Stuck in a grey autumn and daydreaming about a holiday under palm trees? Then read on. Last week I was out on a sailing boat with German guests around the Pearl Islands in Panama, a trip that took us to some of the most beautiful islands in the country. And the good news is the tour can now be run safely, Covid and all. Here’s how to travel to Panama in Covid times, and what you’ll see along the way.
First, entry. As a tourist you need a negative Covid test on arrival that’s no more than 48 hours old. I’d recommend doing it before you leave home either way, because a negative test tells you you’re not carrying the virus and lets you enter Panama without any hassle. Otherwise, masks are generally required in public spaces, though restaurants are open and you take yours off once you’re at the table.
For your first days in Panama, I’d suggest seeing the city and the Panama Canal. Another great outing is wildlife watching on Gatún Lake, where you cruise alongside the ocean giants crossing the Panama Canal out to a few rainforest-covered islands. You’ll spot capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys, Panamanian night monkeys, a rich variety of birdlife and, with a bit of luck, even more. There’s also an exciting trip into the rainforest to visit the Emberá, or a hike along the Camino Real.
But on to the main event: the sailing voyage to the Pearl Islands. This is a Pacific archipelago of 183 islands, all palm trees, white beaches and turquoise water, about 70 kilometers from Panama City. The islands take their name from the many pearls divers brought up here in colonial times, among them the world-famous “La Peregrina,” which first belonged to the Spanish Habsburgs and was later worn by the actress Elizabeth Taylor. We sailed with Fritz, a Viennese restaurateur who has been cruising the Caribbean and Panama on his sailing boat for over 30 years, and came aboard in the port of Amador in Panama City.
The crossing from Panama City takes 6 hours, and the crew had the fishing rod out right away. From the deck you watch Panama City’s striking skyline shrink as the coast slips further behind you. A while later the Pearl Islands rose up ahead of us. A family of dolphins circled the boat and we anchored off Isla Pacheca. Directly across from it lies the island of San Bartolomé, so we headed straight over for a look. It has dazzling white sand and turquoise water, an untouched tropical island paradise in the Pacific where countless seabirds also nest. The fishing came up empty on the crossing, so for dinner Fritz treated us to a delicious beef stroganoff.
In the morning we sailed on to the island of Mogo Mogo, where several seasons of the reality show Survivor were filmed. We had dinner on our minds too and had put the rods out again first thing, hoping to land tonight’s meal. Once we reached Mogo Mogo, we jumped straight into the dinghy to explore the gorgeous beaches of the Survivor island. After visiting Monkey Island you can also head to the new locks of the Panama Canal on the Caribbean coast, an outing that pairs nature and engineering at the canal in impressive fashion.
The next leg took us to the island of San Telmo, far to the south of the main island, Isla del Rey. Here the beaches and bays are wilder and more pristine still, one dreamlike stretch of sand after another. We anchored near San Telmo, and the next morning set out to explore a stranded submarine wreck. The Sub Marine Explorer is considered the world’s first working submarine, the first vessel that could resurface under its own power. Rust is slowly eating away at it, though, and it’s beyond restoring now. Compared with my first visit in April 2006, more parts had broken off (the photo below is from 2006). Today you can admire the wreck on the beach at low tide, or snorkel around it at high tide.
And on the beach at San Telmo the moment finally arrived: the spell broke, and Fritz and his guys speared two fish with the harpoon. Fritz cooked them up beautifully on the spot and we had them for lunch. Our luck held over the following days, and we caught plenty more, including a bonito that became a fine tuna tartare.
After San Telmo we sailed north again, along the east coast of Isla del Rey. The wild, untouched coastline impressed us all over again. Along the way a brown booby paid us a visit, perching on the railing and keeping us company for the next half hour. We kept offering it scraps of fish, but it kept flinging them back out of its beak.
We anchored for the night at Isla Espíritu Santo (the Island of the Holy Spirit). We explored the beaches in the afternoon while the crew got fishing again. The water around the boat was teeming with fish, and after dark countless bats were fishing right beside us. It was another crystal-clear night, the moon rising very late, and I spent nearly two more hours watching the star-filled sky and one shooting star after another.
The next morning we were already heading back toward Panama City, breaking the journey with an overnight stop at the island of Chapera. Fish were swarming at the anchorage and our fishermen did well again. We snorkeled a little more and dropped in on the beach. And then the last day of the trip had already dawned, and we set off on our final leg toward Panama City. We also stopped to see Contadora (the most developed of the islands, with a few small hotels and bed & breakfasts). After lunch off the beach at Contadora, we sailed the six hours back to Panama City and reached the port of Amador just after seven in the evening.
The sailing voyage to the Pearl Islands is a truly wonderful trip. I’d first visited the islands with a group of backpackers, tents and fishing boats, back in April 2006, and doing it by sailing boat is far more comfortable, especially with a cabin and meals on board. And in Covid-19 times, sailing is a safe way to travel, since you spend most of it with the same small group in a “travel bubble.”
But the real stars are the Pearl Islands themselves: an almost untouched archipelago of paradise-white beaches and turquoise water, just waiting to be discovered by sun-hungry travelers.
Travel tip: Plan at least four days for the sailing voyage to the Pearl Islands, though six or seven are better if you want enough time to explore the island world. A two-week voyage is also possible, taking you on to the Gulf of San Miguel and the coast of Darién. There you can visit Emberá villages, the sleepy Darién capital of La Palma, a fortified colonial church and ruined Spanish forts from the 17th and 18th centuries, take in vast mangroves and rainforests, and see the beach where the Spanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa first sighted the Pacific in 1513.
If a sailing trip sounds like your thing, just drop us a quick message.
Links:
Pearl Islands (Wikipedia info)
La Peregrina (Wikipedia info)
Sub Marine Explorer (Wikipedia info)
