Repost This ArticleONLY A 20-MINUTE plane ride from Panama City is an archipelago called the San Blas Islands. It consists of around 378 islands and cays, of which only 49 are inhabited by the Kuna Indians. They have managed to remain somewhat autonomous from Panama, maintaining their own economic system, language, and culture.
Another way to access the islands is by Kuna merchant ships from Colón. Snorkeling is a major attraction as the islands are home to some of the oldest reefs in the world. For years I’d been wanting to travel to the San Blas Islands to photograph them and the Kuna Indians, ever since I saw an image of a woman wearing a colorfully decorated dress. My time finally came. 
Hundreds of islands like this
With almost 400 islands in the archipelago, beautiful islands like this can be found in just about every direction you look.
Dog Island
The water is so clear the shadow of boat on the bottom makes it look like one end is floating in mid-air.
Life
Life as it is on the San Blas Islands.Intermission
Fishermen
Two Kuna boys spend the afternoon fishing in their canoe, which is dug out by hand.
Starfish
As beautiful as the stars in the sky, stars under the sea.
Ocean front
Perhaps the most literal sense of ocean front property.
Molas
The Kuna women still dress in traditional brightly decorated colored clothing. They make their shirts out of fabric sewn into various designs called Molas, which is also one of their top sources of income.
Town hall
One night we stayed on an island that had a large hut towards one end. We later found out that this was a "town hall", where the villagers would meet up to discuss island matters.
Dive right in
There was no shortage of subjects to point my camera at.Intermission
Tiny island
One day while sailing, we passed alongside an island that had a single palm tree on it. The island itself was literally the size of a pitcher's mound on a baseball diamond.
Meticulous
A local Kuna woman tightens the beads on her legs. It takes a long time to put these on, as the women wind them around their legs and spend a great amount of time meticulously making sure that each design lines up with each other.
Leg beads
The ocean makes for a wonderful backdrop to the brightly colored leg beads.
Seafood
Fishing is one of the main sources of income; international trade has long been established.
Dugout canoe
The Kuna still fish for lobster and crab everyday out of their handmade dugout canoes. Between the coconut and crab sails, they manage to live a life that they have been doing so for hundreds of years.
Cay
A cay "is a small, low-elevation, sandy island formed on the surface of a coral reef."Intermission
Sunken ship
This ship sunk in the 1920's. It's since become home to thousands of colorful Caribbean fish.
Keep it local
The Kuna are friendly but fiercely independent and not too worried about tourism. They have laws set up so that no foreigner can own land in the San Blas, therefore preventing modernization and tourist infrastructure.
Floating market
When sailing through the San Blas, oftentimes women and children will paddle up to you with goods to sell directly from their canoe. Molas, handmade crafts, lobster, and many other unique items.
On display
An elderly Kuna women holds up her handmade Mola.
The mask
A young Kuna girl shows off her mask.
Dangerous waters
As beautiful as it is above, the area can be extremely tricky to navigate while sailing. The captain of this boat ran his ship into a coral head and sank it about two months before this image was taken.
Architecture
The huts of the Kuna are lined with palm fronds.
Dusk fishing
Sun sets on these Kuna fishermen in their dugout sailboat.
Sunset
Nearly everyday at sea ended with an image like this.
Scott Sporleder
Since graduating from San Diego State University, Scott has dedicated 3 months a year to travel and photographing the world's unique cultures. While not on the road, you can visit Scott every summer at the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach. You can can also view his travel photography at ScottSporleder.com.
It such a beautiful island
Those starfish blow my mind!
sign me up – great photos!
this is so beautiful! I’m panamanian and I’ve never went there, maybe I’ll go in November. Awesome pictures! Glad you liked that little part of my country
Risseth… it is a beautiful area is all of Panama. I would highly recommend making a trip to the San Blas if you get a chance!
oh nature. I really do lack words to extend how I feel see these wonderful touristic sites. it is really beautiful.
Love your photos. I’d never heard of that island before now….it is so beautiful, however the people look desperately poor, but happy. I guess its all in your perspective of life isn’t it.
I am from Panama. The Kunas, as the Emberas and the other natives of Panama fight to preserve their lifestyle as it is. What it is for us to be poor, for them is just life as it has to be. I hope they conserve their traditions as long as possible
Great job my traveller friend! I´ve been there last August and I can say you´re showing thankfully this amazing culture like it is to the world. About this people, apart from the fact they don´t know how to treat garbage and they´re throwing it to the sea and we must help them immediately with this, they are such an interesting rich culture to discover.
Lorena, so true… it is an interesting topic, that of trash. What the Kunas (as well as other island indigenous cultures) should do with their trash. That being said, they are a beautiful people and the islands they live on are straight out of a dream!
Yes, beautiful. But you forgot to show pictures of the electric wires hanging around the main island, the 45 inch flat panel TVs in the houses, and things like that. They DO provide an interesting contrast between the traditional mixed with (or compromised by?) the modern.
Great pictures, thanks for sharing them and for appreciating a part of the world that is still virgin from five start hotels and millions of tourist.
Amen
Wuhu ive been there:)