–9am. For
offered by the hostels and hotels ($30 one way), though note the eastern isles, departures are less frequent, and when
that unlike the hotels and hostels, the transport company sea conditions are rough, boats will be cancelled. For likely
will not arrange onward boat travel from the dock. departure times, contact the island transport company or
Onward travel – packages On arrival at the Cartí/ one of the lodgings on the island you are heading for.
Barsukum docks, visitors who have arranged their trip via
their hotel or hostel pile into a collection of motorized BY PLANE
dugouts waiting to transport them to their island lodgings; Destinations Air Panama (T316 9000, Wairpanama
this cost is sometimes included in the overall deal. .com) has daily flights from Albrook Airport to Achutupu
Onward travel – independent travellers It’s worth (Assudub) and Playón Chico (Uggubseni), six departures a
7 asking the waiting boatmen about vacancies on their week (not Sat) to Puerto Obaldía and three a week (Tues,
vehicle, though bear in mind that transport to popular Thurs and Sun) to little-visited Mulatupo (Muladub) and
backpacker islands, such as Isla Perro Chico or Senidub, is Ogobsucum (Ogobsuggan).
often booked up. You could ask to get dropped off in Gardi Fares Prices, including taxes, range from $80 (Playón
Sugdub ($3), a transport hub for neighbouring islands, Chico) to $106 (Puerto Obaldía) one way. Most of the

PACKAGE STAYS IN GUNA YALA
Given the complexities of travelling independently around the archipelago, the easiest way to
visit the region is on a package tour. In fact most hotels only offer package deals – the Guna
prefer this as it affords them greater control over tourist activities. The majority of hotels are
aimed at budget travellers; there’s little mid-range accommodation and no luxury lodgings –
the nearest lies 25km west of El Porvenir (Wcorallodge.com). Panama City hostels and hotels
can help organize a multiday trip, or you can make arrangements yourself for the same price –
a minimum stay of three days and two nights is recommended.
Itineraries may change depending on sea conditions. Most packages in the western region
include: return transport by boat from the Cartí docks (though some charge $20–40 for the
transfer); three basic meals; rustic accommodation; and a daily excursion. These might entail
a trip to a near-deserted palm-fringed island (there’s usually someone living there to look after
the place), or a cultural visit to an inhabited island or to the mainland to visit a cemetery (see
box, p.262) or a waterfall. The comarca taxes and the 4WD transport fees are usually additional;
check in advance exactly what’s included. There is usually a fuel supplement to visit the Cayos
Holandeses, which offer the best snorkelling in the comarca but are sometimes inaccessible
due to rough seas for much of the peak season (Dec–Feb/early March).
On the sandy atolls, all of which are privately owned, accommodation is usually in simple
white-cane cabañas, with either a thin mattress or a hammock and perhaps somewhere to
keep your belongings out of the sand. Increasingly, some islands are offering camping, though
you usually have to bring your own tent. Whichever option you choose, the often-basic toilets
(which may have to be flushed with sea water from a bucket) are shared, and electricity is not
a given; you may have to wash under overhead cold showers, or use a barrel of water and a
jug or calabash (gourd). At weekends in peak season, fresh water for washing may run out on
islands that have to transport it from the mainland.
For more comfort, several lodges in the central islands, such as Akwadup or Uaguinega
(see p.267), fit the bill, offering cabins with private bathrooms (flush toilets, hand basins and
cold-water showers), often with private balconies, fancier cuisine and English-speaking guides.
At the budget end, package rates are generally $30–80 per person per night, but you’ll pay
more than $100 each for more comfortable options. Prices depend heavily on fuel prices, and
may be negotiable in low season. Accommodation and package rates in Guna Yala – be they for
private or shared/dorm cabañas, tents or hammocks – are almost always quoted per person.
Throughout this chapter we have quoted the rates two people would pay for a package, staying
in a double room, with single rates for camping and dorms where those options are available.

244-269_Panama_3_Ch7.indd 252 30/06/17 11:51 am