Prices for 2026
How much does a San Blas tour cost?
A day tour to San Blas from Panama City costs between $114 and $225 per person, and sleeping on an island costs between $170 and $260 per person per night. Neither figure includes the Guna Yala comarca tax, which every visitor pays at the border: $22 for foreigners and $7 for Panamanian residents.
Every figure on this page is taken from our live booking system and was last checked on 3 September 2026.
Day tour prices
One rate per person, whatever the size of your group — there is no single-traveller surcharge and no discount hidden behind a minimum. Children pay the adult rate; babies aged four and under travel free. Every day tour leaves Panama City at around 5 AM and drops you back at your hotel after dark.
| Tour | Per person | What you get | Deposit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic day trip | $114 | Round-trip 4x4 from your Panama City hotel, boat transfers, a typical lunch, life jackets and a bilingual guide. Two islands and the Natural Pool sandbank, with no extra stops. | $41 |
| VIP day trip | $135 | Everything in the classic trip, plus guided snorkelling over a living reef, snorkel gear and a stop at a Guna community where the molas are made. Four stops instead of three. | $62 |
| Isla Diablo day trip | $135 | Isla Diablo, neighbouring Isla Hierva, the Piscina de Estrellas sandbank and a visit to a Guna community. Same transport, lunch and guide as the classic trip. | $62 |
| Dutch Cays premiumRuns with a minimum of 4 travellers. | $225 | The reef furthest from the coast, and for that reason the best preserved one: a longer boat ride, basic snorkel gear and lunch on board or on an island. | $100 |
Overnight stay prices
A night on the islands is priced per person per night, and what moves the price is the cabin, not the island: your island is confirmed closer to the date, among several partner islands. All five options include the same thing — 4x4 transport, boat transfers, three meals a day, a two-island tour and the Natural Pool. You can book up to 3 nights, and every night after the first costs less than the first, because the transport out of Panama City is only paid once.
| Cabin type | First night | Each extra night |
|---|---|---|
| Camping under the starsYour own tent on the sand, shared bathrooms. The cheapest way to wake up in San Blas. | $170 | $85 |
| Island hostel, shared dormA bed in a beachfront dorm, with shared bathrooms and a sand floor. | $170 | $85 |
| Classic private cabinA cabin to yourselves with a wooden floor; the bathrooms are shared. | $185 | $85 |
| Deluxe private cabinA private cabin with its own bathroom and a wooden floor. | $198 | $85 |
| Overwater cabinBuilt on stilts over the water, with a private bathroom. The one people book for a honeymoon. | $260 | $100 |
What the price does not include
The Guna Yala comarca tax
$22/ $7
$22 per foreign visitor and $7 for Panamanian residents who show a passport or residency card. It is not part of any tour price, here or anywhere else: it is a territorial entry fee that goes to the Guna community and is collected at the Guna Yala border on the way in, in cash or by card to the driver. Budget for it before you leave the city — it is the single thing travellers most often did not know about.
Beyond the tax, these are the things you will actually spend money on:
- Alcoholic drinks and snacks, both on the boat and on the islands.
- Tips for the crew, the driver and the guide.
- Molas and souvenirs. They are handmade in the communities and sold for cash only.
- Professional photography.
- Snorkel gear on overnight stays. The day tours that include snorkelling provide it.
- Pickup from outside Panama City itself: the Playa Bonita area adds $15 per person.
How paying actually works
- 1
You book online with a deposit, not the full amount. The deposit for each day tour is in the table above; an overnight stay takes half the total.
- 2
The balance is paid on the day of the tour, when the driver picks you up. Nothing else is charged to your card afterwards.
- 3
Paying by card adds a 7% web service fee on the amount charged at that moment. It is a payment-processing charge, not part of the tour price, and it does not apply to the balance you pay on the day.
- 4
Bring cash. There is no ATM anywhere in the archipelago, and the island kiosks, the bars and the mola sellers do not take cards — whatever you did not bring with you, you do not have.
What makes the price go up or down
Which tour, not which month
Our day-tour rates are the same all year round: the gap on this page is between tours, not between January and September. What high season changes is availability, not the price — the good dates go first.
Your group size, in one case only
Every price is per person, so travelling as a couple costs the same per head as travelling as a group of eight. The one exception is the Dutch Cays tour, which needs 4 travellers to sail.
Which cabin, not which island
On an overnight stay you choose a type of cabin, and the island is assigned among partner islands nearer the date. The distance between a tent on the sand and a cabin over the water is the widest price gap on this page.
How many nights
Extra nights are cheaper than the first one. The expensive part of a stay is getting you there and back, and that is paid once however long you stay.
Who is travelling
Babies aged four and under go free on day tours, and children pay slightly less than adults on overnight stays. Panamanian residents pay the lower comarca tax, with valid ID.
Check live availability and book
This form books the classic day trip, the $114 option. Every other tour has the same form on its own page, and the price it shows is the live one — straight from the booking system, not from this page.
Frequently asked questions about prices
How much does a San Blas tour cost per person?
From $114 per person for a full day trip out of Panama City, up to $225 for the Dutch Cays premium tour. Sleeping on an island starts at $170 per person per night. The Guna Yala comarca tax is paid separately at the border: $22 for foreigners, $7 for residents.
Is the Guna Yala tax included in the tour price?
No, and no operator includes it. It is a comarca entry fee that goes to the Guna community, collected at the border checkpoint on the way in, in cash or by card to the driver: $22 per foreign visitor and $7 for Panamanian residents who show a passport or residency card.
Do I have to pay the whole tour up front?
No. You pay a deposit online to hold the date, and the rest on the day of the tour when the driver picks you up. The deposit for each day tour is shown in the price table; an overnight stay takes half the total.
Why is there a 7% fee when I pay by card?
It is the web service fee for processing a card payment, added to the amount charged at that moment. It is not part of the tour price and it does not apply to the balance you pay on the day of the tour.
How much cash should I bring to San Blas?
Enough for the comarca tax, drinks, tips and any molas you want to buy. There are no ATMs in the archipelago and the islands do not take cards, so bring more than you think you need, in small bills.
Is a day tour or an overnight stay better value?
A day tour is about fourteen hours door to door, and roughly half of that is transport. If San Blas is a highlight of your trip rather than a box to tick, one night on an island buys you a sunset, a genuinely dark night sky and a sunrise for less than the day tour itself costs.
Not sure which one fits?
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are. A real person answers, the same day, and will say so if a cheaper tour suits you better.
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