Top Panama City Overnight Tours

"Meeting with the Embera Village people and seeing there way of life. There only means of travel are canoes on the river."

"Orlando our tour guide was amazing. He knew everything about the city and had tons of fun facts to share. He took us to an amazing restaurant that offered local cuisine and then we ended the night at a rooftop bar with an excellent view. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to learn a little about Panamanian culture."

"Me and my girlfriend had an amazing time at San Blas with Selim’s tour. When searching what to book, we were missing a detailed review so we decided to write one ourselves, for any future travellers to San Blas through Selim. HIGHLIGHTS After reading other reviews to go with the flow regarding the organisation, we were 100% mentally prepared for it, which is also why we had such a great time. Selim was not physically there with us, everything is done by locals on different islands and they run things in there own style. They seem all over the place, sometimes things may take a little bit more time or can happen out of nowhere, but the locals have their system and everything under control. Knowing exactly who you are and where you are supposed to be. So N1 rule for traveling San Blas is to just let it go and enjoy. You will not miss any boat or tour, you will not miss any islands. Just enjoy the experience and let the locals do their thing. Otherwise you will not have a good time. Selim was also checking in on us every night and if everything is ok which felt good. We were traveling as a couple and it always felt as a personal experience (we did not travel as group of 20), we just randomly shared the boat, tours or dinner with other travellers on their own tour. We also had a private cabana every night. We are city people that prefer higher end accommodations usually but came mentally prepared that this is camp style experience with shared bathrooms and sand everywhere. There is no signal except Digicel provider, and you can charge your phone (some islands free during dinner, other charge $2). Food is basic, but tastier than expected. We have had lobster, fish and chicken. Even pancakes for breakfast one day. Not sure how is with vegan or vegetarian options. We could also choose between chicken or fish on some occasions. We also brought our own snacks (bring some sweets because they are not included) and water, but you can also buy it on every island. (Water $2, Cola $2 Beer $2, Snacks $2-3). Road there takes place with SUVs because its so bumpy. You take a stop at a gas station (ATM was not working) so go to store one day before and dont rely on the last stop. Prices at gas station are high. Also you will need to pay $22 to enter Guna Yala territory. We took $100 with us but didn’t spend everything. Part of the tour is also the fact that you are spending time with the indigenous local community that still leaves in their own way. They take you on tours, on some islands we could walk pass their homes, and were always very welcomed. If you know a bit of Spanish or your guide speaks English talk to them. For 4 days we packed our backpacks and an additional waterproof bag (take it because things can get wet on the boat). We were able to leave our big suitcase in a hotel. We recommend doing the same but some people had much more luggage. We speak a bit of Spannish so it was much much easier and more entartaining. I know you cannot learn overnight but honestly if we wouldnt know Spanish it would probably be a bit more complicating. TOURS DAY 1 You will start early, SUVs will pick you up at your hotel and they are on time. Road will take about 3 hours. There were 6 of us in the car but were not on the same tour. When you arrive they will drop you off at the bay where all of the boats start so therefore there will be dozens of SUVs and hundreds of people coming and going. You will be called by a local to board and they will take care of your luggage. Ride will take about an hour and it can get bumpy and wet. We have had lunch and dinner on the first island + had a tour ( we just fell asleep on the beach when we heard someone screaming our name its time to go for a tour. They dont tell you when tours happen but they will make sure you go, and find you on the island) of the natural pool which is honestly nothing special to us. They told us there used to be a lot of seastars there but apperently sunscreen destroyed all of them. We also made a ‘stop’ for some locals to leave the boat on Pelican Island (where they shot Money Heist) so we could also take pictures. We used the other time to walk the island, chill, swim and read a book. We had a lobster on the first night but were the only one on the island having it, so we had a really premium experience. Our first island’s name was Narasgundub, but the tours probably change all the time. DAY 2 We left for the jungle hike in the morning after breakfast which was AMAZING. Your sail up the river stream which feels like Indiana Jones and then hike for an hour. Our guide was younger, spoke a bit English and genuinly cared for us. The tour is through a real jungle, it gets wet a muddy but just take it as an adventure. There were no insects but I guess it was the time of the year, I wouldnt plan for that. After we arrived back we had lunch, chilled for a bit and then left for second island - Aroma where we had dinner. Estetics wise this was my girlfrienda favorite island. Tons of nice palms, and beautiful water. This time the caban had mosquito net. DAY 3 We left after breakfast and first made a stop at an Island which name dont know but it was by far the nicest beach-wise. Itwas out of this world. They built us a beach tent, gave us pineapples, for some reasons some other people in our boat received canoes, but honestly we didnt care. People were just making selfies on them, and if we wanted we could ask for one. After 2 hours of swimming we made another stop at a natural pool, which was swamped with boats and again nothing special to us. Afterwards we arrived on the third island Yansailadub, which by my oppinion had the nicest beach views with swings, free hammocks, free paddleboard, phone charges and far superier food. It however had the pooerst bathroom facilities. We had an amazing lunch and just chilled for the whole day reading books, and finnaly knocked some rum and coke after dinner. Day 4 We left after breakfast, and arrived back at our hotel at 11am. Hope this review will help someone to enjoy San Blas the way as we did and had such an amazing adventure and disconnect from the world as us."

"I would've rated this 4 given the difficulty in communicating with the driver but San Blas Islands were so beautiful that it has to be 5! I did not mind the bumpy ride to the islands - I guess if you're not used to it or haven't experienced it, then might be a problem for you."

"We went on this tour on Nov 24 2019, and We spend around 4 to 5 hours with Hector P. Truly an informative, interactive, and interesting tour of the old areas of Panama city. Hector covered history from the 1600s to present day, and made sure we not only enjoyed ourselves, but left with lasting knowledge (We even got quizzed throughout haha). I highly recommend it for anyone that wants to learn while appreciating Panamenian history."

"I had such an amazing experience learning about this indigenous culture. Their spirits were so beautiful. My guide, Jose, was nothing less than extraordinary. He made sure I understood everything and was able to see everything the tour had to offer and then some. I would recommend this tour but most importantly, I would recommend getting Jose as a tour guide!"

"Marvin, our guide, was very knowledgeable and added great stories to make what we were seeing more memorable. I would highly recommend this private tour and Marvin our guide!"

"I've got an amazing trip thanks to Douglas - our tourguide and also the driver for the half day tour Perfect timing with perfect local experiences. We aimed to see the Panama Canal and try Panamanian cuisine, plus a good Panama Hat at 20 bucks. We achieved all of that! Highly recommended."