Monkey Adventures — Attraction in Bella Vista

We paid 118 USD per person for the San Blas islands tour.

This is by far the worst tour we have done through Monkey Adventures. I would not recommend it to anyone. I think you could get a much better tour using other tour companies.

We arrived on the first island and were given snorkelling equipment. This consisted just of a dirty, fogged up snorkelling mask and no breathing tube. I asked the guide where the breathing tubes were and he said they had run out as other passengers had taken them.

I asked if they had washing up liquid to clear the lenses of the mask and they said they did not provide that. I have been on several snorkelling tours all around South East Asia and South America and this is the first tour that has not provided washing up liquid to clear the lens.

The tour guide provided no instructions regarding the snorkelling spots. The Monkey Adventures tour website states that one of the islands has a sunken shipwreck. Our tour guide did not mention this at all or point it out. So we did not see the shipwreck at all. The tour guide told us to get off the boat at each island, and then he remained on the boat for the full time we were on the islands. Every island hopping tour I’ve done before, the guide has always provided advice on the best spots to see fish and explained the species you would see.

Once the tour finished, we went back to the car to head back to Panama. Apparently our original car had issues and had to go to the garage, so a replacement had been provided. The new car was a 4x4 pick up truck that had an open uncovered boot. The front passenger seat was broken and had been moved fully back providing no leg room for the passengers in the back of the car. The car itself was also filthy. There was torrential rain at the San Blas pier and in Panama City. It’s a 2.5 hour journey back to Panama City.

We told the guide we were not happy with the car and we did not want our bags to get soaked in the boot. After pushing for a replacement car, one was eventually provided after 30 minutes.

My biggest issue though, is with the altitude of the team at Monkey Adventures. When I contacted them and explained the issues we had on the San Blas tour they replied and said: “As it is mentioned in our website, the transfer is done in SUV 4x4 vehicles and the ride is not comfortable.”

“Services in San Blas are rustic and unfortunately the Kuna community doesn’t have proper snorkelling equipment or the proper way for cleaning them. People that do snorkelling in San Blas normally bring their own snorkels.”

My issue with their reply, is that although the website does state it’s a 4x4 vehicle, it says the ride may not be comfortable as it is a bumpy road. Not that the vehicle provided has a broken seat and no leg room.

In regards to the snorkelling equipment, nothing is mentioned on their website about having to bring your own. The community on the island actually had proper snorkelling equipment that you could rent which came with a breathing tube. I struggle to believe that the community also does not have access to washing up liquid as they cook the lunch provided and it is served on reusable plates with cutlery - so it begs the question what is the crockery being cleaned with.

Monkey Adventures also said: “San Blas is a beautiful place for relaxing on the amazing white sand beaches but is not a proper place for snorkelling.”

The tour description on their website states: “Later we will board a boat to our first island in the tour, Dog Island, where you can observe the coral reef and different species of fish in the famous sunken ship.”

I don’t know how you’re supposed to view the coral reef or species of fish without snorkelling equipment. You were actively encouraged to go into the water and we stopped at a shallow pool and had to get off the boat directly into the water to snorkel.

I accept that the San Blas tour is run by the Guna community, but Monkey Adventures need to take responsibility for the provider they...

Please DO NOT FEED WILDLIFE.

Hundreds of people are coming and feeding human food to wild monkeys, which have been "trained" to eat out of hands and consume food they were never meant to eat. This means they are overfed and unable to fend for themselves, leading to IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE to the ecosystem.

Also, there is no "Island". You remain in your boat, which pulls up to various shores where the boat pilot either feeds the wildlife themselves or encourages guests to do so.

Like the monkeys and other wildlife, the boat pilots have come to rely on damage to their environment.

Please do NOT engage in this damage to...

We booked our san blas day Tour on a Short notice, just two days before the trip. The organization was really perfect and easy. I booked the tour online and got the confirmation email the day after in the morning. Contact was also via what’s app with Alejandro as our driver who picked us up from our hotel. The tourguide Erik and his team were really nice. We had a moment of our lifetime. San blas is really a paradise on this earth . Thanks for making this trip unforgettable....