Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Money, Charts, and Trash
Panama uses the US dollar as its official currency, but there are no ATMs in the region, so
bring lots of cash in small bills. Paying the Panama cruising permit fee of $193 (in cash
only) will take a big bite out of your reserves. The good news is that cruising permits are
now valid for one year and issued on the spot in El Porvenir. You can also expect to pay an
immigration fee ($30 for a crew of four) and a fee to the autonomous Kuna government
($20 per yacht and $2 per person). All these offices share one building on El Porvenir. In
addition, you can expect to pay a $10 monthly charge in the most popular anchorages. This
fee is periodically collected by a local Kuna representative. It's a well-regulated system: the
collector will show you an official document confirming his authority to charge the fee, and
give you an official receipt as proof of payment.
In addition to bringing lots of cash, you should also come prepared with charts of the re-
gion and the outstanding Panama Cruising Guide by Eric Bauhaus (including detailed
charts and reliable way points). You should also come stuffed to the gills with provisions.
There are only three places to buy supplies in the western portion of the island group:
Wichubhuala (just a dinghy ride away from El Porvenir), Carti, and Nargana (the latter two
are islands immediately off the mainland). These towns have bakeries and small shops that
stock a very limited selection of canned goods and bottled water. Finding fresh produce or
meat can be difficult.
Local fishermen will come around with their catch ($2 bought us a good-sized tuna), and a
fresh produce boat also visits popular anchorages periodically. However, their schedule is
unreliable and the pickings are sometimes slim (the entire selection one week was potatoes
and eggs; at best, the vendor will carry a variety of vegetables as well as fresh chicken).
Many cruisers monitor channel 72 and will announce a sighting of the elusive produce man
with the excitement of an old-time whaler hailing a distant spout.
Trash is a major problem, so think ahead when provisioning and establish a way to com-
pact your trash on board until you can properly dispose of it. There are no reliable places to
deposit trash in the Kuna Yala. Never give your trash to locals who promise to dispose of it
properly, only to dump it into the sea around the next corner. There's nothing sadder than
the sight of wrappers and plastic bottles floating through the otherwise pristine waters of
this stunning archipelago. Much of the debris comes from the mainland, where the sea is
seen as a fair dumping ground (and it was, back in the days when the only trash generated
was coconut husks and fish bones). Long-term cruisers dump cans and glass into deep wa-
Search WWH ::




Custom Search