Sail Panama.

Panama is two coasts and a canal, but for sailing you want the Caribbean side. The San Blas — Guna Yala to the people who live there — is a scatter of low coral islands off the north-east coast, most of them a few palms wide and ringed by reef. You anchor in clear water, snorkel off the boat, and buy fish and lobster from Guna families who paddle out in dugout ulus. There is no development to speak of, no marinas in the islands, and no phone signal on most cays. That is the appeal.

Farther west, near the Costa Rican border, Bocas del Toro is greener and wetter — mangrove channels, surf breaks, and a small town with bars and dive shops. It sails and feels different from San Blas: less reef navigation, more shelter, more on shore. Between them you get two distinct Caribbean-Panama trips under one country.

San Blas (Guna Yala). Roughly 350 islands across an archipelago about 100 nautical miles long, though charters concentrate on the western groups: the Lemon Cays (Cayos Limones), the Holandes Cays, and Chichime. Distances between anchorages are short — often under two hours — so days are relaxed. The catch is the reef. Charts are approximate, aids to navigation are sparse, and you eyeball your way in by reading water colour with the sun behind you. Local skippers do this daily; if you are bareboating, take it slowly and anchor well before dusk.

Bocas del Toro. A cluster of islands and lagoons in the far north-west. The water is flatter, the passages are wider, and Bocas Town on Isla Colón gives you provisioning, fuel, and a runway. Good for a first sailing area if reef-picking in San Blas sounds daunting.

The two areas are far apart by boat and usually chartered separately. Pick one per trip.

Panama's Caribbean coast has a long dry, breezy season from roughly December to April, driven by the north-east trades. This is the reliable window: 15–25 knots most days, steady sun, and the flattest reef navigation. It is also the busiest and priciest stretch.

May to November is the wetter, lighter season — more squalls, more calm, warmer water, fewer boats. San Blas sits south of the main hurricane belt, so the Caribbean season that shuts down much of the region is less of a factor here, though heavy rain and thundery squalls come through. Water sits around 27–29°C year-round; you sail in shorts.

Be honest with yourself about the trades. December through March they can blow hard and build a short Caribbean chop on the open stretches between cays. Lighter shoulders (April, November) suit those who want calmer anchorages.

You can charter here crewed or bareboat, monohull or catamaran. Catamarans dominate San Blas for good reason: shallow draft gets you into thin reef anchorages, and the deck space suits the swim-snorkel-repeat rhythm of the islands. A local skipper is worth serious consideration in San Blas — reef reading and Guna etiquette are learned, not charted.

Bocas suits bareboat more readily thanks to its simpler navigation and shore support. If you hold an ICC or equivalent and have caught reef water before, a bareboat cat here is straightforward.

Provisioning differs by area. Stock heavily before San Blas — you can buy fish, lobster, and some produce from Guna traders, but not a full shop. Bocas Town covers most needs.

Charter rates depend on boat, season, and whether you take crew. As a guide, a bareboat catamaran in the peak dry season typically runs in the low-to-mid thousands of euros per week; a crewed boat with skipper and cook sits higher. Shoulder-season rates ease. On top of the base fare, budget for fuel, a provisioning kitchen kitty, any local skipper or cook, and — for San Blas — the Guna community fees charged per person and per island visited, which go to the Guna congress.

For exact figures on the boats we run and the season you want, price on request — message us on WhatsApp with your dates and party size and we will send real numbers rather than a range you have to second-guess.

• Day 1 — Board near the Cartí sector after the road-and-launch transfer from Panama City. Short hop to the Lemon Cays; anchor, swim, settle in. - Day 2 — East to Chichime, a two-island anchorage with a reef pass and a wreck to snorkel. Lobster from the ulu if the traders come by. - Day 3 — On to the Holandes Cays and the anchorage many call the Swimming Pool — clear sand-bottom water inside the reef. This is the postcard. - Day 4 — Stay put or drift a few miles between Holandes anchorages. A no-passage day. Kite, freedive, read. - Day 5 — Visit a Guna village — Nusagandi or one of the inhabited cays — pay your respects and community fee, buy a mola textile. - Day 6 — Work back west via Coco Bandero or the Lemon Cays, timing the light for the reef. - Day 7 — Final anchorage near Cartí, pack, launch transfer back to the city.

Distances are short throughout — this is an anchoring trip, not a passage-making one.

Fly into Panama City (Tocumen International, PTY), the main hub for both coasts and well connected from Europe and the Americas. For San Blas, the standard route is a 4×4 transfer over the mountains to the Cartí sector — a rough two-to-three-hour drive on a winding road — then a launch to your boat. Leave early; the road is best in daylight.

For Bocas del Toro, fly on from Panama City to Bocas Town (Isla Colón) on a short domestic flight, or take the longer overland-and-ferry route via Almirante. Bocas Town has provisioning, fuel, and shore support close to the water.

Bring cash in US dollars — Panama uses them alongside the balboa — for Guna fees, traders, and small shore spends, as card acceptance is patchy once you leave the city. Expect little to no phone signal in San Blas; tell people at home before you go dark.