Yandup Island Lodge is the perfect getaway in the Caribbean of the Kuna Indians, in the San Blas Archipelago. Perfect place to relax in a hammock, enjoy the sea breeze and the sound of the waves and birds. In this private island with coconut palms, surrounded by coral reefs and a small beach you will enjoy the wonders of nature and the interesting Kuna culture.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Hidden Gem
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
Playon Chico Kuna Yala, Ukupseni Island 0838 Panama
When asked where in the world I loved the most, I have to pick Yandup Island. It was the Fantasy Island Experience. The snorkel, the Hammocks, the meals offered from the catch of the sea; everything was so different from my life and the North American rat race and grocery stores. I thoroughly embraced learning about the people of the area and watching the way of life of the local community. There are no roads into this community. You must come by sea or air. Loved to see the cultural shift with the young school aged kids and their elders too. This experience sits vividly in my memories and the memories of my teen kids. I feel so privileged to be able to have shared this experience with my family. We will never forget it. The crab under the bed was just the icing on the cake of memories. I will forever be the most relaxed in a hammock thanks to Yandup. LOVED LOVED LOVED. but if you are picky eaters and demanding of items that can not be sourced locally and not opening to experiencing new things, this is not for you. My family was there in March 2018
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Date of stay: June 2022
Value
Location
Service
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.
My husband and I enjoy traveling. There are so many places in the world to see that we have never considered returning to a previously visited destination -- until now.
We loved everything about Yandup Lodge. We were there for 3 days. Excellent value for the price and a very memorable and relaxing experience.
I admire what Yandup Lodge is trying to accomplish in terms of environmental and cultural preservation.
1. Great communication - before the trip and while we were there. Speaking of communication, no wireless or cell service at Yandup Lodge. Yay!
2 . Food. I really liked it. Fresh and simple foods. Well paced service. Very sweet Kuna woman serve the food. The day's menu is written on the chalkboard. You don't get to choose what to eat.
Breakfast 7:30 - 8:30
Breakfast always included yogurt, a museli cereal, milk, juice, and a carafe of coffee for your table (or hot water for tea) as the "first course." We had a different juice each day - papaya, tamarind, and orange.
I would have been happy with just this for breakfast. However, guests also receive a "second course" if desired -- some version of eggs (sunny side, omelet, and scrambled during our 3 days) along with toast and the local white cheese.
Lunch at 1:00 and Dinner at 6:30. Starter - either a soup or some sort of "salad."
We had 4 different soups - a pureed squash, tomato, pea, and also a fish soup. The salads included a tasty mayonnaise free "slaw" with cabbage, raisins, and pineapple, and a green bean/tomato salad with a delicious dressing.
Main courses included: A pasta salad lunch with langostinos; Fresh, thick fish fillets several times - sometimes with simply prepared potatoes; Mixed seafood curry with rice; Sauteed tomatoes and onions were often served with the fish.
There was one dessert served at the end of each meal: simple mixed fruit plate, jello, rice pudding (really good), a delicious custard/brownie mixture. My sweet-tooth husband also had cookies on hand at our cabin!
There is a water cooler at the covered deck (restaurant) where we ate all our meals. Water is served at meals. You can come there anytime to fill your water bottles to have water at your cabana.
I noticed a couple of people on TripAdvisor have complained about the lack of drinkable water at their cabana. They are simply not the type of people who should come to Yandup! The Lodge explains the water logistics very clearly in pre-booking correspondence. .
People can pay extra to have wine or beer with lunch or dinner. The beer was inexpensive.
If you order a day in advance, they will prepare a lobster for you (for an additional price, but I'm sure it's reasonable).
You can order a coconut for $1. They hack of the top and give it to you with a straw to drink the juice. Then, if you return the coconut, they will cut the "meat" up and give it to you in a bowl. A great snack while lounging in the hammock of your cabana!
The staff are very aware of the needs of vegetarians and also people with shellfish allergies. If you are allergic to shellfish, they substitute with chicken.
3. The Cabana. I would have been happy to stay at my cabana all day and night. We had very good weather and constant breezes. No rain . Mosquitoes weren't a problem. Our mosquito nets did have some holes so I'm glad we didn't need them. As a precaution, I used some bug spray before going to bed.
The amazing porch wraps around . There are two hammocks. The mattress and feather pillows were really comfortable. There is a ceiling fan and a floor fan. There are two lights in the "living area" and one light in the bathroom.
We wished we had brought our headlamps for convenience, but the light provided in the cabin was sufficient. We used our iphones as flashlights occasionally. My Kindle was perfect for this type of environment. Some of the rows of solar panels were outside our cabin. There was plenty of power each evening to charge our electronic devices.
The bathroom was much better than I expected . Relative to the way many poor Kuna people live (as well as poor people worldwide), this was a fancy bathroom. There was a white porcelain toilet that worked well. The tank could be slow to re-fill, so in a situation where there are consecutive uses, you just fill the tank with sink water using your water bottle.
There was a sink and small mirror. I used bottled water to brush my teeth.
There was a shower. The water was tepid at best. Again, it's all about expectations. I was grateful to have a continuous flow of water, even if it wasn't warm water. I turned the water off while soaping up and turned it on again to rinse. Depending on the pipe situation, sometimes the bathroom water tasted a bit salty. The fact that these cabanas have "indoor plumbing" is pretty amazing .
My advice is to pay the extra $10 to stay in an over-water cabin . We were in cabin 5, which was in the corner, at the intersection of louder surf water and calmer water. We couldn't hear our neighbors .
4. The staff. Everyone was so kind -- genuinely so, it seemed to us. The guidebook indicates not to tip individually but to provide a collective tip, if desired, in the wooden tip box at the restaurant. The tips are divided among the employees.
Thomas and Ilvin -- two young men in their 20's -- met us at the tiny airport early in the morning and transported us by boat to the lodge. Ilvin carried our luggage for us, but most guests just toted their own.
They speak very broken and limited English, and I speak even more broken and limited Spanish. However, important points were successfully communicated.
Ilvin's father (I don't know his name) is also quite nice and works at the lodge . These 3 gentlemen were our guides - they navigated the boats to morning and afternoon excursions and were also on hand for meals.
Another reviewer made a negative comment that the employees seemed anxious to leave in the evening. Well, of course they were! Most of them had been at the lodge since 5:30 a.m. helping to make your stay comfortable.
Ilvin knew that the airport officials took our bug spray away (it was aeresol). The morning of day #2, he came to our cabin with a pump spray bottle of repellent that he purchased while he was "in town." We reimbursed him, of course, but we thought that was a nice gesture.
5. The excursions - wonderful!
Each morning, there is a beach excursion. They blow the conch shell to remind you, and the boat leaves at 9:30. On our first day, we thought about skipping the morning beach excursion and sleeping because we were so tired from the early morning and 6:00 a.m. flight. However, I'm glad we went.
Diridup - ("dup" = island) - the best beach for snorkeling around the coral. You're not going to see as many bright and colorful fish as in the Virgin Islands, for example, but you will see some pretty fish, and the coral itself is fascinating.
The charge for snorkel gear (mask, tube, and flippers) was $5 per person for 3 days!
Arridup - a longer (and enjoyable) boat ride. Although the snorkeling is much better at Diadup, Arridup is a good beach to enjoy from either side of the island and also a good beach for both walking and for swimming. I enjoyed watching pelicans dive for fish.
There are no more than 15 people on the boat from the lodge, so it's easy to spread out at the beach (if you want) and plop under a palm tree, feeling like you are the only person on the island.
You will occasionally see local Kuna people in their wooden boats rowing nearby or coming ashore to pick coconuts.
The staff bring one cooler to the beach with chilled water, soda, and beer for purchase. Guests are given beach towels to use (you don't take the towels from the cabanas).
Everyone gets back on the boat at 12:15 to return to Yandup for lunch. We thought that 9:30 - 12:30 was an appropriate amount of time.
The beaches are postcard perfect. Plus, there is no loud music or blaring steel drums .
Except for one shack on Arridup, there are no dwellings on Arridup or Didup. My husband and I walked around the woodsy part of the beaches too. We did find litter that had washed ashore. Unfortunately, many Kuna people toss plastic bottles into the water. Organizations such as Yandup Lodge are trying to educate them about how and why to change this habit.
We joined the afternoon excursion to the Kuna cemetery for the Playon Chico community (there are 49 different communities in the Kuna Yala Comarca of 350+ islands). We also took the excursion to "town" where we purchased a couple of molas.
We skipped the mangrove tour on the afternoon of day #1 because we really needed a nap. I encourage guests to read about the Kuna people before the trip and to participate in these afternoon tours to have a more well-rounded feel for the people and the region. By the way, I don't think we encountered anyone in town begging, although it is clearly a very poor area.
We were lucky because in addition to Ilvin's dad, who gave the tours of both the cemetery and the town, one of the Yandup Lodge partners and her cute little daughter were in town and also went on the tours. Her dad is Kuna and her mom is from Spain (or maybe the other way around). She provided much more information in English about the rituals and the cemetery, and also about the history and inner-workings of the lodge and some of their future plans.
6. The grounds: There is a small sandy strip at the lodge where you snorkel or lounge. A helicopter landed one afternoon on the island. It's not a big island. There are some grassy areas for kids to run around, and there is a badminton net. At the far end of the island, you can see the Kuna women hanging sheets and towels to dry.
7. The guests. One of the selling features of Yandup Lodge for me is that there are only 10 cabanas, so the number of guests is limited. Personally, I'm not a big fan of all-inclusive beach resorts like Sandals.
There were guests from Toronto, Sweden, Switzerland, France, and Germany. There were two teenagers and one kid around 10. There was one other U.S. couple (besides us) with their adorable and well behaved children, ages 3 and 6. That was it. My kind of place and my kind of people! I don't want to go on vacation to hang around people from the U.S.
8. The airport - this was such a great experience overall. The plane maybe holds 20 people. On the return flight, we were seated directly behind the captain - we could see everything the pilot and co-pilot were doing.
One note : we were told that there was only one flight daily to Playon Chico and one daily flight back to Albrook Airport. Imagine our confusion at the end of the trip when we boarded the little plane and saw that there were no more seats! We had to get off the plane, but were assured that another plane was coming. Another plane did arrive about an hour later.
The "airport" has a very old metal weight scale, a woman with a clipboard, and plastic chairs for sitting down. That's it!
This is the longest TripAdvisor review I have ever written, but we had a great time and hope that others will too.
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Date of stay: January 2016
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 read and weighed every single review here for weeks before finally bucking up and booking our trip, and I'm so glad we did. We had an amazing experience at Yandup!
This is such a different experience than most places that I wanted to break it down and explain everything for people like me who need to know everything before they make a decision.
ARRIVAL: The flight to Playon Chico from Panama City arrives around 7am to the tiny airstrip. Our guide from Yandup, Domi, collected us there. We waited about 10 minutes for him to get the departing guests onto the plane, and then he took us by boat back to the lodge (~10 min, fairly flat water). He gave us a brief overview of the island and how everything runs, showed us to our room, and asked that we drop our things and head to breakfast. We scarfed our breakfast and then went to our room to nap until time to leave for our first excursion.
ROOMS: We were in Cabaña #10, an over-water cabaña at the front of the island. We were removed from the other cabañas, which seemed to give us a lot more privacy. We were out a good distance out over the water, which gave us a pretty good cross-breeze.
These places are beyond what I would even consider rustic, but that's part of what makes it unique and gives it its charm. There are decent-sized gaps in the floor, and under the doors. The "windows" are just slatted openings in the walls - no screens or glass - with sheer curtains over them. With gaps in the walls and floors, things from the outside are bound to get in. We had small lizards - chameleons maybe? - all around our room. They blend in with the walls really well and we didn't really notice them until we would move close to them and they would take off. We also caught a crab just about to crawl under our door one day. It's part of the experience, so if you don't like outside things coming inside, this may not be the place for you.
Our cabaña had four beds - one double bed and three twin beds. Way more space than we needed, but it was nice to have extra space to spread out. There was also a couple of tables and a hanging swing chair in the room. There was a fully function bathroom with running, warm-ish water. However, it was just a stick structure built around it, and it doesn't go all the way to the ceiling, so if you're not cool with your travel mate(s) knowing your bathroom habits, it may be a bit uncomfortable. The bathroom was clean and in good working order.
The best part was the balcony on the back with two hammocks. We spent a lot of time out there reading and enjoying the peace and quiet. It looks right out over the water, and there was a really nice breeze out there. It's completely covered by the thatched roof, so even when it's raining, you can sit out there. The back door of our cabaña opened right onto the porch and looked out onto the water and nothing else, so we left it open the entire stay.
There are no locks on the doors, so if you have valuables, bring a lock for your suitcase or plan to bring them with you everywhere you go. Realistically, no one has access to the island, so nothing should go missing, but...better safe than sorry.
SLEEP QUALITY: In terms of relaxation and quiet, this place was phenomenal for sleep quality. And the bed itself was comfy. What made it a bit uncomfortable is that it was so humid during the rainy season that the sheets and blankets felt damp. With the fan and breeze, it was cool enough if we slept on top of the blankets, but - and here's where I'm afraid I'm going to freak some people out, but I have to be honest - when we slept on top of the blankets, we woke up in the middle of the night with the little lizards crawling on us. And we had to flick them to get them off. Not a great way to wake up.
ATMOSPHERE: You are completely disconnected here - no phones, no WiFi, no TV; just you and nature. And maybe a kindle. We loved getting away from it all, disconnecting, relaxing and enjoying nature. There is electricity, though they do ask you to only use it when absolutely necessary. They have a few games up at the restaurant area that you can borrow, but that's about the extent of the night time entertainment. It's very low-key there.
FOOD: The food was pretty good. I was worried about this because I'm a fairly picky eater and I don't really like seafood, but I didn't go hungry at all. We had a variety of meals ranging from fried fish to lobster, and they all came with a decent-sized side dish (rice, plantains, etc.), so if I didn't particularly like the main dish, I could fill up on sides. And they served pretty good desserts, too.
I did have an issue where I broke out in hives after dinner on our last night. I am allergic to nuts, and I communicated this by e-mail when making our reservation, again when we arrived on the island, and at each meal with the staff - both in English and Spanish. I'm not sure if there was a miscommunication and something I ate had nuts in it or whether I have a new allergy to something else I ate. Either way, it made me a bit nervous since I wasn't traveling with an Epi pen and we were in the middle of nowhere on an island. If you have food allergies, you might want to be cautious here.
EXCURSIONS: All excursions are included in the price of the stay, which was pretty attractive to us since these things can easily add up when you have to pay a la carte. Both mornings we did snorkeling on a private island. The first day was a pretty close island and the snorkeling was okay but not great. The biggest appeal was the pretty water and a secluded island. They brought water, sodas and beers along, and we spent 2-3 hours doing whatever we wanted around the island. Domi took people out snorkeling - some stayed with him and some branched out on their own.
The second day we went to a further island and the water was pretty rough getting there. I don't typically get seasick, but I was feeling slightly queasy on this one. If you're prone to seasickness, you might want to bring Dramamine or sea bands. This island had much better snorkeling. We saw a couple of rays and a nurse shark and a lot more coral.
For the afternoon activities, we did a tour of the Kuna village, which was interesting, but somewhat touristy. I mean, I guess that's what we should expect - it's not like we exactly blend in walking through the village. It was interesting to see the island, but it was more of pointing out what different buildings were and talking about what's on the island than it was about the Kuna culture. I would have liked to hear more about the Kuna culture, practices, beliefs, etc. They ask you to respect the Kuna's privacy and not take photos unless you pay them for their photo ($1-2 per photo), so all of the little kids followed us around screaming, "HOLA!" and smiling as big as they could expecting you to pay them and take their pictures. There are also molas and other crafts for sale at really reasonable prices. It made me feel a lot better to buy them here from the people who made them than from the souvenir shops in PC or somewhere else.
The second afternoon, we did a tour of the cemetery on the main land, which was really neat. It was a moderate hike up to the top of a steep hill to learn about the Kuna funeral rites and beliefs about passing between life and death. It was really interesting and seemed a lot more genuine to me than the Kuna village tour. And the views were really beautiful. Be sure to bring bug spray for this one. The mosquitoes were awful.
DAY-TO-DAY SCHEDULE: With all activities included, they are on a set schedule. Breakfast each day was at 8am, the first excursion at 9:30, lunch at 12:30, the second excursion at 4pm and dinner at 6:30pm. This was a pretty good mix for us of activities and free time to relax. You're not required to go on the excursions, either, so you can always blow one off. But there's no way off the island other than to do one of the excursions, so if you stay behind, you're not going anywhere else.
DEPARTURE: The departing flight from Playon Chico is around 7am. We were up and at breakfast by 5:30 so that we could eat and get over to the airport before the incoming flight landed. I've seen other reviewers saying they were denied breakfast on departure day, but we were served an early breakfast before we left.
SUGGESTIONS:
- Bring your own beach towels or something to lay on at the beaches. They don't provide any, and we don't typically travel with towels because they take up space. The grasses on the private islands are really stabby and we didn't have anything to sit on, so it made it pretty uncomfortable.
- Snorkel and fin rentals are pretty cheap, but I would probably bring my own (we did). The rental ones are looking sort of worn out. I think we paid $4 total to rent two sets of fins for two days.
- Bring a refillable water bottle and fill it up at the restaurant. Otherwise, you'll have to pay for bottled water from the lodge. It's pretty cheap (I think $1/bottle), but free if you bring a bottle.
- Bring plenty of sunscreen. The sun is intense and some of the islands don't have any shade. Bring plenty of bug spray if you plan to do any excursions on the main land. We didn't have any mosquitoes at all on the islands, but when we went to the mainland, we got eaten up even with a pretty high level DEET spray.
Bottom line, I think if you know what you're getting into here, and you don't expect 5-star luxury accommodations, you'll enjoy yourself. We didn't show up expecting full-service, luxury and we weren't disappointed. This Kuna are fascinating. The area is beautiful. And the tranquility is amazing. I would definitely recommend Yandup.
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Date of stay: September 2014
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Cabana #10 is isolated from the others, so it is very quiet and private.
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.
Let me begin by saying that I read ALL the reviews of this lodge (and many others including coral and Dad Ibe Lodges thoroughly) before booking at Yandup. After settling on the fact that there were great reviews other than portion sizes for meals, we booked our 3 day stay and packed some snacks just in case. From the plane, we could see the island surrounded by crystal clear green and turquiose waters, coral reefs, and grass huts, we were not disappointed by the scenery!! It was gorgeous. The pictures of the huts speak for themsleves, they are natural and beautiful but I would not call them "rustic", but it is certainly not for those with expecations of a yuppy lodge!
I want to take some time to address previous concerns about food and missing items, neither of which were a problem for us or any of the other 4 couples we encountered during our stay... There is PLENTY of food, maybe even too much at times! In the 3 days we were there we ate 1. pancakes, omelets, fresh fruit and tomales for breakfast with a fresh sqeezed juice (papaya, orange, tamarid). Lunch consisted of a soup (fish/potatoe/squash) rice and fish dish, and a dessert of fruit each day. Dinners were large portions of fish/shrimp/octopus, green beans, carrots, rice or potatoes, plantacones, and dessert was always fresh fruit... There was no shortage of delicious foods! Even though I rarely eat and like seafood in the states (even being from Maine!) the fish there was mild and delicous, I especially liked the octopus!
As for ridiculous accusations of staff stealing or withholding personal items, this is just plain false! I left several items in the common areas for hours at a time including my purse, backpack with wallets, cameras, passports, my ipod, as well as things like sunscreen and bacitracin, each time it was held for me and returned promptly, all I had to do was ask for it! Nobody touched or went through our items or money, and they were much more concerned about us loosing our items than we were! The staff is very nice, helpful, and accomodating. One manager actually menioned the bad review about staff, and explained that the person who wrote it never actually asked the staff about the incident, and it was a big miscommunication. Likewise with those that complained about portion size; if you encounter a problem ask one of the guides and they will do EVERYTHING to accomodate your stay as they did for us, with several personalized outings, menu options, and general needs. Stealing should not be a concern of any potential visitors...
Bugs: Guides were VERY conscious of selecting islands where bugs where not a problem. After landing at the first island the guide got out to check how bad the bugs were, and returned to take us to an island farther out to sea, which did have less bugs! Guides were so weary of this problem that on the next day when they wanted to return to the far beach I had to plead to stay despite the bugs so that we could snorkel at a different beach (the snorkeling/coral was better there!) Even with the selecting of bug free islands I encourage you to find a DEET free bug spray. Those that brought 40-50% DEET spray still had bugs biting, but we chose Natrapel (http://www.tendercorp.com/product.php?category=Deet-Free Repellents&product=Natrapel<sup>®</sup> 8 hour&id=241) which worked GREAT!!! Everyone wanted to use it, I highly recommend it. Bugs at our over the ocean hut and on the main island were not a problem at all....
A note about remoteness: We came here looking to get away from it all, and we did just that! It is a beautiful remote location without roads, cars, cell phones, and internet, please keep it that way. If you are coming here hoping to check up on your FB status or tweet your friends, don't bother booking here. I can not tell you how frustrating it is to read reviews where people are complaining about cell phone and internet service! The whole point is to get away from all of that, please do not ruin other guests time reconnecting with nature by bringing your cell phone or laptop, it's not going to work anyway!
As for the accomodations, it was lovely. The bed has a mosquito net but we didn't use it once we realized there were no insects the second day. The shower was not powerful, since the water comes from a waterfall about 2 miles into the jungle (highly recommend this hike/swim, it was our favorite!). It was NOT salt water, although it did taste salty because each time we showered we had swam in the ocean and were salty ourselves. Cold water only, mild pressure, more like a rain than a shower, but that was great for us, it actually seemed to simulate the waterfall from which the water came!
So after all this would I recommend this place? Definately if you are the kind of person that appreciates culture, nature, good food, and is genuinely out ot appreciate the Kuna way of life. I would not recommend this lodge to people addicted to technology, people who are high maintanance, or those looking to be pampered...Find somewhere else to complain about, there is nothing here that merits bad remarks at all!! We had a fabulous time, it was the highlight of our trip (Gamboa, San Blas, El Valle) and we'd do it again in a heartbeat!
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Date of stay: May 2012
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Get an over the water cabin! We stayed in cabin number 5, which is the furthest one from the...
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 will start by saying we did a tour of Panama for our only holiday time of the year, and made Yandup Island Lodge our decision of final destination for what we thought would be a very special birthday celebration. It started out that we arrived from the plane to a trash-covered area near the runway along with the village surrounded by trash where we were taken to a run down boat that you could tell was probably from the first openings yet has never been updated, only to assume this is how the lodging would turn out. I quickly realized I was not going to be happy at the lodge after night one, being that the weather was terrible and I spoke with Thomas about what we could do for a birthday celebration (of course offering to pay extra for a lobster meal, small cake, special excursion, something just to make my partner feel special) where he informed me that they in fact could not do any special excursions because it is "very hard for them" and that they could not provide any lobster meal because they "had not caught lobster in three months" and that it is "very hard to make a cake".
At this point, it is the following morning at 6:15AM I went to the office to try and speak with someone but nobody seemed to be of authority to do anything to help nor want to help, therefore I finally asked to speak with you over the phone. At which point I was put on the phone with a woman and asked her if there was a possibility we could hop on the plane out of the island at 7AM which a villager offered to give us a boat ride over quickly to see. I did not choose to go on the boat ride because while speaking on the phone with the woman she LITERALLY laughed and said I could not catch the plane for that morning and that it is very hard for the villagers to accommodate this decision. She said she could check if the next morning had any availability and would call back. Later calling back, she informed me that we likely would not be able to board the plane but I insisted that I wanted to show up and try and see the availability. Please keep in mind, I did NOT ask for my money back, nor did I want my money back. We just wanted to get off the island and get the experience we deserve for our remaining holiday and special birthday occasion, informing the woman of this as well she still seemed very unwilling to help which I did let her know.
So being stuck on the island for another day, we tried to make the best out of it, and came across several other unhappy lodgers on the island, one of which explained she was a travel agent that got several complaints about the island and came to check it out for herself and decided to terminate the contract with your company. I was very disappointed in the fact that we had to pay $15/hr for a kayak, pay for snorkel gear, pay EXTRA for snorkel fins, pay for a beer, pay for bottled water (when the water they provide tastes like dirt), pay to rent a volleyball. When we are stuck on an island, accommodations such as these should be a given. It was also alarming when I decided to do the tour of the community, you were not able to take any pictures unless you provide $1 to every person/thing photographed. One incident happening while I was there a woman took a picture of a cat and the child went to her mother alarming the mother in which the mother demanded $1 from the woman where they then argued because the woman would not provide $1 for a picture of her cat. We had another incident in which a woman grabbed my arm saying "ayudame por favor", obviously "help me please" (I do speak somewhat-fluent Spanish) begging me to buy her bracelet, which I did out of guilt. You could tell the entire community tour is a scam to get more money out of us and to the community, which is completely unreasonable and definitely shows the community is not ready for tourism. I also did not enjoy the activities situation. Every single morning was the same activity, go to the beach and snorkel even when it was cloudy and raining. If we did not want to they offered nothing else. Two out of the three days I was there the community tour was the afternoon excursion, obviously because they want our money. When I asked if we could choose another excursion I was told no and that the community was the excursion. The other afternoon was visiting a cemetery, where we were to dress in all long sleeves and put on bug spray (how fun!).
I believe this could have been a much better experience if the staff would have been somewhat accommodating, but they are too busy smoking weed off the back of the boat and taking shots of liquor to care. It is all about the villagers there, not the guests. It is unfortunate that nobody from the reservations team or business side of this was on-site and available to come to for any problems. I noticed one guest had a gluten allergy and clearly explained several times what she could not eat, yet they tried serving her the regular food each time, each time her sending it back and having to ask for something different. I also was unhappy when we were boating back from snorkeling we passed a villager fishing where he had 7 lobster in his boat (mind you they could not catch lobster for 3 months) AND we had lobster in several of our meals. Absolutely ridiculous.
We tried going the second morning on the plane and I noticed a different vibe and the villagers looking at us funny and laughing, after several moments of listening in on the Spanish conversation I understood that they were laughing at the fact that we were wanting to leave and that we thought we had a chance of leaving because it was my partners birthday. After humiliation and anger, we were denied and 6 Kuna villagers filled the plane along with pounds of their exports some of which that could have waited the next day to accommodate very very UNHAPPY guests. But again, it was all about the villagers and not the guests. We were then informed from the pilot that we should have tried the morning before BECAUSE THERE WERE SPOTS AVAILABLE!! But the woman I spoke with would not allow this to happen.
Upon arrival back to the island, we did not go to breakfast as we did not have an appetite. Nobody checked on us, nobody asked us how we were the rest of the trip, nobody created any special accommodation, nobody celebrated the birthday, nobody cared. Very shocking as we paid so much to be there and thought we would be treated as proper guests. I would not wish this on anyone trying to enjoy the limited time they have for holiday, it was very unfortunate.
I would definitely recommend Bocas del Toro if you are wanting to experience a special vacation on an island, places such as the Eco Lodge are amazing with amazing customer service and hospitality.
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Date of stay: March 2019
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
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.
Response from Yandup, Owner at Yandup Island Lodge
Responded Apr 10, 2019
Thank you for taking your time to send us your comments. We are sorry our lodge didn’t meet your expectations and didn’t enjoy your time. We would like to address some of your comments. Please keep in mind that everything that seems easy in the city and the western culture, it’s not the same in our area. We are in a very remote place (with no easy transportation or communication), with a different culture and a different way of doing things, we must try to adapt our Kuna ways with the western culture and it is not always easy. About the trash in the community and airport, we are very aware of it but as you might imagine it’s a big problem to tackle. Kuna Yala has no garbage disposal system, the +49 communities in the reservation have no way to dispose trash (that just keeps coming). There are no trucks (or boats in this case) to take away the trash, and even in Panama, the disposal system is really bad. Imagine how difficult that is in a rural remote location as ours. We try to organize most cleanings with the community but on some seasons it might get longer to get the job done. It is true that sometimes we can’t offer special or private tours, since they depend on availability of staff, boats and weather. We always try to accommodate or vary tours but it is not always possible. We can’t help insects biting in the tours since we are exposed to nature so they best advice we can give is to cover up and wear bug repellent. Also, as you could see, there are not many options in the area. We were also able to talk to the travel agent you mentioned, and she seemed really happy with our lodge and is willing to keep working with us (we have been working together for many years now). We never served lobster during your stay and were not able to offer lobster since we are in the mating season (for 3 months: it started on March 1st) and it is prohibited by Kuna and Panamanian law to sell/buy lobster all throughout the country. You were served prawn, we have a different type of prawns in Kuna Yala that are also called by some people: baby lobsters and are not part of the prohibition. The lobster ban doesn’t apply to locals consumption, but it is illegal for us to buy (and for them to sell) or we could get a big fine. About the cake, we are sorry about that and it is very uncommon for that to happen since our cooks have no trouble making cakes in these cases, we are looking into that since the only explanation we find is that we ran out of materials (which we receive every 1.5 months in a canoe). We apologize for this. We’re sorry we can’t give away drinks, or anything not included in the package. We have a very small range for profit even if the price seems to be high, everything in our area is double the expense because of the transportation and maintenance expenses. It is really completely out of budget to give away extras, that’s why we have very clear information on what’s included in the package (in our e-mails, website and confirmations). We understand if you didn’t like the community tour also, we understand it is not for everybody. The villagers are definitely not tourist-centered since they do not live for tourism, since it is not a fake village. They have a chance to sell their handicrafts and earn some money from pictures (many of their pictures have been commercialized for thousands of dollars, so at least they can earn $1.00 for a picture), but that’s pretty much it, the day just keeps going as usual. About returning earlier on the plane. I (Yaiguili) was the person talking to you, and I personally would like to apologize if you felt that we didn’t want to help. The first day you called me I reacted with my past experiences, when it has been nearly impossible to leave without a reservation, I even mentioned my father’s experiences trying to leave the community. I wasn’t laughing at you or the situation, that’s just the way I speak on the phone, I’m sorry. The villagers always arrive very early to sign the list and most of the times they can’t leave. To be honest, I thought you were going to lose your morning trying to go there for nothing. But now I know, it is better to leave just in case and that’s the way I’ll do it in future occasions. The next day happened what I thought would happened (no seats available). However, I can’t apologize for the villagers leaving with their bags, they have just the same right as every other passenger and we can’t blame them on having themselves as the priority since they are in their community and have many needs. They just follow the rules, if they had seats reserved they should not be forced to give up their spaces for someone else (except for health issues), and if not they probably signed the list earlier since they arrive before even the people that work in the airport. About any member of our staff smoking or drinking during work that’s a very strong accusation and of course we need to investigate into that, because that will require legal sanctions and we can’t state this without being 100% sure. Overall, we would like to apologize if the staff didn’t seem caring enough and we can’t fix what happened with you now, but we will have a serious talk with them because this shouldn’t happen. We will try to figure out what happened, since our workers are the best thing we have and they work really hard to make guests happy. It is a very rare happening. We understand we didn’t meet your expectations and we are sorry to know that, but we believe every comment helps to improve and future guests might be better informed about any destination they pick. We can only offer some comments, apologies and corrections. Regards from all the Yandup family.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Disclaimer: This review is written from 1st-world perspective. However, because I suspect that most readers are also 1st world, I hope it will be relevant.
We just returned from 2 days & nights at Yandup. It has the potential to be and incredibly amazing place, but suffers greatly from it's proximity from the island community of Playon Chico. Yandup is owned by a Playon Chico family, and about 1km offshore. Playon Chico itself is (IMHO) a community in crisis, overcrowded (3000 people on 10 acres) and unsanitary. They use the surrounding ocean as both a raw sewer and a refuse dump, and as a result all the islands are trash-stewn. The locals somewhat recognize the issue, but do nothing about it.
Yandup itself is less so as they sort of try to clean it up, but there's trash on the shores and sometimes a large floating pile of driftwood and trash right off the beach & dining area. Local islands and mangroves, where we went on half-day trips, are worse: one island that's 2 miles offshore has so much trash on the beach that it requires significant effort to walk thru it.
So, in summary, in order to enjoy Yandup - and to be sure it has a LOT going for it - you must be able to look past 3rd world squalor and enjoy the location for what it offers.Sadly, I could not get past the polluted and trashed environment.
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Date of stay: June 2017
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â The ocean-side bungalows are best - the breeze and view are fantastic. Overwater bungalows have...
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 spent 3 nights at Yandup and really, really loved the experience! We were in overwater bungalow #6 and had a great stay. This is one of the most unique places we've ever stayed. I think it's important to have the right expectations going in, though.
The bungalow: Clean and charming. The bed was comfortable and has mosquito netting, although we didn't have problems with bugs during our stay. My favorite was lying in the hammocks on the wrap-around porch. I literally spent hours at a time here, reading, enjoying the breeze, and listening to waves in the distance. The bathroom was fine, although there's not hot water and the shower pressure was minimal. Again, it's just about having the right expectations.
The grounds: Beautiful. The grass is so thick and spongy, and the palm trees are beautiful. The beach area is small but nice. We had some good snorkeling in the area right off the beach - the coral is beautiful.
Activities: A morning activity and afternoon activity are scheduled each day. Our main purpose was relaxation, so we didn't participate in all of the activities, but went to the Kuna community, which was a wonderful look into what life is like for the Kunas. We also did the mangrove tour which was nice.
Food: I loved that they blow the conch shell when it's time for lunch or dinner! So fun. The food was good -- seafood along with a soup or vegetable side, and often fruit for dessert. What you get is what you get -- no menu choices... but we knew that going in, and enjoyed most everything that was served. Breakfast is served between 7:30-9:30 at your own schedule.
If you need a little snack in between meals, the gift shop does have a small selection of chips, candy, etc.
Staff: Very friendly and attentive. We are English speakers who know just a small touch of Spanish, and I appreciated the effort they gave in communicating in English. Next time I will do a better job brushing up on Spanish before visiting Panama! But we didn't have problems communicating, thanks to the hospitality of the staff.
Getting there and back: We were met at the small airport by staff, and at the end of the visit, the staff took us back and waited with us until we boarded the plane. The boat ride to Yandup Island is only 10-15 minutes. The bugs were worse by the airport than anywhere else we visited. Have bug spray handy!
We did often notice random pieces of trash in the ocean water around Yandup -- it was puzzling to see that in such a remote area.
I would definitely return to Yandup. Great value and a beautiful, interesting setting.
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Date of stay: August 2017
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
My boyfriend and I stayed at Yandup for the first time - we stayed 3 nights late February and it is one of the best trips we've taken.
Pros: -Privacy -Peaceful environment -Excursions Included (I recommend attending all of them for first timers); there's always one in the morning and one in the afternoon) -Hammocks (2 per hut) -Snorkeling at uninhabited islands (Isla de Iguana and Diadup); be careful not to step on or kick the corals, they are sharp -Meals; I hardly eat seafood but all of it tasted so great! My boyfriend opted for chicken and he also agreed his food was fantastic. -Awesome photo opporunities (underwater too) -Excellent staff and service (they make you feel like family) -Another traveler spoke fluent Spanish and translated for our group (during the cemetery and community tours); it was so helpful to understand Kuna Yala lifestyle -Tropical Weather (nights dropped to mid 70s, highs during the day around 90s) -Seeing the stars shine bright on a black night sky -There's some books prior visitors donated in the dining area about the Kuna Yala including notebooks with pages of pages of letters written by people all over the world who has stayed at the lodge; it was great to read about their experiences and learn about the Kunas -There's always a nice breeze through the hut
Cons: -Air Panama flight going to Playon Chico was delayed 5.5 hours! Be sure to check your emails before arriving; we didn't and arrived at Allbrook airport at 5am! Luckily, we used the extra wait time to sight see at the Panama Canal and the Causeway -Air Panama flight going back to Panama was delayed 2.5 hours. Not bad since they took us back to Yandup and offered us pancakes while we waited -Canoe's yellow paint gets on your clothes if you lean on it; a towel helps. Most of the life vests have paint on them as well; not required to wear them -We missed the Mangrove excursion -Bugs will eat you alive at Playon Chico (I only got one or two bites on Yandup) so be sure to wear pants/jeans and long sleeves to avoid it if you have to wait for the plane at the runway -Didn't sleep too well; I was not accustomed to hearing waves crashing throughout the night and birds chirping in the morning
Side notes: -They provided us with 2 white bath towels and 2 small hand soap bars to use throughout the time of our stay (keep in mind they not replaced daily like in hotels) -They provided 4 hangers for in-hut clothesline - there's an outdoor clothesline for all to use as well -During every lunch and every dinner, they provided us one 1.5 Liter waterbottle to share. This was good enough for us; ordering beer or wine will be charged extra. -The one time community fee $10 plus any other items charged while in Yandup (ie rental gear/drinks, etc) will be totalled up and provided to you the night before you leave. Total amount needs to be paid in cash. -They have a separate Tip Box at the dining area -They provide coffee at breakfast -Bring sarongs/towel to cover up during the peak sun hours (ie in the canoe or hanging out at the beach; I lathered sunblock using SPF 70 but still got a sunburn) -There are 2 outlets in your hut, so you can bring rechargers; they ask you recharge after 6pm since they use solar -There were no outlets in the bathroom (so no need for hairdryers, curling irons, straighteners etc.)
Happy Travelin' and Have a blast!
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Date of stay: February 2010
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
These islands I discovered in my last couple of hours, are beautiful. The given advice is go for 2 days. Hmmmmm
The flight from Panama City technically leaves at 6 - weather permitting! Which means being at the airport by 6 which means.....The 8 seater plans allows you 16 kg of luggage. My plane left at 0720 due to storms at the island which waterlogged the land and carried on in lesser form for most of my time there.
So a tiring way to get to sufficient isolation to read a book undisturbed on the hammock under the eaves of my hut.(the Circle- brilliant, especially as the islands are wifi free.
Beach trips cancelled although a couple of hours in the kuna community did happen. Everything is ( privately) kuna owned, in this semi autonomous region. I enjoyed the village- other tourists didn't seeing powerful. To me it seemed there was an emphasis on community and Heath. A girl's puberty ceremony was underway when I visited: v open & hospitable.
The upsides: I don't eat fish & sea food-& they managed meals well & without fuss Californian wine is available at 5US a glass Other visitors were friendly enough
The downsides:the huts are not a quality stay(& there are quality huts in beach resorts in the world e.g. Langkawi) & feat overpriced. And there was no attempt made to clean or make the bed & bathroom. The owner visited but didn't introduce himself- so direct feedback not invited
Overall £500GBP is a lot for two days to read a novel & spend a couple of hours in a local community plus a brief trip thru the mangrove
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Date of stay: September 2017Trip 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.
Your experience at this lodge depends a lot on your expectations. While it could be considered a tropical paradise – breezy thatched huts amongst palm trees on a small, isolated island – its proximity to the local village alters the picture. There was a lot of trash in the surrounding water and much of it washed up on shore. The staff did their best to clean it up but it was an eye sore and hard to overlook. We liked our over-water family bungalow, which was fun for our kids to see the glistening water through the gaps in the floorboards. The bungalow was quite rustic, and we never really had a hot shower but the weather is hot so we didn’t mind so much. We had several issues with amenities in our room but the friendly staff were quick to fix it. Our bungalow was the only one that didn’t face the open ocean – we faced the village island instead; perhaps this is why our bungalow seemingly had more trash.
The food was predominantly seafood (not surprising) but our family has 3 non-seafood eaters so this was a challenge. They made a tasty chicken dish the first lunch – and then served the same chicken dish for lunch and dinner for the rest of the meals. Plated food portions were quite small and we usually left meals hungry. They do sell snacks (cookies, potato chips, candy bars), so these tended to hold us between meals.
We enjoyed the dining room and wooden walkway to the yoga bungalow as it’s a great nursery for tropical fish in nearby reefs. One can easily see trumpetfish, porcupinefish, schools of little ‘sardines’, eels, crabs, stingrays, and more. It was like having an aquarium right at your table to entertain you during meals. Unfortunately there is no bar/lounge area so there was no place to relax in a communal setting after meals.
We came primarily for the snorkeling, which was a great disappointment. Each morning there is a beach excursion with snorkeling and/or swimming. The island excursion closest the to lodge is over-fished and the coral was severely damaged. It was really quite depressing as we had read that the Kuna culture greatly values its natural resources and marine environment. The ‘iguana’ island excursion was further out and offered better snorkelling.
If this is your first experience with tropical island tourism, then you might really enjoy it. If you have travelled to other tropical destinations for snorkeling, remote beaches, and island culture, then you might be disappointed.
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Date of stay: July 2017
Value
Rooms
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â The overwater family bungalow is the only room without an open ocean view. Other rooms might have...
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.
Hello!
1. The lobster closed season is between March 1st to June 30
2. The Playon Chico airport is about 7 minutes away from our lodge, our guides will wait for you in the airport and then take you by boat.
2. In our package, all meals are included: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Greetings!
Hi Victoria, Probably you have already contacted us by e-mail, since I hadn't seen the question before.
To book you must contact us by e-mail out through the contact page on our website.
Panama is on the rainy season from May to November. During that time, we are finishing the rainy season and it is a good time for snorkeling usually.
There are more places to choose from in the Ukupseni Island area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
yandup island hotel san blas islands
LOCATION
PanamaGuna Yala RegionUkupseni Island
NUMBER OF ROOMS
10
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