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Panama

Caribbean Islands

Yacht charter in Panama

Choose from 12 yachts across Panama. Spread over 1 sailing regions. Prices from €5,264 per week.

Browse 12 yachts See regions
  • 12
    Yachts available
  • 1
    On campaign
  • €5,264
    From / week
  • 1
    Charter regions
  • 4
    Marinas

Why this country

Sailing in Panama

Eleven of our twelve Panamanian boats come with a skipper, and that is not an upsell. It is what chartering in Guna Yala actually requires.

Guna Yala — the San Blas islands, where nine of the twelve boats are based — is the autonomous territory of the Guna people, and the arrangements reflect that. The Guna Congress charges US$20 per person per month and US$20 per vessel per month, payable at El Porvenir or to collectors who come out to the boat. On top of that, individual islands and island groups levy their own anchoring fees, typically US$10 to US$15 for thirty days, each issued against a printed receipt bearing the island's name and your boat's name. Add reefs that are poorly charted and an archipelago of roughly 365 islands with no navigational marks worth speaking of, and a skipper stops being a convenience.

What you get for accepting that is somewhere genuinely unlike the rest of the Caribbean: low coral islands, some with a single family on them, Guna villages built out over the water on stilts, and almost no tourist infrastructure of the kind that defines the Virgin Islands or Antigua. The boats average 15.4 metres and 4.3 cabins, the largest average in our Central American listings.

One geographical caution. Two of the twelve boats are at Bocas del Toro, which is also on Panama's Caribbean coast but roughly 200 nautical miles north-west, near the Costa Rican border. It is a different cruising ground entirely — mangrove, rain and surf rather than coral and sand — and it is not reachable from San Blas in a week. Check which base your boat is at before you plan anything.

On the water

Sailing conditions in Panama

How you charter here
With a skipper

11 of the 12 boats are skippered only. Guna Yala's permit system, fee collection and poorly charted reefs make local knowledge part of the operation rather than an optional extra.

Prevailing wind
Easterly trades, firmest December – April

The archipelago lies in the lee of the mainland for much of its length, so the water inside the reefs stays flat even when it is blowing.

Two separate bases
San Blas and Bocas del Toro

9 boats in Guna Yala (San Blas and Isla Aguja), 2 at Bocas del Toro about 200 nm north-west, and 1 at Linton Bay Marina. San Blas and Bocas are not interchangeable.

Typical boat
Catamaran, 15.4 m

10 catamarans and 2 sailing yachts, averaging 4.3 cabins with an average build year of 2013.

Fees to budget for
Congress plus per-island charges

US$20 per person and US$20 per vessel per month to the Guna Congress, plus US$10–15 per island or group for thirty days. Separate from the charter price.

Worth the detour

Where to drop anchor in Panama

  • 1

    The Cayos Holandeses

    The outer group, behind a long barrier reef with the Caribbean breaking on the far side. The best anchorages in Guna Yala and the furthest from anything.

  • 2

    Cayos Coco Banderos

    Four tiny islands in clear shallow water, close enough together to swim between. Small enough that a single boat makes the anchorage feel full.

  • 3

    The Cayos Chichime

    Two islands with a reef pass between them, often the first stop coming from the west. A Guna family lives on one and will come out to collect the anchoring fee.

  • 4

    El Porvenir

    The administrative island: Harbour Authority, Immigration and the Guna Congress office all in the same building, which makes the paperwork quicker than it sounds.

  • 5

    Guna villages — Nalunega and Carti

    Densely built villages of cane and thatch on islands barely bigger than their footprint. Visiting is normal and welcomed; photography is charged for and asking first is expected.

  • 6

    Isla Aguja

    One of the smaller bases, in the eastern part of the archipelago. Starting here puts you among the islands immediately rather than after a transit.

  • 7

    Linton Bay

    West of Guna Yala on the mainland coast, with the only full-service marina in the region. Useful as a start or end point and the usual route in from Panama City.

  • 8

    Bocas del Toro

    A separate archipelago 200 nm north-west: mangrove channels, rain, surf breaks and a lively town on Isla Colón. Green and wet where San Blas is sand and coral.

Suggested routes

Where a week in Panama could take you

Guna Yala — the eastern cays

7 days

Short hops between island groups with a skipper handling the reef passes and the fees. Distances are small; the point is that each anchorage is empty.

  1. 1

    El Porvenir or Carti

    Boarding and the Congress paperwork; short move to the first group.

  2. 2

    Cayos Chichime

    Reef pass between two small islands; anchoring fee collected on arrival.

  3. 3

    Cayos Holandeses

    Out to the barrier reef — the furthest and the clearest water.

  4. 4

    Cayos Coco Banderos

    Four islands you can swim between.

  5. 5

    Green Island / Cayos Limones

    Working back west through the groups.

  6. 6

    Nalunega or a Guna village

    A day ashore in a village rather than on a beach.

  7. 7

    El Porvenir

    Return for handover.

Find a boat for this route

Bocas del Toro

7 days

A different Panama: sheltered mangrove channels between large islands, with rain most weeks and a town at the centre of it. Two boats only, so availability is narrow.

  1. 1

    Isla Colón / Bocas town

    Handover; short move out of the town anchorage.

  2. 2

    Dolphin Bay, Isla Cristóbal

    Sheltered inner water; resident dolphins.

  3. 3

    Cayos Zapatillas

    The outer cays, in the national marine park.

  4. 4

    Isla Bastimentos — Red Frog or Old Bank

    Beaches on the Caribbean side, village on the inside.

  5. 5

    Bahía Honda or the Chiriquí mangroves

    Narrow channels with nothing built on them.

  6. 6

    Isla Carenero

    Back toward town; surf breaks on the north shore.

  7. 7

    Bocas town

    Short run back for handover.

Find a boat for this route

Before you book

Local rules and paperwork in Panama

Guna Congress fees
US$20 per person and US$20 per vessel, per month. Payable at the Congress office on El Porvenir, in advance, or to representatives who visit the boat. You are given an official receipt — keep it.
Per-island anchoring fees
Typically US$10–15 for thirty days. Each island or group charges separately. You should be given a commercially printed receipt showing the island's name, your boat's name and the date before you pay. Fees are much less common in the western San Blas.
Why a skipper
Charts are poor and the reefs are unmarked. Guna Yala has roughly 365 islands and very little in the way of navigational marks or reliable surveys. Eleven of our twelve boats are skippered for this reason; the one exception should be treated as a destination for experienced reef sailors only.
Respecting the territory
This is an autonomous indigenous region. Ask before photographing people, expect a charge for it, and buy the molas and the lobster from the families who come out to the boat — that trade is part of why visitors are welcome.
San Blas and Bocas are not the same trip
About 200 nautical miles apart. They are both on Panama's Caribbean coast and nothing else about them is alike. You cannot combine them in a week; confirm which base holds your boat.
Provisioning
Limited to almost nothing in Guna Yala. Fresh fish, lobster and some fruit come to the boat; everything else has to be loaded before you leave. Linton Bay and Panama City are where you stock up.

Checked October 2026. Rules change — confirm the detail that matters for your trip when you book.

What is here

The Panama fleet at a glance

The fleet in Panama is made up of 10 catamarans and 2 sailing yachts.

Most boats here are catamarans, averaging 15.2 metres.

Weekly prices start in the €3,000 – €6,000 range, where 1 boats are listed.

Boats sleep between 4 and 12 guests, with cabins up to 6.

The most common size band is 16 – 20 m, with 6 boats.

11 boats can be chartered with a skipper; 1 are available bareboat.

10
Catamarans
from €13.159
2
Sailing yachts
from €5.264

Budget

Charter prices in Panama

Weekly rate, set by the operator. No booking fee.

Space on board

Boat sizes

Sleeping 4–12 guests

  • 10 – 13 m 4
  • 13 – 16 m 2
  • 16 – 20 m 6

Availability

How full is the calendar in Panama?

Share of the Panama fleet that already holds at least one reservation, for each of the next twelve months. Taken from the operators' own calendars and refreshed daily — a boat with one week booked can still be chartered in the others.

Months further out look emptier simply because they are further away — most charters are booked a few months ahead, not a year.

Pick a month to see what is still open that week.

  • Quiet
  • Picking up
  • Busy
  • Peak
0%
Oct
’26
12 open
8%
Nov
’26
11 open
8%
Dec
’26
11 open
0%
Jan
’27
12 open
0%
Feb
’27
12 open
0%
Mar
’27
12 open
0%
Apr
’27
12 open
0%
May
’27
12 open
0%
Jun
’27
12 open
0%
Jul
’27
12 open
0%
Aug
’27
12 open
0%
Sep
’27
12 open

Most common models in Panama

Counted from our live catalogue.

Lagoon 570
2 available
Fountaine Pajot Elba 45
2 available · from €14.697

The fleet

Yachts in Panama

12 yachts available · from €752 / day

−10% Last minute New
6
catamaran

BE HANG LOOSE

Bocas del Toro

4 cabins 8 guests 14.02 m 2025
From €2.100 / day €14.697 / week campaign week €9.699
View
6
catamaran

Joy

Bocas del Toro

5 cabins 10 guests 17.53 m 2021
From €5.029 / day €35.200 / week
View
6
sailboat

Guji

Isla Aguja Cabins San Blas

3 cabins 6 guests 13.7 m 2009
From €752 / day €5.264 / week
View
6
catamaran

Marea

Isla Aguja Cabins San Blas

4 cabins 8 guests 18.9 m 2008
From €1.880 / day €13.159 / week
View
6
catamaran

Maya Ulu

San Blas Islands

6 cabins 12 guests 17.81 m 2018
Price on request
View
6
catamaran

Spisea

San Blas Islands

2 cabins 4 guests 12.8 m 2018
Price on request
View
See all 12 yachts Filter by dates, size and budget

Where to sail

The one sailing region in Panama

Every region we have boats in, largest fleet first — with the number of departure bases so you can see where a week actually starts.

Caribbean Islands

Mostly Catamarans — 83% of the local fleet.

Yachts
12
Bases
4
From
From €752 / day €5.264 / week

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Weekly prices in our catalogue break down as: €3,000 – €6,000 (1), over €12,000 (3). The lowest published weekly rate is €5,264. These are the operators' own prices — we add no booking fee.
Our Panama catalogue currently lists 10 catamarans, 2 sailing yachts.
1 of the 12 boats we list in Panama are available bareboat, meaning you sail them yourself. A recognised licence is required; the listing states which. 11 boats can be chartered with a skipper.
Boats in Panama sleep from 4 up to 12 guests, with the largest offering 6 cabins. Most groups book a boat in the 16 – 20 m size band.
Charters in Panama depart from 4 bases in our network, including San Blas, Bocas del Toro, Isla Aguja Cabins San Blas, Linton Bay Marina.

Ready to explore Panama by sea?

12 verified yachts across 1 regions.

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