Discover the soul of the Caribbean in a land where time is never ending.Listen to the tales of an ancient sprit inspired by waters so crystalclear,you can see the heart of the sea. More than 365 islands withwhite sands beaches will be waiting for you at Kuna Yala indigenous reserveand we, at SAPIBENEGA THE KUNA LODGE willbe glad to show you the magic of our culture.
having never been to Panama the San Blas islands sounded as though it would be quite a unique placa to visit. After much research I chose the we were thankful for this because you are at their total mercy for excursions and food. The only transportation available is their dug out canoe. However, they did provide you were a number of places to visit. we saw the community, deserted islands for snorkeling and the Kuna's burial ground. The found is good, if you like fish and fruit. That is all you are served, but it's just prepared differentlyevery day. You eat with the other guests who are often quite friendly themselves. The service by the Kuna is exceptional. No english is spoken at all! This is both a good thing and a bad thing. makes for an interesting trip. My only complaint about this Lodge is that although you have you own cabin, you are attached to the one next to you. You can hear them drop a pin. Our fellow neighbors brought a radio so this was quite the spoiler. I would recommend only two nights there becasue we did begin to run out of things to do the third day. Over all, it was a very unique and fun experience.
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Date of stay: June 2006
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I was only able to do one night --- primarily because I booked at the last minute and AirPanama flights were not available --- NOTE TO ANYONE PLANNING ON COMING HERE --- plan ahead!!! Arriving at the airport is an experience unto itself. You get off the plane and the Sapibenega representatives are right there on the landing strip to greet you and take you to an awaiting "panga" boat from the dock at the end of the runway. The hotel is about a 5-7 minute boat ride is situated on a tiny island consisting of 5 or six cabins which sleep either 2, 4 or 6 people (depending on how they configure beds). The Guna people really try to make you feel home when there. The cabins are all made from local materials (wood an thatched roofs) with no glass windows and small electric lights (only function when the generator is turned on). I did not have many problems with bugs or other critters. The first (only day) consisted of a fantastic breakfast followed by a briefing of the day's "tours". Each event would be announced by one of the Guna men sounding a conch shell --- very cool!!! At 9:30am we did a trip to one of the nearby islands (Isla Poso) which has a very nice sandy beach on the leeward side of the island. The guides got us to the island and one of the guides (Elvin) took me on a guided snorkel trip showing off the local coral reef. The underwater visibility was not that great because the winds from the sea are quite strong during this time of year and stir up the sands and bring many nutrients to the islands. Lunch was at 1:00pm featuring a tilapia ceviche followed by a grilled corvina (white fish) fillet with mashed potatoes! The 4:00pm tour was to the main community of Playon Chico to see the island and provided an opportunity to purchase locally made "molas" from the Guna women that directly benefit the local community. Although bargaining is prevalent and encouraged, my experience was that the local prices were not that different from what you get in Panama City at the tourist areas. However, I felt better about the fact that I know that this was benefiting this community more directly. The people on the island were very friendly. ***NOTE*** General photos are allowed, but if you take a picture of the Guna women or the children directly, they will ask you "un dolar, un dolar" --- "one dollar, one dollar"... Dinner was at 6:15pm featuring mixed seafood on a bed of angel-hair pasta in white wine sauce! This is DEFINITELY not "roughing it". The generator was not functioning on this day, so evening drinks and conversations with the other guests was done while watching the sunset and then by solar-powered flashlight lanterns. Sleeping in the cabins while listening to the sea under your bed and a constant sea breeze was incredible. In the morning, the guide took me to the airport via the "panga" boat and then assisted me in weighing my bag, my carry-on bag as part of the check-in process. There was a bit of confusion as they were not sure if there would be one of two flights arriving this day. My guide (Elvin) did a great job of explaining what was going on. Ultimately, I left with a fantastic experience that really makes one appreciate nature and the people that make this world so diverse and unique. As long as you are able to disconnect, don't expect 5-star luxury accommodations, love seafood, and are flexible in your daily plans, this is a place for you! I really wish I could have stayed another night!
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Date of stay: January 2014
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Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I have to say I loved this place. We were the only guests so that probably helped. The service was great, the rooms were clean and airy, and the food was terrific. Fresh crab, lobster, fish and fruit daily. I suppose it helps to like seafood. The excursions were great; beautifull beaches, great snorkeling, dolphins, the kuna village, all in all a great place to visit. I can imagine that if you have an aprehension against flying, think first. The planes are small, and the ride bumpy at best. I hope you like seafood, and as always, bring your own booze,as they let us keep our wine and beer in the cooler.
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Date of stay: October 2006
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Check-in / front desk
Service
Business service (e.g., internet access)
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The setting....nice. The infrastructure, very rustic, but ok. The food....not good and scarce. The people...rude, even agresive.
Had a very bad experience with them. When checking out, my credit card did not work..although it worked in every other place in panama ( spend some days in panama city prior to this stay and some days in the pacificmislands afterwards). I gave them every possible option to solve the problem. I gave them the cash that had on me, gave them the credit card numbers of all my cards, offer them the transferbthem the money on monday(i was leaving on a sunday) , etc. Nothing worked. I had to take the flight so i left and said them (in a calmend and polite way) i would solve the problem in panama city. When i arrived to the airport, to my surprise, the police was waiting for me...yes the police (i was travelling with my wife and three kids). They took me to an "office" where the owner of the place was also waiting for me. Very frightening. They did not allow me to take the flight.awful experience. At the end, i paid the balance to the local airline so they could .transfer it to the hotel..no problem with my credit card there! Will never recomend and or visit this place again.
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Date of stay: February 2014
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I don’t rate 5 out of 5 overall very often, but Sapibenaga certainly justifies it for me. Not because it is a 5 star hotel, it absolutely is not – but because it is a 5 star experience. If you can get there, go – don’t hesitate!!
Staying there is not luxurious. The cabins are basic. The beds are adequate; the shower water is cold; you are exposed to the elements and whatever nature has to offer; the windows and doors are pivoting wood screens; there are no chairs and no closet for your clothes; electricity is only intermittent; and you have to pay serious money to stay there.
But, you go to sleep over the ocean, with every sound of the ocean; you throw open the window to see the sun rise; you take your afternoon rest in the hammock on the cabin terrace. Best of all you can completely relax because there are no phones and no internet. I slept better than I have in years and relaxed in a way that our modern world never allows.
Tomas, Ellie and the other Kuna staff welcome you as guests, as if into their home. Food is freshly cooked, simple, small portioned and tasty. There is a always a fish theme, and what you get is very dependent upon what Tomas, or his friends catch the night before. Meals are at set times, announced by a loud note from a conch shell. There is a small bar, but at least there is a bar. It’s reasonably priced and it’s always open.
The price you pay includes your meals and a couple of simple tours each day. The morning tour is to a beach on nearby islands. The afternoon sessions give you a chance to meet and better understand the Kuna communities.
In summary, Sapibenaga is an amazing experience – don’t think of it as just an hotel, where you go to sleep. It is much more than that. Our farewell hug from Ellie echoed how we felt. We missed it, as soon as we left. If you can, go visit. This is a 5 out of 5 experience.
THREE BIG BUT'S - Let me also flag a couple of things that left me feeling uncomfortable. The islands we visited had pristine beaches facing the land – swimming in crystal clear waters was just lovely. The ocean facing side of each island were unsuitable for swimming. They were also littered with huge amounts of debris (I understand most comes from the Kuna community who cast most of their trash into the sea). I picked up syringes and a canula – very danagerous. This could be so easily sorted with half an hour’s effort each day to pick up the debris and to return the island to the way it was meant to be.
The Kuna owner of Sapibenega, I understand, lives in Panama City. I assume that he lives there in some style, given the very high prices you have to pay per night. The Kuna, fiercely independent, live in conditions which are very close to primitive. I would have liked to have known that I wasn’t exploiting the Kuna for my enjoyment and just to line deeply the pockets of the owner.
Finally, you are hugely dependent on Air Panama to get you to Playon Chico and back to Panama City. Air Panama seem to run the airline for their convenience and not of their pasengers. On our return, the flight was over booked. We didn’t make it. The plane returns to pick you up two hours later, but we still missed our connection to Costa Rica – and the day was ruined, spent waiting at airports. So be prepared for problems when you make your travel plans.
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Date of stay: March 2012
Value
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were so excited to stay in a rustic place far away from civilization. We stayed for 4 nights. The bungalows were fine. The food was my major complaint. They served IMITATION CRAB several times!! If they are that close to the sea, I was expecting lobster and real crab or at least fish for lunch and dinner. No such luck. We were served chicken breast for one lunch. We had lasagna another (with the imitation crab inside). The breakfasts were just as bad. We had a small piece of bread with cheese and jam 2 of the mornings. The coffee was horrible. They charge extra for real cream (the non-dairy creamer is included). One dinner we had good fried fish. The night before we left they served us small lobster tails, probably because we complained about the food. That was tasty.
The snorkling in that part of the islands is not great. The visibility is not good. I heard that it is a lot better in other parts of San Blas.
I would not go back and I wouldn't recommend it at all.
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Date of stay: February 2006
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Check-in / front desk
Service
Business service (e.g., internet access)
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I went to the Sapibenega Lodge end of August. I had four excellent days and I will go back with my kids next year. The service is excellent and food is spectacular. i was a little concerned because saw a lot of excellent reviews and one review said there was "little food". The food is abundant and great. Every day they have another menu.
J. Ziemer
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Date of stay: August 2013
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
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Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
As the final leg of our excursion to Panama and The Canal, we flew out of Panama City to an old pre-WWI airstrip near El Porvenir. There we were greeted by our dugout boat captain and transported to "Hotel" Sapibenega on one of the larger San Blas Islands. There were three thatched "huts", each with two bedrooms, and room each having its own bath. Half of the "hut" was on land nad the back side over the water. We stayed only one night, but what a night it was. Of all of our travels,world-wide, this place had the most comfortable bed we've slept in thus far. They had a nice bar with ample seating and served nice Caribbean-style beverages. The "restaurant" was at at distance from shore over the water on a stilt-like platform. The food was very fresh, as they raise their own vegetables on the mainland and caught fresh seafood (fish and lobster) every day. Meals, which were included in the room charge, were served by native dressed Kuna Indians. We took time the next day to visit a near by uninhabited small island. White sands, clear water, green everywhere.
The San Blas Islands of Panama are an archipelago comprising approximately 378 islands and cays, of which only 49 are inhabited. They lie off the north coast of the Isthmus of Panama, east of the Panama Canal. They are home to the Kuna Indians and a part of the comarca (district) Guna Yala (also spelled Kuna Yala) along the Caribbean coast of Panama. The area is popular for sailing, as it is known for its beauty and lack of hurricanes. None of the islands has fresh water. An interesting note: the hotel we stayed at has a PVC pipe going from the bar area down into the water over the ocean floor onto land, up the mountain to a spring-fed stream. We were there in the dry season, so water would only trickle out of the faucet in the bar area.
We were there in 2006, but our memory of this adventure is still fresh and vivid. For some reason, photos uploaded may show a later date of 2011. We checked the earliest date TA would allow so we could submit this review.
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Date of stay: September 2013
Rooms
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â Rooms are the same.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I thoroughly enjoyed my two night stay and wish I had had time for another night there. There has evidently been a new management since the first of the year and a previous negative review may reflect the prior team. The food was simple and excellent. I had langostino (lobster) two meals and a wonderful fish on another. There was a vegetarian in the group and they did their best to accommodate her. They were happy to take you where ever you wanted to go, such as areas to snorkle or to explore other islands, the Kuna village, the falls or the cemetary. The room was comfortable and exotic. There was a wonderful warm breeze and rain at night. They put on a Kuna dance one night.
This is a wonderful place to relax, read or sightsee.
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Date of stay: July 2007
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
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Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had a fantastic stay for 3 days there. We were 8 persons and we were the only guests on this tiny island. We did the activities offered to us, including participating in some local dancing (without great success, I'm afraid). The charming cabins on stilts were very simple and basic, yet comfortable and including shower and wc. You sleep to the sound of waves and can watch the sea through the floor. What really made a difference was the fantastic staff. They very much exceeded our expectations. In a natural way they were extraordinary caring and attentive. Please note that it helps to speak some Spanish, as their English is very basic. The food was excellent, simple and uncomplicated but very well prepared. The price for a stay there may be high, but in our opinion this is almost priceless. We made our booking including flight, which was very good because Air Panama is not easy to deal with on your own.
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Date of stay: January 2013
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Â Please note that electricity is not regularly available and there is no cell phone coverage.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Panama City, Panama98 contributions15 helpful votes
Hola Laura.
Es correcto hay diferentes tipos de alojamiento en diferentes islas, a diferentes precios, entre mas distante la isla de tierra firma mayor es el precio. Las islas a las que se pueden llegar solo en avionetas es mas caro por el costo del avion es casi $300.00 ida y vuelta. Sin embargo las islas mas cercanas se puede ir en carro 4x4 hasta el puerto a $50.00-$60.00 ida y vuelta y hasta las islas en lancha por $35.00 ida y vuelta.
Para mayor información pueden consultar con operadores locales del area de San Blas: Tel: +507 3902971 o al whastapp: +507 62399222.
Saludos!!
"Be sure to ask for coconut water and the coconut meat! All lodges are over the water so selection goes by number of beds. Electricity is limited, no wifi (yeah), but great quiet break."
There are more places to choose from in the Ukupseni Island area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
sapibenega the kuna hotel san blas islands
LOCATION
PanamaGuna Yala RegionUkupseni Island
NUMBER OF ROOMS
6
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