Darién Gapster
Fast boat: Panama – Colombia Ferry & San Blas experience

Imagine 400 Caribbean islands, most of them uninhabited, with white sandy beaches, and crystal clear water, stretched out over 100 miles, controlled by a self governing indigenous people. The Kuna… San Blas’s real name is Kuna Yala! It’s these people who have preserved the islands from mass tourism, preserved their culture, and it’s these people who make San Blas… Kuna Yala, a special place.

 On our journey we aim to give you the best all round experience of all Kuna Yala has to offer. We take you through the full archipelago! To meet the people, to stay on the islands, and to snorkel some of the worlds most amazing sites. Then we take you to one of Colombia’s best kept secrets, Sapzurro…. I´ll let you find out about that one for yourself.

 Darien Gapster is a fiberglass ocean going launch of local design modified by us to make it the cool cruising machine it is. Seats have cushions, a nice recline and plenty of leg room. We have a hard roof and roll down isinglass sides to protect you from the elements. On a nice day we cruise at up to 30 knots (rapido!!) and our longest sail time is 2 – 3 hours. On top of that we have a sweet sound setup with plenty of good tunes or you can plug in your ipod and DJ from your seat.

Our crew has years of experience both in local navigation and in tourism. We’re real mariners and people people! On this journey our main goal is to provide a safe, fun and memorable journey for you through one of the worlds most preserved treasures.  

 Here is a review from one of our guests written 14th July 2010.

 The Darien Gapster is a great way to get to Colombia. It’s a great alternative to a sailboat for the following reasons;

- you spend a minimal amount of time on the boat meaning you see more of the San Blas islands. You camp on the islands in tents with air mattresses so you can get a good nights sleep (ear plugs are useful though!). On the sailboats I hear the sleeping quarters are pretty cramped, and by camping on land, rough seas are not an issue.

- the boat takes you to Sapzurro, a small, beautiful Colombian village on the border with Panama that is inaccessible by car. This is a perfect introduction to Colombia, and by far the nicest border town I’ve seen on my trip! From Sapzurro you can visit other towns by lancha or by walking, these include La Miel (in Panama), Carpurgana (to go through immigration), or other villages further down the coast. You can extend your time here or in any of the other villages too.

- to get to Cartagena or any of the other big cities in Colombia you have to take a lancha from Carpurgana to Turbo. This is a beautiful way to see the Colombian coastline and a lot of fun as it’s a speedboat. From Turbo you can get buses to Cartagena, Medellin or anywhere else in the country really. It cost about 50 dollars to get to Cartagena and was a full days travel. Adam from the Gapster sorted it all out for us though, so you’re by no means stranded in Sapzurro.

The Darien Gapster is run by guys who love doing this trip and it shows. We were introduced to Kuna families and villages (one village where they hardly see tourists – you can tell because they have nothing to sell you). We visited deserted islands too, and some of the most amazing reefs for snorkelling I’ve ever seen – manta rays, sharks, and much more.

We were fed well (I’m a vegetarian and was very well catered for). Always a good idea for people to bring snacks and alcohol though.

The trip is so much cheaper than the sailboats and yet you see just as much of the San Blas islands and have none of the discomfort from travelling long distances on a boat.

I enjoyed the whole experience and would highly recommend The Darien Gapster, as a great alternative to the longer sailboat trips but also as a great boat run by great people who really want you to have the best time possible.

Hope this helps you and please recommend to your customers.

Regards,

Ruth Scaife