Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FESTIVALS IN GUNA YALA
The main party to catch in the
comarca
is the celebration of the
Guna Revolution
, which
takes place February 23-25 (February 19-21 in Ailigandi) in various forms around the ar-
chipelago. Skirmishes between Panamanian forces and Guna are re-enacted on land and
sea, accompanied by storytelling, parades and drinking. Arriving in October, however,
would allow you to catch the
Feria de Isla Tigre
.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: ISLA TIGRE
By boat
Isla Tigre is a 30min boat ride ($5) from Corazón de Jesús, the nearest airstrip.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Cabañas Digir
6099 2738, or 6023 9224 (Leonardo Serrano, tourist coordinator).
Cheap dorm-style beachside
cabañas
(likely to be redone soon), with cement floors, squidgy
mattresses and electricity, share toilet and shower faciliti
es.
Alongside, three n
ew
er and nicer
private
cabañas
on stilts have private bathrooms. Dorms
$10
/person,
cabañas
$15
/person
Restaurante Digir Dupu
6099 2738.
Across from the
cabañas
, this open-sided bar-
restaurant offers some of the best cuisine in the
comarca
; $6-7 will get you succulent lobster
and crab in a delicious sauce with decent sides. Attracting Guna from other islands for the
quality of the food and the relaxed atmosphere, it's a good place for some cross-cultural con-
versation.
Daily 6am-10pm.
Playón Chico
Two cemeteries atop hills on the mainland announce your arrival at the sprawling adminis-
trative hub of
Playón Chico (Ukupseni)
, home to around three thousand. A large flat coral-
filled pancake packed with cane-and-thatch dwellings, interspersed with functional concrete
buildings, the island is wrestling to balance traditional customs with modern developments,
but is a vibrant and welcoming place for all that.
The wharf opens out onto the main square-cum-basketball-court, and a stage painted in the
Guna colours of red and yellow. A concrete pedestrian bridge leads to the
mainland
, where
a football pitch, airstrip and several government buildings, including a secondary school,
are located. In the early morning, men armed with machetes stride up the path leading to
the cultivated lands (
nainumar
). Westernizing influence is evident in the numerous churches
scattered round the island, and in the presence of electricity, which allows for a weekend film
night at the community hall by the basketball court, and results in the sound of competing
TVs penetrating the paper-thin walls as you try to sleep.
Attractive
excursions
include hikes into pristine rainforest taking in the cascading waterfall
of Saibar Maid, birdwatching up Río Grande and some lazy sun-lounging, moderate snor-
kelling and fishing off nearby coconut isles.
