These dark green cays rising out of the water in a long line like a Spanish flotilla are beyond the reach of easy boat travel from points farther west. Airstrips serve the main islands. Boasting some of the most exquisite of all the San Blas islands, this part of the world offers visitors a chance to see Panama through the eyes of an explorer.

Lacking an offshore coral reef, in inclement weather these isles are subject to battering by high seas. Ocean passage is a comparatively tricky and even risky affair. Colombian drug-smuggling boats run these waters, while paramilitary and guerrilla groups occasionally infiltrate the coastal strip close to the Colombian border.

The main airstrip for the isles is in densely populated Achutupu, centred on a large thatched community hall. A mere 183 metres west of Achutupu, the more intimate Isla Uaguitupo is almost entirely taken up by the Dolphin Island Lodge, one of the best hotels on the isle.