NEW IDEAS FOR WINTER SUN
PHOTOGRAPH: ANDREA COMI/AWL IMAGES
No cruise ships, no millionaire hideaways, nothing that can really be called a resort – the San Blas Islands are not your familiar Caribbean destination. Trade wind season, from December to April, brings drier weather to these hundreds of cays and islets scattered along a coastal strip of Panama known as Guna Yala, the first indigenous region of Latin America to gain autonomy. Visitors stay in thatched cabins and island campsites, with snorkelling trips or visits to Guna communities, known for their mola textiles in vivid colours. While it might be a stretch to call a trip here an adventure holiday, since hammock-time is bound to play a big part, it’s important to come prepared for haphazard facilities – or you could make life easy on yourself by joining a multi-day boat tour with the likes of Cacique Cruiser or San Blas Adventures.