San Blas Yanis Island Budget Experience 4D/3N

Traveler Reviews

• LH

  Laura2.0•May 2026
  Yani Island is a place to relax, unwind, and listen to the wind howling through the trees. There are plenty of...
  Yani Island is a place to relax, unwind, and listen to the wind howling through the trees. There are plenty of hammocks where you can lounge with a good book or take a nap. The island has beautiful palm trees, but visitors should be careful of falling coconuts — which are sold for $3 each. The cabin we rented sat on stilts over the ocean and had a small balcony with two plastic chairs. In the mornings, I watched the sunrise while listening to the water and the wind. The rustic wooden floorboards had spaces between them where I could see the ocean below. The wooden wall boards also had gaps, which kept the cabin breezy and cool. Meals were included in the cost. Lunch and dinner were usually the same: fish or chicken served with rice and vegetables. The fish was freshly caught. As a vegetarian, my meals mostly consisted of rice with cooked vegetables such as carrots and potatoes. Breakfast varied a little more. One morning I was served scrambled eggs, fried plantains, and pancakes, while another morning included scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, and corn cakes. All other beverages had to be purchased separately, except coffee with breakfast. However, the island itself was not clean. There was trash scattered around the property, and there was very little wildlife aside from small black and brown birds, hermit crabs, and crabs. The bathroom conditions were especially disappointing. The toilets often did not flush properly, leaving waste behind from previous guests, which I found extremely unsanitary. The runoff from the two showers drained directly into the sand around the bathhouse, turning the sand a dark greenish-brown color from the dirty soapy water. Overall, I felt the trip was overpriced and not worth even half of what I paid. While the island has natural beauty and a peaceful atmosphere, I would not recommend staying there based on the cost, cleanliness, and bathroom conditions. I left a day early because of the condition of the island.Show more
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  Traveled in May 2026
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  Stefan5.0•February 2022
  San Blas islands are really amazing. Chichime has few tourists compared to some of the other islands. The first night...
  San Blas islands are really amazing. Chichime has few tourists compared to some of the other islands. The first night I was the only tourist on the island. The hosts are preparing fresh seafood for lunch and dinner and one boat trip for visiting other islands and to go snorkelling was included. Accomodation is simple, but beautiful with electricity only a few hours in the evening. The drive from Panama City to the jetty is very scenic and during the boat trip you pass some very beautiful islands. Overall an amazing trip.Show more
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  Traveled in February 2022
• AS

  Alexander4.5•February 2018
  I should start this review off by stating that not only have I traveled quite extensively but I am also a travel...
  I should start this review off by stating that not only have I traveled quite extensively but I am also a travel agent and book people on tours similar to this one. The drive from Panama City to the "dock" took about 3 hours through the Panamanian mountains and jungle. Once we were off the main highway the road became much more of a roller coaster ride, if you get motion sick make sure to take some gravol prior to leaving Panama City. This road is also filled with pot holes so be prepared to swerve around them. The views from the mountain tops was amazing but brief. Once at the "dock" was were things got a little more interesting. What they call a "dock" is really a dirt parking lot, be prepared to get a little dirty, as the dust gets kicked up by all the cars dropping off/picking up passengers. Neither my wife nor myself speak any Spanish so it was near impossible to communicate with the people at the dock to try and figure out which boat we were suppose to get on. Originally we were told that it would be about 20 - 30 mins and someone would come get us and take us to our boat. After an hour to and hour and a half I started asking around what boat we were suppose to get on. Make sure to ask your driver to let you know which boat and company you are taking. As the companies that operate the boats are not Bamba. The ride from the dock to the island was very rough as the winds were quite high. Nothing you can do about that but be prepared to get wet. The water and air are both warm so it's not so bad. Had we known prior to leaving the dock though we would have put on our swim suits. Once we arrived at the island we figured out that we were not on the island on our itinerary that was given to us from Bamba, no update was sent along to us to let us know about any change in islands either. After 4 - 5 hours of travel and waiting to get on the boat, we found out that we weren't on the island we thought we were meant to be on. Again none of the locals on the island spoke English so we weren't sure what we were meant to do. Luckily one of the other passengers spoke enough Spanish and English to help us out and we figured out that we were indeed where we were suppose to be. Bamba should have emailed us prior to our departure to let us know of this crucial change. Once on the island though everything was better than we had expected, the hut we had was great, the islands and water were beautiful and the food was delicious. It was pretty much the same thing each day just different variations of fish and rice. We had up graded our package which said we would have more options to choose from, again this was not the case, everybody was served the same dish each meal. Overall it was an incredible experience and I would recommend the San Blas Islands to anyone looking to getaway from the hustle and bustle of the real world, just be prepared for a very rustic experience. I would also recommend that anyone looking to do this trip brush up on their Spanish as Bamba doesn't have anyone on the ground, either at the dock or the islands representing the company that speaks even passable English.Show more
  Traveled in February 2018
  

  Reply from: Bamba Travel

  Hello Alexander! Thank you very much for your kind and detailed review, this will definitely help future passengers to be prepared for this particular trip. Your feedback is very valuable to us so we can constantly improve our service. We appreciate you bringing this issue to our attention and we will work to ensure it is corrected. We are here to help you! Sincerely, Pedro Ferraez from The Bamba Team.

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