We arrived at the San Blas Islands on 25 January. These glorious islands are part of Panama, and the home of the Guna Yala, indigenous people. We chose to go to Coco Banderos first - there are over 300 islands to pick from. Most are uninhabited and are the property of the Guna. It is prohibited to collect coconuts for example as these are owned by the locals, or to fish. We picked Coco Banderos as the entrance looked easy or relatively easy between the reefs. The must have pilot guide is The Panama Cruising Guide written by Eric Bauhaus who has painstakingly surveyed the reefs and little islands.
The snorkelling was amazing - reefs right by the boat filled with gorgeous fish and coral. We were a bit spooked by the reef sharks at first, in fact all the time but we did manage to get used to them and stay in the water.
