Kuna Yala Comarca Travel Guides | San Blas Archipiélago

Welcome to paradise. Cartoonists who love to picture tropical islands as dots of soft sand with a few coconut palms could have gotten the idea from Kuna Yala, otherwise known as the San Blas Islands. That image fits countless idyllic spots in this archipelago of nearly 400 islands off the eastern Caribbean coast of Panama. When the sun hits the sea here you'll think of emeralds and sapphires. The islands are part of the Comarca de Kuna Yala, a semiautonomous homeland of the Kuna people. Kuna territory also encompasses a mountainous strip of mostly virgin forest on the mainland, along the Caribbean slope of the Darién. It runs the length of the archipelago, ending at the Colombian border. Most visitors prefer to hang out on the islands.

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The Comarca Kuna Yala is a fascinating and primitive region that fulfills every tourist's, yachter's, and cruiser's island fantasy. There are more than 350 picture-postcard islands and islets ringed by powdery white sand, a coral reef, and piercing turquoise water -- and most islands are populated with no more than a cluster of coconut palms. Given the pristine beauty of the region, it is the premier beach destination in Panama, but what really sets it apart is that it provides you with the opportunity to spend time with the Kuna indigenous group that lives here. The "Kuna Yala" means "Land of the Kuna," and a comarca is a semiautonomous province that is governed by three tribal chiefs, or caciques, with the input of dozens of regional representatives.

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The Kuna like to say that their archipelago consists of 'one island for every day of the year.' In fact, there are nearly 400 islands in the chain, all small creations of sand and palms with the turquoise Caribbean lapping at their shores. While the majority of the islands are magazine-cover beauties, the Kuna choose to inhabit no more than a handful of acre-sized cays, which are packed with bamboo huts and people. Although outsiders often wonder why the Kuna choose to live in such crowded conditions, this is a testament to the incredible sense of community and identity that has allowed the Kuna to achieve their remarkable degree of independence. Difficult access and strict limitations on visitors have invariably stemmed overdevelopment in the region.

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