Kunas are the water-dwelling, indigenous tribes that inhabit San Blas. Different tribes reside on each islands and all lodges in San Blas must be owned and operated by Kunas. The downside (for some tourists) is they're all super rustic (basic). The upside is the traditional life is still very much intact there.

After getting off the plane my amiga and I walked a few meters to the very rustic docks and boarded a traditional dugout canoe to head to the mini-island that houses the Sapibenega Lodge. "Sapibe" means tree, "nega" means house. There were foreign 2 couples and a family of Panamanians on our flight, as well as a Costa Rican lady. After 10 minutes on pretty flat waters and we were at the hotel.

7:15AM

Arrived at a tiny island on turquoise waters with a very small beach on one side. The whole property is maybe 175 square meters, you can see the ocean all the way around from any point on the island. We were immediately greeted by a very, very friendly group of traditionally clad (not just for show) Kuna indians. They were far happier and hospitable than I'd been led to believe by guidebooks. We were fed breakfast (standard eggs, fruit and toast, not bad) and then checked out our cabin.

The huts are all bamboo with thatch roofs and fairly spartan. They are two rooms (with two beds) to a unit separated by pretty thin walls. The island hotel is seemingly self-sustaining. Solar panels, septic tank toilets and no hot water. The property felt very clean and natural. The rooms aren't large but I spent most of my time in the hammock on the backside of the cabin, which was about 3 feet from the water's edge. There wasn't a lot of reef there but I imagine the snorkeling would be about a B - . The visibility looked quite good.

There's only one little light bulb in each bedroom and the solar generator gets turned off early, so you get lots of sleep. I'd say Sapibenega is ideal for couples or people who are into culture and biology/nature. It takes a special kind of guest to appreciate being so "back to basics". I've never slept better and my days felt incredibly long there (in a good way). Time seemed to stand still. After one day, stress felt miles away.

10AM

During the day the hotel had planned excursions (all annoucned with a honk on the conch shell) to nearby islands for swimming, to the local Kuna cemetary and the nearby indigenous village. We did the last first and last ones that day. A 25 minute ride on pretty choppy waves brought us to another small island whose only population was a hermit/missionary and a few kids who apparently weren't his. The gent was kind enough to sell us some coconuts. We drank the milk and ate the flesh. Mmmmm.

We swam around and snorkeled and took in some sun. Totally quiet, relaxed...breezy. The picture most people paint of paradise, I think.

2PM

The ride back on the panga was rough. A few green faces upon arrival. Lunch was a fried, whole corvina (sea bass). Again, far better than I expected. After lunch we visited the local village on a more populated island. It was a little bizarre, but very interesting. They live in traditional bamboo and thatch huts and speak Kuna, sell molas and haven't changed much in the last hundred or so years. I think just about anyone over 15 could appreciate this. The only drag was I felt that the cleanliness of this particular village was suspect. Lots of kids with rashes and various minor infections b/c the island is overpopulated. Very curious is the high % of albinos there, a genetic phenomenon that I was told is being studied.

Most of the day was spent waiting to hear the conch shell announce meals. Napped, walked the 5 minute stroll around the island and read. I think this is what you're expected do at Sapibenega, I didn't mind a bit.

The weather was nice but overcast...a bit too hot but certainly live-able.

6PM

In the evening we watched a show with native kids playing simple pan-type flutes and dancing on the island's courtyard. It was short, sweet and very cute. They were thrilled with $1 tips from the crowd. After the show the audience of 12 or so guests adjourned to a banquet table on the yard where we chowed on ceviche de pulpo (honestly, the best I've had), langostinas, veggies and flan for dessert. You could pay extra for wine or liquor. The only rub: no ice in the house.

The food was exceptional and eating by torchlight as the waves crashed was something else. The guests were all super cool and we chatted until about 9pm, which feels very late on an island with minimal electricty.

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Comments (1)

J. Streator: ... The review on this web page has a number of inaccuracies although what was writtten in 2006 may have been accurate. Since construction is in progress, what I write will be innacurate in a year. As of Jan 2008, there are 3 double cabins with 3 beds per side. There is hot water. There are 3 light bulbs in the huts and one on some front porches. We encountered no mosquitoes or bugs and the sea breezes kept us comfortable at night. Snorkeling right at the island is minimal but at adjacent islands, the snorkeling is excellent and other guests rated it high, probably A. You are given short boat rides to the adjacent islands. Delightful!! The food was excellent, well presented and plentiful. You will not go hungry. It might help if you can speak minimal Spanish since the Kuna on the island speak little English but they try to be a helpful as they can be. They were all nice to us and had good senses of humor. We enjoyed them and the other guests. 1 January 25, 2008

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