Life by Design.: Joining the Kuna's

Alas! Another vacation. Can you believe it? Just another opportunity to see the wonders of Panama.

This weekend we visited Kuna Yala. But it's also known as San Blas. It's an entire national park owned by Kuna's - local indigenous people that have owned the land for years. It's a strip of land that runs along the northern edge of Panama on the Caribbean. On the map below, you can see the islands near the words Rio Sidra.

Map off Google showing where Kuna Yala is.

The Kuna's only opened up their land to the public about 30 years ago. Off of the mainland, there are about 360 islands, where about 30 are allowed visitors. The drive from Panama City takes about 2.5 hours. It's a crazy drive with lots of curves and ups and downs! Let's just say it's not a good drive to do when you get car sick easily, but I made it there in one piece.

A hill on the way back from San Blas aka Kuna Yala

View from the drive.

The island we stayed at was called Tony Island. You can walk around the whole thing in about 5 minutes. The beach was soft white sand and the water was knee height for about 100 feet off the shore.

Tony Island

Basically the only thing to do here is lay on the beach and go into the water. Being Irish, Scottish, English, and German - I was skeptical. Main item to bring? Sunscreen!! I didn't burn, and I did get a little color. A.k.a. white, but not as white :) Needless to say, it was a relaxing weekend and definitely a place that is meant to be experienced. Here are some highlights: