As I stood under the shade of a tin roof supported by bright yellow-and-red beams adorned with pennant streamers — also yellow and red — I watched as six Guna women and four men formed facing lines on the sandy floor.
Slight of build, the barefoot females each wore traditional dress: a brightly patterned wrap skirt and a blouse adorned with handcrafted, reverse-applique cotton panels called molas. Guna women are renowned for these handmade textiles; each design is unique and tells a story. Around their lower arms and legs, some of the women also wore winis (patterned bead cuffs), which are also made by hand — just as their ancestors long before crafted them.
One of the women and all the men — more simply attired in trousers and Crayola-colored button-up shirts — began to slowly play a repetitive tune on their bamboo flutes. They were soon joined by the other women shaking maracas in their right hands.
“It takes a while to get in sync,” explained Richard Cahill, our tour leader and senior naturalist guide for Ancon Expeditions of Panama. “They look at each other and dance until they find a rhythm. Then they start to spin. Once they are spinning, they are in.”
Transported to the Past
As the musician-dancers gathered momentum on tiny Isla Tigre (Tiger Island) in the 365-island archipelago of Guna Yala off the northern coast of Panama, I found the flute dance mesmerizing. Although it was mere hours since I had been picked up in cosmopolitan Panama City, I felt like a time machine had ejected me into a long-lost place and culture.
The best way for visitors to experience several of these unspoiled, low-lying Caribbean coral islands is to slowly meander among them by liveaboard sailboat. That morning, we had journeyed to the port of Carti, where a water taxi awaited to whisk us to an all-inclusive catamaran charter near Waisaladup Island. The excursion is one of six multiday Escapes itineraries offered by Ancon Expeditions, a leading tour operator, full-service destination management company and the Virtuoso On-Site for Panama.
Cultural immersion is one of the highlights of exploring the Guna Yala archipelago.
Credit: 2025 Theresa StormThe four-day Sail the Guna Yala Archipelago itinerary promised we’d spend time with Guna communities such as those on Isla Tigre to learn about their customs and traditions. In between cultural activities, we'd visit idyllic, lightly inhabited islands dotting the variegated Caribbean Sea like white-and-green Smarties, their talcum beaches and swishing coconut palms beckoning sailors onshore.
Why the Guna Yala?
Panama has more than 1,400 islands, so it can be overwhelming to choose which to visit. But the Guna Yala (called the San Blas Islands until 1998) stood out from other popular archipelagos such as Bocas del Toro and the Pearls for one monumental reason.
Since 1925, the islands have been self-governed by the Indigenous Guna people. The governed area, called Comarca Guna Yala, consists of both the 365 Guna Yala islands (only some 50 are inhabited) and 11 communities along a narrow, 232-mile strip of the mainland.
To protect the ancestral lands, large-scale tourism development on the islands isn’t allowed. The Guna people are committed to conservation, cultural preservation and community benefit. 2025 will mark the 100th anniversary of the Guna Revolution that resisted Panamanian government oppression and forced assimilation, and yearlong celebrations will be held throughout the Comarca, which visitors are welcome to join.
What to Expect Onboard
Onboard Ancon Expeditions’ Liberte — its name emblazoned near the bow in an orange triangle above the purple hull — I was assisted by Captain Lucio, a fun-loving Brazilian who knows Guna Yala intimately, and Carolina, who proffered a welcoming hug. Engineer and first mate Christoph and Alicia — the Panamanian chef who would soon dazzle us with magic from the galley — also warmly greeted us.
Our tour of the gleaming and comfortably luxe Lagoon 56 catamaran revealed four spacious cabins accommodating eight guests. Each room features a queen bed, a television, a private bathroom and individually-controlled air conditioning — a welcome relief at night. (Liberte is also available for a 12-guest day charter.)
Public spaces include a spacious cockpit and salon for dining and socializing; a bow salon and sundeck for sunbathing and enjoying whatever cool drink one may fancy while under sail; and an elevated flybridge lounge offering panoramic views of the islands. There’s also Starlink Wi-Fi included.
Beautifully presented Asian, Mediterranean and Caribbean meals and snacks were prepared with local products, as well as with lobster, octopus and fish freshly plucked from the sea by Guna fishermen. With advance notice, guests with dietary restrictions and special wishes (such as birthday crepes) can be accommodated.
Just like the flute dance, my first liveaboard experience gained momentum until four days slid away and, sadly, it was time to disembark.
I couldn’t decide what I had enjoyed more — learning about Guna culture, strolling silky sands or slipping into the crystal-clear, warm Caribbean waters to frolic, paddleboard, kayak and snorkel (equipment is provided) over one of the world’s best-preserved reef systems (we saw everything from brain, staghorn and elkhorn corals to multihued fish, rays, turtles and nurse sharks).
Fortunately, each day onboard, we got to do it all.
