Most Caribbean sailing happens in the island chain to the east. Panama’s Caribbean coast is quieter and less visited, and it has three very different places within a few days’ sail of each other: the Spanish treasure port of Portobelo, the self-governing Guna islands of San Blas, and the forest and reef archipelago of Bocas del Toro near the Costa Rica border.
In January 2027 the Dutch sail training ship Eendracht spends four weeks on this coast. You can join for one voyage or sail two back to back. No experience is needed. You learn to sail the ship with the permanent crew, and every rope is worked by hand.
January and February are the dry season on most of this coast. The northeast trade winds blow steadily, which gives good sailing, and the sea can be lively on the passages.
Air temperature: about 30°C (86°F) by day, 24°C (75°F) at night
Sea temperature: about 27°C (81°F), warm enough to swim every day
Rain: short showers are still possible, more so in Bocas del Toro, which has no true dry season
Sun: strong all year at 9° north. Bring a hat, long sleeves and reef-safe sun cream.
Columbus named Portobelo, the “beautiful harbour”, on his fourth voyage in 1502. From the 1590s it was the Caribbean end of the route that carried Peru’s silver across the isthmus to the Spanish treasure fleets. Its harbour forts, together with Fort San Lorenzo at the mouth of the Chagres river, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There is a strong British thread here. Francis Drake died of dysentery off Portobelo in 1596 and was buried at sea in the bay. Henry Morgan sacked the town in 1668. Admiral Vernon captured it in 1739, and London’s Portobello Road is named after that victory.
Shelter Bay Marina lies west along the coast at the Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal, on the site of the old US Fort Sherman. The Gatun Locks are close by, and ships waiting to transit lie at anchor in the bay.
Guna Yala runs along the coast east of Portobelo all the way to the Colombian border. It has around 365 low coral islands, about 50 of them inhabited. It is an autonomous indigenous territory, a comarca, governed by the Guna people under their own laws.
How the Guna govern themselves
In 1925 the Guna rose against Panamanian attempts to suppress their dress, language and customs. The Dule Revolution ended in a treaty guaranteeing their autonomy, and the territory was recognised in law in 1938.
Each island community has a saila, who is both its political and its spiritual leader and keeps the community’s history in chanted song. Decisions are taken by the whole community in the Congress House. Above the villages, the Guna General Congress, led by three senior sailas, governs the whole territory and sets the rules for visitors.
The people and their culture
There are about 50,000 Guna. Most live on the islands and speak their own language, Dulegaya, with Spanish used in schools.
Family: Guna society is matrilineal. A husband moves into his wife’s household and takes her family name.
Molas: Guna women wear molas, panels of layered and cut cloth sewn into bold patterns. They are part of everyday dress, not a souvenir, though they are also sold to visitors.
Living from the sea: coconuts, fishing, lobster and plantains are the base of the island economy.
The rising sea: the people of Gardi Sugdub have recently left their crowded island for a new village on the mainland, the first community in Panama to move because of rising sea levels.
The Guna welcome visitors on their terms. Only Guna may own tourist businesses, and each one needs Congress permission. The Congress charges an entry fee, and individual islands set their own landing fees and rules. Some islands are closed to visitors.
Practical points for guests:
Ask before photographing anyone; you may be asked for a small fee
Dress modestly when ashore in a village
Carry US dollars in small notes; there are no cash machines on the islands
Do not take shells, coral or anything else from the islands
Because the Guna restrict commercial fishing and building, the reefs and islands are in better condition than much of the Caribbean.
Tally Ho in Guna Yala
In February 2026 the 1910 gaff cutter Tally Ho came through the Panama Canal and turned east for Guna Yala. Her owner, Leo Goolden, spent seven years rebuilding her in Washington State, and his Sampson Boat Co films have followed every stage. After a hard beat into the trade winds along a lee shore, the crew rested among the islands, picking their way between coral reefs that are still poorly charted. Leo sailed on from Panama, partly singlehanded, and in summer 2026 Tally Ho crossed the Atlantic to Ireland and on to Falmouth, across the water from our office in St Mawes. She is now preparing for the 2027 Fastnet Race, a hundred years after she won it.
Eendracht sails the same Guna Yala waters in January.
Bocas del Toro is an archipelago in Panama’s far northwest, inside the sheltered waters of Almirante Bay and the Chiriquí Lagoon. It has nine main islands, about 50 cays and some 200 islets. The water inside the islands is calm, and many houses stand on stilts over it.
Columbus anchored here in 1502. The brightly painted timber houses of Bocas Town, on Isla Colón, date from the banana trade of the early 1900s. Today the town is small and lively, with cafés, bars and a mix of Afro-Caribbean, Ngäbe-Buglé and Panamanian people.
Places Eendracht aims to visit, weather permitting:
Isla Colón: Bocas Town, Bluff Beach (an hour by hired bicycle) and Starfish Beach
Isla Bastimentos: Red Frog Beach, named after the tiny strawberry poison dart frogs in the forest behind it
Zapatilla Cays: two uninhabited, palm-covered islands with good snorkelling
Sloth Island and Dolphin Bay: a chance of sloths in the mangroves and bottlenose dolphins in the bay
Much of Bastimentos and the Zapatilla Cays lie within Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park, Panama’s first marine park, created in 1988.
Eendracht is a three-masted gaff-rigged schooner, nearly 60 m long, sailed by a Rotterdam sail training charity. Most of her year is spent sailing with young people; the holiday voyages help pay for that work.
All sail handling is done from the deck, so nobody needs to go aloft
There are no powered winches; everything is hauled by hand, with many hands
Briefings and training are in English when international guests are on board
Guests are aged 12 to 80, with cabins for two, three or four to five people
All meals are cooked on board and included
The January 2027 voyages
Active voyage. Portobelo to Shelter Bay
The emphasis is on sailing. You join one of three watches, four hours on and eight off, and the ship keeps going through the night. If the wind allows, she sails east to Guna Yala, with at least one island stop and plenty of swimming.
Sailing holidays. Shelter Bay to Bocas del Toro and Bocas del Toro to Shelter Bay
These are more relaxed. There is a passage of about a day and a half between Shelter Bay and Bocas del Toro. The rest of the voyage is short daytime hops between islands, with nights at anchor.
Sailing two voyages. The voyages join up, so you can sail Portobelo to Bocas del Toro, or Shelter Bay to Bocas del Toro and back. Accommodation is provided overnight between voyages. Ask us about the discount for booking two voyages.
See Eendracht Voyages in Panama
Flights: international flights land at Tocumen Airport, Panama City. KLM flies direct from Amsterdam; there are good connections from the UK via Amsterdam, Madrid and the USA, and direct flights from many US cities.
Portobelo and Shelter Bay: both are about two hours from Panama City by taxi or pre-booked transfer.
Bocas del Toro: domestic flights take about an hour from Albrook Airport, a different airport on the other side of Panama City. Allow time to cross the city, and plan to arrive in Bocas the day before you join.
Entry: UK, EU, US and Canadian passport holders do not need a visa for a short stay, but you may be asked for an onward ticket. Check current entry rules with your government’s travel advice before you book flights.
FAQs for Panama sailing
Do I need sailing experience? No. The professional crew teach you everything on board. On the active voyage you learn as part of a watch; on the holidays you can help as much or as little as you like.
Which voyage should I choose? Choose the active voyage if you want to sail the ship day and night and see Guna Yala. Choose a sailing holiday if you prefer full nights’ sleep at anchor and more time ashore in Bocas del Toro. Or sail two back to back.
What language is spoken on board? Eendracht is Dutch, but briefings and training are given in English when international guests are aboard, and the crew speak good English.
Will we definitely reach San Blas? The active voyage sails for Guna Yala if the wind and sea allow. The captain decides on the day, and the route can change for safety or weather.
Can I visit the Guna villages? On some islands, yes, under Guna rules and fees. Not every island is open to visitors, and the crew will tell you what is allowed where you anchor.
What is the weather like in January? Warm and mostly dry, with steady trade winds. Expect about 30°C (86°F) by day and a sea temperature of about 27°C (81°F). Short tropical showers are possible, especially in Bocas del Toro.
Ask a Skipper
Not sure which voyage suits you? Call us on +44 (0)1326 531234 or use Ask a Skipper, and we will talk it through with you.
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