San Blas Islands are part of Panama and it is an archipelago with around 370 islands and small sandy islands part of coral reefs. Only 49 of them are inhabited and mostly by the local Kuna Indians.
It is easy to get to.
The San Blas Islands are located in the Northwest of Panama, which borders Colombia in the East and Costa Rica in the West. You can fly from Panama straight into the San Blas Islands or you can take a boat from either Cartagena or Capurganá.
The San Blas Islands are remote but don’t feel overwhelmed by getting here.
If you don’t want to cross the jungle or open waters of the Caribbean Sea you can use a plane to get to San Blas. You can book flights at Air Panama or Aeroperlas, but make sure you book in advance.
Discover the pristine and untouched archipelagos in the world
Most of these impressively pristine islands have few roads and even fewer people. Here you can discover many new species that are unknown to the science in some of those uninhabited islands. If you are searching for that desert island feel, San Blas is the perfect destination.
San Blas is also known to have some of the best spots for snorkeling in the Caribbean of Central America. Many of the islands are ringed by healthy coral reefs and gorgeous water. The coral reef attracts many stunning species. The best time to go snorkeling is from June to October because the water visibility is better and there are fewer currents.
Photo credit: Markus Leupold-Löwenthal / Wikipedia
The Kuna People
The real name of San Blas is Kuna Yala – Land of the Kuna. The Cuna are famous for their bright molas, a colorful textile art form made with the techniques of appliqué and reverse appliqué.
About 50.000 Kuna’s live on the 49 major islands of San Blas and are controlled by their own community leader called a Sahila.
The island is picture-perfect with lapping waves, swaying palm trees, and gentle breezes and no Wi-Fi or TVs. Evenings are leisurely, with everyone relaxing and enjoying the slow Caribbean pace.
San Blas is an indigenous territory located northeast of Panama. Discover the San Blas Islands and relax in a typical rustic bungalow over water, hosted by a native Guna family. The San Blas Islands are popular with eco-tourists due to their pristine natural state.
Featured image photo credit: Marc Veraart / Flickr
The ways in which the tourism industry could promote sustainable tourism and practices, rather than damage local environments and cultures, are getting explored more and more from non-governmental organizations, industry, trade unions, local authorities and governments.
The regular traveler needs to be more involved into the eco-travel and sustainable idea and adopting to increase sustainability; be it to the environment, local community projects or initiatives, through animal experiences and especially when sourcing hotels.
Worldwide tourism accounted for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions from 2009 to 2013, new research finds, making the sector a bigger polluter than the construction industry.
The global tourism industry has been growing at an annual rate of around 5 percent, outpacing the growth of international trade.
What is Sustainable Tourism?
Sustainable Tourism is a traveling system that is deemed to have a more positive impact on the environment than the negative impacts. Sustainable travel is becoming a popular venture where tourists get inspired to partake the eco-tours, which are fun and adventurous.
Tourism is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world and is a major source of income for many countries. Tourism also provides many jobs which have helped restore local economies.
Most people like traveling, going on a holiday, but tourism can also cause serious problems, such as loss of cultural heritage, economic dependence, and ecological degradation.
Learning about the impacts of tourism has led many people to find more responsible holidays. These include various forms of alternative or sustainable tourism such as: ‘nature-based tourism’, ‘ecotourism’ and ‘cultural tourism’. Sustainable tourism is becoming so popular recently.
According to the World Tourism Organization, sustainable tourism is “Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities”
How to travel Better and Sustainably
As tourists, we should be mindful of how we travel and our impact when we arrive in a destination.
Photo credit: Eberhard Grossgasteiger from Pexels
1. Take a nonstop flights
The number one easy green tip: book a nonstop flight. Look for the shortest flight path to your destination. Takeoffs and landings to cause most of a plane’s carbon emissions
Where possible book for direct flights, because use the least amount of fuel, it’s simple and efficient and you help to reduce the plane’s carbon emissions which are generated mostly from taking off and landing.
2. Research the accommodations.
If you plan to stay in a hotel, choose a place that holds itself to high environmental standards and ask the management to share their sustainability policy. They should be certified by a third party, such as Rainforest Alliance or the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. Choose local places to stay, as opposed to a large foreign corporation. That way you help a greater portion of the profits to stay in the community.
3. Travel with reusables.
Create a habit to pack a reusable water bottle, a travel mug, a cloth shopping bag to use for grocery purchases, a metal straw, utensils, and a container for leftovers. If you have these with you, you’ll never need to use single-use disposables.
4. Support local restaurants.
Spend time and have a meal in restaurants that are run by locals and support their small businesses as opposed to having multiple meals at the hotel. This is a good reason to don’t choose All Inclusive. Supporting local restaurants usually means locally sourced ingredients and it is a great way to meet locals who are enthusiastic about you trying their traditional food. All-inclusive package holidays mean you pay up-front for your accommodation, food and activities. This means tourists have little incentive to go elsewhere and often do not go out to local restaurants
Photo credit: Artem Beliaikin from Pexels
5. Buy souvenirs from local stores.
If you have to purchase souvenirs – buy them from authentic artisans and purchase unique local handcrafted items. Avoid purchases that will get tossed in the trash eventually. Avoid imported souvenirs that have a larger carbon footprint. Check where an item is made; you want something that’s truly local. Invest in things with value, such as art, textiles, and ceramics.
6. Pack smart. Pack smart
It is important thing is to pack light. It will make your life so easier. A great quote from Oneika Raymond can remind you of the importance of luggage:
“For every hotel with a luggage cart and paved street, there’s a town on a mountaintop on the Italian coast with 150 stairs. Try rolling that bag then.”
Avoid plastic at all. Especially, plastic bags and bottles. Instead, bring a reusable water bottle that you can refill and carry your own linen bags. Many local sustainable accommodations can provide water fill-up stations as well as reusable bags in your room.
The global travel community can change the way we travel and help preserve a lot of the world’s resources. If we do not do the necessary steps, our future generations may not experience what we have been fortunate to see.
You can find laundry all over the world, so you don’t have to pack many clothes! Havier luggage contributes more to carbon emissions because the plane requires more fuel to carry the heavier loads.
Remember to carefully select your personal care products, especially sunscreen. Many products are packed with chemicals in that harm not only you but the environment too.
Try to use toiletries that come in paper packaging rather than plastic. You can find my eco-friendly travel packing list here.
7. Volunteer with NGOs and Join Community Tourism Projects.
Always research volunteering opportunities and the organizers to ensure that your time, money and resources are actually going to a good cause. Take opportunities to involve yourself in local projects and community tourism organizations. These may be volunteering opportunities or a chance to learn about local life and practices.
8. Use sustainable tour operators with green accreditations
Whenever you can ensure to walk instead of taking public transport. This is not only better for carbon emissions, but it has a lot of health benefits for you as well.
Choose places that aren’t so far, that you can reach without relying on need to use a car, or that is pedestrian- or bicycle-friendly.
9. Walking where possible
Before you book your tours, do research and look for accreditations such as GSTC, Green Globe, Rainforest Alliance, EarthCheck, Green Tourism Business Scheme (UK) and other regulatory bodies.
Read reviews on third party websites such as Google, TripAdvisor, and TrustPilot reviews. Read reviews and blog posts from travel bloggers who you trust.
10. Share your sustainable travel experiences
Share your responsible travel experiences and stories with your family, friends or even people you meet, on social media! The more you talk about the way you travel, the more you reinforce how important it is to eco-travel.
Sustainability and Eco-awareness are incredibly important topics – how have your travels/trips been influenced by this? I’d love to hear your thoughts on Sustainability and Eco-tourism? What do you do in support of reducing carbon emissions?
Photo credit: John Norton/Spotted Eagle Ray (Aetobatus narinari) Flying underwater
Costa Rica is a small Central American country bordered to the north by Nicaragua and to the south by Panama. The country is known for its beaches, volcanoes, and biodiversity and almost a quarter of its area is made up of protected jungle.
The geography of Costa Rica makes it an ideal tourist destination. Make sure if you are using insect repellent that it does not contain citronella or other harmful pesticides that could hurt the local wildlife as well as if you are using sunscreen make sure it is eco-friendly.
Here are nine important things to know about transportation in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica transportation options
There are plenty of options for getting around Costa Rica – from domestic flights, private transfers, rental cars, shuttles, public buses to taxis, and trains. Each option offers varies in flexibility, budget and comfort.
Domestic Flights
For those who can afford a faster and more comfortable type of transport, there are local airlines that offer domestic flights to several Costa Rica destinations.
Costa Rica has several domestic airlines AeroBell, Nature Air, Paradise Air and Sansa, offering daily flights to many major tourist destinations.
There are 48 main airports, only 4 being international. Airline costs in Costa Rica are pretty reasonable.
If you plan to fly domestically in Costa Rica, keep in mind that you’ll be flying on small planes and luggage weight limits are strictly enforced, expect bumpy flights and schedule change.
Renting a Car
Many of these cars are 4×4 and used throughout the country.
Most of the tourists are using public transportation while exploring the Metropolitan Area and then rent a car when heading out to the countryside.
Car rentals are good for couples and families who want to see a lot of the country and don’t mind driving
Renting a car it is a great way if you want the flexibility of exploring the natural beauty of the country in-depth, stopping to take pictures and settling down at any roadside restaurant you come across. Rent a car only if you feel comfortable driving in a foreign country.
Renting a car in Costa Rica can be a bit expensive. Rentals cost between $41 and $160 a day.
Costa Rica has a well established public bus system and it is often compared to the best in Central America with routes throughout the entire country.
Taking the public bus is incredibly cheap, but it is not always the most comfortable.
A bus service is a good option for budget travelers, backpackers, couples and small groups traveling on a tight budget and want to meet locals, however, they can get very crowded. Luggage space is also limited in most public buses.
Taxis & Uber
Uber is legal in Costa Rica, but the government doesn’t like it so use the service with caution. Uber tends to be about half the price of taxis.
Costa Rica’s official taxi services are red and orange if they are airport taxis. All authorized taxis must have a meter and make sure it is turned on when entering the vehicle. You can find plenty of taxis in towns and cities city, with the exception of car-free communities like Tortuguero. Unfortunately, you can still find unlicensed taxi services. You can easily distinguish the official taxis by looking for a yellow triangle with a code in black on the vehicle’s side door.
Taxis are cost-efficient and reliable, but you should understand how they work before using one. If a pirate taxi gets caught carrying a passenger, he or she could get fined. You do not have to tip the driver.
Accessible taxis or an SUV or a van are available upon request.
Trains are a great option for adventurous. They are fast and cheap. A private company – AmericaTravel – organizes occasional weekend tourist trains from San José to Caldera.
There are currently two major railways in Costa Rica: The San Jose Light Railway and the Tico Train Tour.
Unfortunately, much of the railway system requires major repairs.
The railways are very cost-effective especially for traveling within the Central part of the country but may not be a good choice for other parts of the country. You can always take a train to a major city and then take a taxi to your final destination.
Shuttle Services
Shuttle service is a shared transport alternative on a minibus or coaster. This is a good option for people traveling in small groups.
They operate daily between popular destinations across the country. Shuttles must be booked in advance.
Private Transfers
Private transportation is the safest and most convenient way to get around Costa Rica. It is flexible and it can be planned to and from anywhere in the country. This service can be customized to fit your travel needs.
Private transfer rates are often cheaper than those of a taxi.
Boats / Ferries
Costa Rica has destinations that can be reached only by water using a ferry or boat.
The other time you will need to take a boat is if you are going to Tortuguero.
If you are exploring beach towns or other coastal places bikes, ATVs or scooters are available to rent.
Horseback Riding is a Good Option
Horses have always been a part of Costa Rican culture. It can be a very pleasant way to get around Costa Rica. Going on a horseback riding tour will offer you a cultural experience as well as an enjoyable one. You can ride through an untouched rainforest trail and spot howler monkeys, sloths and scarlet macaws, or you can trot along the sandy shorelines while enjoying a stunning sunset view.
When riding, make sure to wear eco-friendly sun protection, closed shoes and long pants.
