Isla Diablo (Devil's Island)

For an island called Devil’s Island, Isla Diablo is remarkably placid. It sits in the Isla Perro group, a short boat ride from several other popular cays, and it is one of the few San Blas islands that works equally well as a day stop and as a base for the night.

An island you can walk around in minutes

Isla Diablo is small enough to circle on foot in a few minutes, and it is ringed by calm, shallow water — the kind children and hesitant swimmers can be in without anyone watching nervously from the sand. Palm-thatch shade lines the beach, and a volleyball net tends to attract an unplanned game most afternoons, which is not something you can say about many cays out here.

The tour day, hour by hour

The Isla Diablo tour publishes its route rather than leaving it as a surprise on the boat:

• 8:30 AM — arrival at Isla Diablo, free time to swim
• 10:00 AM — a neighbouring cay within the Isla Perro group
• 11:00 AM — Guna community visit, a good moment to see molas made and sold directly by the artisans
• 12:30 PM — lunch
• 1:30 PM — the Starfish Pool
• 3:00 PM — departure back toward Panama City

The Starfish Pool is not the Natural Pool

These are two different sandbars and they are easy to confuse. The Starfish Pool is the 1:30 PM stop on the Isla Diablo route; the Natural Pool is the stop that appears on the Classic and VIP itineraries and on the morning of an overnight stay. If a specific one matters to you, name it when you book rather than saying “the sandbar with the starfish”.

Sleeping here

Overnight guests get a simple Guna-run cabin: thatched roof, shared bathrooms, no air conditioning. That is the design, not a shortfall — the island is off-grid, and what you get in return is sunset and sunrise over the same stretch of sand, with dinner and breakfast normally part of the package. It is one of the more budget-friendly ways to spend a night in the archipelago.

What the day tour does not include

Guided reef snorkeling is not part of this route — that belongs to the VIP day tour, which is built around the Perro Chico shipwreck. The snorkeling straight off Isla Diablo’s own beach is easy and unguided: parrotfish, sergeant majors and the occasional ray over the sand flats. The Guna Yala comarca entry tax is also paid separately, in cash.

Good to know

• Best for: families, first-timers who want calm water, and travellers who would rather spend a night than rush back.
• Facilities: basic cabins for overnight guests; shade shelters and hammocks for day visitors.
• Getting there: it sits on the standard Carti boat routes, so no separate transport is needed if you are already booked on a tour or a package.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Isla Diablo tour just the VIP tour under another name?

No. It is a genuinely different route through the Isla Perro group, with its own published timetable, a longer community visit and the Starfish Pool. The VIP tour is built around guided snorkeling at the Perro Chico shipwreck, which this itinerary does not include. Choosing between them is a choice of day, not of price tier.

Is the Starfish Pool the same thing as the Natural Pool?

No. They are two separate sandbar stops. The Starfish Pool is visited at about 1:30 PM on the Isla Diablo route; the Natural Pool belongs to the Classic and VIP day tours and to the Day 2 morning of overnight stays.

What are the cabins on Isla Diablo like?

Simple and Guna-run: a thatched roof, shared bathrooms and no air conditioning, on an island with no grid electricity. Dinner and breakfast are normally included in an overnight package. If you are expecting a hotel room, this is not that; if you are expecting an island night, it is exactly that.

Is Isla Diablo a good choice with young children?

It is among the easier islands for them. The water around it is shallow and calm, the island is small enough that nobody wanders far, and there is shade on the beach. Life jackets are mandatory on the boat for children as well as adults.

Does the Isla Diablo day tour include snorkeling?

Not guided reef snorkeling — that is specific to the VIP tour. You can snorkel from the beach at Isla Diablo on your own, and the shallow water just offshore is rewarding, but if a guide in the water is what you want, book the VIP itinerary instead.

See which day tours stop at this islandOpens on our sister site · sanblasfull.com