This is where I share stories, lessons, and advice from my travels around the world.
Yandup Island Lodge: Panama At Its Best
Yandup Island Lodge is a really special place. Go there to unplug and get away from the daily grind. The resort is remote and rustic, so relax, slow down, enjoy the warm tropical breezes, the incredible scenery, and savor each moment in a such a serene wonderful place.
Why go to Yandup Island Lodge?
Yandup Island Lodge provides a place to unwind and relax, appreciate nature, and learn about another culture in Panama. The resort is on a small private island, part of the San Blas Islands off the coast of Panama in the Guna Yala Archipelago. It is part of a semi-autonomous province. You will not find crowds there or any day visitors. Most people that I ran into were staying for one to three nights. The island is surrounded by crystal clear waters - great for snorkeling and swimming off the island’s sandy beach. A nearby island has a whole colony of birds that leave in mass early in the morning and head over toward the mainland. In the evening’s fading light, you can watch these birds fly back in mass to their island nests. That is just one of the beautiful island views. Yandup Island Lodge is a place you visit to get away from your daily routine back home. Warning: your cell phone signal on the island will be spotty at best. I recommend bringing something to read while you spend your time in a hammock relaxing.
Booking the Lodge.
I used the Yandup Island Lodge website to book my stay directly with them. Be aware they require passport information as part of the booking process. The Lodge’s website default language is Spanish. To switch it to English, go to the top right corner of the website and click Espanol/ English. Everything then should be changed into English.
The regular package at Yandup Island Lodge includes transportation between Playon Chico Airport and the Lodge, your lodging, a guide, clean water, three meals a day, and two tours a day. The island itself is small and the cabins or huts are a bit rustic, but the experience is second to none compared to the other places I have visited in Panama. The prices at the time of writing this article are $162 per night for one adult in an over the sea hut and $142 for a seafront hut. While that might seem high, that cost as said does cover more than just where you sleep. It does not cover drinks other than the free water or any rental costs for snorkel or other sports equipment.
The huts are quite comfortable for the resort being so remote.
Yandup Island Lodge offers six over the sea cabins and four seafront cabins, so be sure to book well in advance to guarantee that you’ll get what you want. I rented an over the sea hut and in my humble opinion it is worth the extra money, but you won’t be sorry if you book a seafront hut either. Each hut has a 360 degree roomy balcony with a hammock, a ceiling fan inside the hut, a bookshelf, a private bathroom with a shower, sink, and toilet, and orthopedic mattresses for the two beds in the hut, There are mosquito nets for both beds. Electricity is available 24 hours and is powered by solar panels, but I recommend not trying to charge anything over night.
Keep in mind that there is an additional community fee. You may have to pay the community fee upon arrival at the airport. If not, it’ll be added to your bill at the end of your stay at Yandup. The fee is $10 per adult and $6 per child.
For more information: visit http://yandupisland.com/index.php or to check to see if they have lodging available when you would like to visit use this link: http://yandupisland.com/reservation.php
I hope you’re okay with flying in a small plane.
How to get there can be a bit cumbersome for the uninitiated.
First, you’ll need to fly into Panama City via Tocumen International Airport (PTY) and then catch a ride over to Albrook Airport (PAC). Uber is an option, but you can also call for a regular cab. Once at Albrook Airport you will need to catch a flight from there to Playon Chico (PYC). Albrook is a small airport and the staff will not let you go through security until a specific time that they give you. So I recommend bringing something to entertain yourself while you wait for your time to go through security and to board your flight.
I used https://airpanama.com/home.php to book my flights between Panama City and San Blas. I recommend scheduling your flights to and from Panama and also to and from San Blas on different days. That is just in case there is bad weather or a flight gets delayed or canceled.
Flying in a small plane isn’t so bad.
Be aware that the plane you will be flying in to get to Yandup Island Resort will most likely be a small plane. In order to land at Playon Chico airport, the pilots will fly in low over the jungle as they approach. I recommend getting a window seat only if you can handle hearing the altitude warning signal and seeing how close you really are to the treetops. The plane will land rolling towards the water and will most likely let you out near the water’s edge.
I could make out some of the tree branches as we got closer to Playon Chico!
Once you have landed at the airport, you will need to wait while the airplane is unloaded and takes off again. The reception area for the airport is next to the bridge behind some low walls. You will most likely be asked by airport staff to wait behind those walls while the airplane is unloaded and until it departs. That whole process doesn’t take very long, but it is just something to be aware of.
The runway and the bridge to the community of Yandup are really close together at the Playon Chico Airport.
Staff from the Yandup Island Lodge will greet you soon after you disembark from the plane. They will help you collect your bags. After the plane departs from the airport, you will be taken from the airport by boat to the Lodge nearby. On your way to the Lodge, you will pass by the community of Yandup on your right. The staff for the Yandup Island Lodge are locals from the Yandup community. I received nothing but the warmest of welcomes and some of the best service ever while I stayed at the resort. They are absolutely happy to answer any questions that you might have. I found that the staff were more reserved for the first few hours as I settled in, but opened up more after I unpacked and had the chance to rest.
The Yandup Island Lodge itself is really a very small island with a small beach, but you never know who you will encounter while staying at Yandup. During my week at the resort I saw a private helicopter, a group of NGO workers taking the weekend off, and a myriad of small families each stopping by for a few days.
The food looks good and tastes even better!
Dining at Yandup Island Lodge.
Dining experiences at the Yandup Island Lodge can vary from day to day. Overall, I can’t think of one meal that I would complain about. You won’t either as long as you’re ready to try something new every day. Lunch and dinner are announced by one of the staff blowing into a conch. There is no announcement for breakfast out of respect for people sleeping in. So it is up to you to wake up and get over to breakfast.
The walkway behind the dining area offers a wonderful view of the resort at night.
Meals are served on the back porch of the hut that serves as a kitchen. Every meal was delicious in its own way. If you scan the surrounding sea as you eat, you are likely to see someone from the resort or a local out catching their or maybe even your own next meal. Be prepared for a lot of seafood for lunch and dinner.
Please note that the running water in your hut is not safe for drinking. Free drinking water can be found at the dining area where breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served
Activities at Yandup Island Lodge.
Daily activities and what you will find on Yandup Island will vary day to day while staying at the Lodge. I recommend staying at the resort for at least three nights for a better chance of experiencing Yandup in good weather.
Daily tours are posted where you eat your meals. All tours are announced by a conch, just like lunch and dinner. There are two tours every day and these rotate daily. Some tours are more seasonal like the waterfall hike. Staff prefer to do that one when it hasn’t been raining for a few days. This is due in part because the trail to that area can quickly become very muddy and hard to hike. You can pretty much count on the first tour each day to be a trip to a remote island beach assuming the weather is nice. If you can stay for a few days, then you’ll get to visit at least a couple remote island beaches. One of the islands that you will most likely visit is called Iguana Island. Use your time there to relax on the beach and grab some sun, swim, snorkel, or explore the rest of the small island. I stayed at Yandup for about a week and so got the chance to visit Iguana Island as well as another island multiple times.
You can go snorkeling right off this beach at Iguana island!
Be aware that while exploring Iguana Island, you may see or encounter some of the villagers from the Yandup community that rotate time on the island to collect coconuts which are then sold mostly to traders from Columbia. Please follow the instructions of your guide from Yandup Island Lodge. You should not photograph, record, or bother these workers unless you get their permission. The locals are on Iguana island to work and you are on the island as a guest. Please be respectful and stay out of their way.
Living that island life.
The boat ride to the various island tours takes a bit of time and the waves can get a bit choppy. I recommend wearing the life vest that the Lodge gives you and not having anything you don’t mind getting wet out during the boat ride. While not really necessary, a dry bag would have been nice to have had on the boat rides, but unfortunately I had not thought to bring one with me to Yandup. My backpack did the job just fine, but the extra protection of a dry bag would have put my mind a bit more at ease. You’re going to want a towel, sunscreen, bug spray, some water, and maybe a snack for these island tours. The guides that take you to these remote beaches will have a cooler with them to sell you drinks while you are enjoying your beach getaway. I took my own liter bottle filled with the free water from the restaurant back at the resort to save a bit of money.
Just making sure it’s not a dream.
If there is a little light rain in the forecast, you might be treated to a boat ride around some of the nearby islands or a tour of the nearby Yandup community. I recommend on going on the boat tour if the weather is nice. The water is simply beautiful and a real treat for anyone that has never seen truly clear water. From the boat, I saw starfish that must of been the size of my head way far below me. Sometimes I could see through the water to at least twenty feet down. I even saw a couple dolphins at one point as we were crossing open water.
If you want to learn more about the traditions and culture of the Kuna people, then I would recommend going on the tour that visits one of the local graveyards. You’ll learn just how important hammocks are to the Kuna. The Kuna are born in hammocks, copulate in hammocks, and are buried in hammocks. To the Kuna, the hammock represents the womb. It does require a hike to get to the site, including a big hill, but I found the tour totally rewarding.
Exploring the community of Yandup.
If you are interested, there is also a tour of the local community. During the tour, you will be able to see how the Kuna are able to use their hammocks allowing for a large amount of family members to sleep in the same room. Be aware that part of this tour will put you in a situation to buy something from the locals or pay to take a picture of some of the Kuna in traditional garments. At times, it definitely felt like a tourist trap, but you can think of it as one way to help support the locals. I did get to meet the family of one of the workers at the resort while being led through the community. If you’re looking to see how the local Kuna live and you’re not afraid to say no to someone asking for money or to buy something from them, then the tour can be a cool experience. If you’re like me and once is enough, you can always pass on the tour the second time it is offered during your stay. Instead, you could have some quiet time reading a book while relaxing in a hammock.
There are a few other tours that rotate by season, weather, and it seems by whatever the tour boss wants to do that week. I highly recommend checking all of the tours out and giving them all a chance. If you like a tour and it comes up again during your stay, then do it again. Or you could consider doing something else like going snorkeling (bring your own equipment or use the rental equipment available at the shop on the island), swimming and splashing in the sea, or laying out on the island’s small beach to soak up some sun. You really can’t go wrong either way.
Your chariot to paradise is waiting.
Other considerations.
Here are some things you might find helpful to have with you during your island stay. I recommend always bringing sunscreen and bug spray with you on the tours. I also recommend bringing your camera with you to Yandup and out on the tours. The whole area is insanely beautiful. You’ll want pictures and videos for when you go home.
For those who don’t like to wear shoes, this is the place for you! I didn’t even wear my flip flops most of the time that I was on the island. As long as you are careful walking on the island at the resort, then you really don’t need any footwear until you go on one of the tours. You will want sandals while at the beach and need solid walking or hiking shoes for some of the tours.
For those with children, note that Yandup Island Resort is apparently quite popular with families. I met several families with young kids while staying on the island. If you’re an adventurous family with energetic kids wanting to explore the world, then I highly recommend giving the Yandup Island Lodge a chance. The island is small and safe. The huts have enough space for a small family, albeit without much privacy. Most of the families stayed for a couple nights. I think the resort offers families a great way to spend time together enjoying each other’s company and the beautiful outdoors of the San Blas area. The children get a very unique opportunity to experience a different culture and to meet people from all over the world at Yandup while having fun on vacation.
San Blas is calling!
Yandup Island Lodge is a really special place. Go there to unplug and get away from the daily grind. The resort is remote and rustic, so relax, slow down, enjoy the warm tropical breezes, the incredible scenery, and savor each moment in a such a serene wonderful place.