Isla Chichime
Isla Chichime
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
60 reviews
Excellent
36
Very good
13
Average
5
Poor
5
Terrible
1
Kiwi1028
Panama City, Panama484 contributions
Apr 2017 • Couples
There are two families on Chichime Island. You should consider to stay with Aaron & Dixie. Great hosts, great food, rustic but better shaped cabins with wooden floor, electricity, new shared bathroom (we have been lucky to be the first one to inaugurate them ;-) and most important they have their own website and are very reactive.
Written April 17, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jérémie P
Vevey, Switzerland356 contributions
Feb 2018 • Friends
If you are visiting panama you should not hesitate to go to San blas islands. I have been there already three times and I do not get bored. The chimcheme island is a quite big island and is beautiful. Despite the garbage that you could find on the island, i really liked the place. One tip, the local restaurant is not really good, so bring your supplies with you. As well do not eat the salad on the island, they wash it with Tap water, that is not clean (I have been really sick once)
Written February 25, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dannydanny2
State of Parana253 contributions
Oct 2017 • Friends
This place is really, really beautiful...Don't expect luxury of modern facilities; they are basic, extremely basic, but it's worth the sacrifice for a few days. The island is amazing! Yes, food is little but it is ok, the cabins are very rustic but the environment is like a paradise on Earth...I would return a thousand times...
Written November 22, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cucansu
4 contributions
Nov 2016 • Couples
We had a chance to visit and stay in different islands in San Blas, but Chichime is by far the best overall experience we had. Big island with different beaches, great hosts that know how to treat the visitors.
Written March 24, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tina Z
Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany11 contributions
Sep 2019 • Couples
The San Blas islands have every potential to be this picture perfect paradise we all have in our heads. So I was pretty disappointed with my 3 days on Chichime, which is supposed to be one of the best islands. Here is why:
1) trash everywhere on the island and in the ocean. It was really disgusting so that some of us started collecting trash. The kuna seem to have no feeling for how bad that looks.
2) toilet and bathroom were really disgusting and broke (thank god on our last day) and the toilet is directly lead into the ocean
3) the kuna were way nicer than expected but still not very interested and have no feeling for hospitality (which is fine with me)
4) late check-out in our case meant we had to check out our room in the morning anyway, which wasn’t that nice
5) the mosquito nets were really bad, I got stung more than 100 times in the 2 nights
In total, Price seems really high for that not to paradisish place
1) trash everywhere on the island and in the ocean. It was really disgusting so that some of us started collecting trash. The kuna seem to have no feeling for how bad that looks.
2) toilet and bathroom were really disgusting and broke (thank god on our last day) and the toilet is directly lead into the ocean
3) the kuna were way nicer than expected but still not very interested and have no feeling for hospitality (which is fine with me)
4) late check-out in our case meant we had to check out our room in the morning anyway, which wasn’t that nice
5) the mosquito nets were really bad, I got stung more than 100 times in the 2 nights
In total, Price seems really high for that not to paradisish place
Written September 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MayraPe
New York City, NY12 contributions
Mar 2017 • Friends
It is an awesome place! food can be better but over all a great experience. Bring water and snacks. There lots of start fish so bring snorkeling equipment!
Written March 17, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sunny
Norman, OK66 contributions
Dec 2019
I booked a reservation through Expedia for a private cabin on Chichime Island for 12/29-12/31/2019. I was so excited to go to stay with the Guna Yala. The listing/reservation stated "reserve now, pay later" and the fine print mentioned paying a deposit. It was confusing, but I booked the reservation. Chichime Island, then, sent me an email, instructing me to email them a photocopy of my credit card, ID, and passport, in order to pay a deposit. Expedia always posts warnings not to ever email your credit card information to hosts, so I didn't. Instead, I asked for Expedia's help. They encouraged me to contact Chichime. Chichime emailed me, telling me to pay through Booking.com... which I had no idea of how to do... since I'd reserved through Expedia - not Booking.com. I messaged Chichime again, asking for advice on how to pay the deposit. They instructed me to go to a tour website and pay. The problem is... there wasn't really a clear idea of how I was supposed to pay for my cabin on the tour website (there was no place on the web site that designated payment to reserve cabins). I messaged Chichime, and asked them to confirm that, if I sent money on that tour website, I would receive my private cabin on Chichime that I had reserved (I wanted documentation, in case they took my money, and then, said it wasn't payment for the cabin). Chichime, then, informed me that the private cabin I had reserved was no longer available - even though my Expedia reservation had never been cancelled (it was still listed on my active itineraries)....and they said that, if I came, I would have to stay on a totally different island than I had reserved... one of the islands that had 1.5 star rating and horrible reviews. I was very disappointed and frustrated, as I had planned my whole trip around staying on Chichime....and had counted on it, since I had a reservation... and had, now, missed out on other reservation options.
Here's the *clincher*... while the Chichime people were messaging me that they had no private cabins available on Chichime on those dates... I did a search of those EXACT SAME dates on Expedia... and Expedia still shows that they have private cabins available for those dates!!! I called Expedia to let them know what Chichime is doing to people.... The Expedia representative told me that, if they do not have cabins available, Chichime is able to update the listings to remove the openings online... So, the Chichime are *keeping* openings on Expedia... and taking people's money, via methods outside of Expedia, knowing that they do not have the cabins available. It reeks of dishonesty... Trusting travelers are either: 1) losing money, when the cabin they reserved is not available, or 2) wisely investigating, before sending money via one of those weird methods, only to learn that they wasted time....and lost out on other reservation options.
I would advise you to avoid Chichime Island... It sounds like a scam is going on there... and I'd hate for anyone to go through what I went through - or worse, end up losing money. The only saving grace is that I was extremely careful... and thereby, avoided losing a couple of hundred dollars.
I am soooo glad I had not emailed them my credit card information... and had not paid them money through that tour web site... as I am 99% sure that I would never have seen that money again. BE CAREFUL WHEN DEALING WITH CHICHIME!
Here's the *clincher*... while the Chichime people were messaging me that they had no private cabins available on Chichime on those dates... I did a search of those EXACT SAME dates on Expedia... and Expedia still shows that they have private cabins available for those dates!!! I called Expedia to let them know what Chichime is doing to people.... The Expedia representative told me that, if they do not have cabins available, Chichime is able to update the listings to remove the openings online... So, the Chichime are *keeping* openings on Expedia... and taking people's money, via methods outside of Expedia, knowing that they do not have the cabins available. It reeks of dishonesty... Trusting travelers are either: 1) losing money, when the cabin they reserved is not available, or 2) wisely investigating, before sending money via one of those weird methods, only to learn that they wasted time....and lost out on other reservation options.
I would advise you to avoid Chichime Island... It sounds like a scam is going on there... and I'd hate for anyone to go through what I went through - or worse, end up losing money. The only saving grace is that I was extremely careful... and thereby, avoided losing a couple of hundred dollars.
I am soooo glad I had not emailed them my credit card information... and had not paid them money through that tour web site... as I am 99% sure that I would never have seen that money again. BE CAREFUL WHEN DEALING WITH CHICHIME!
Written December 15, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mariam s
Paris, France7 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
We stayed in Chichime for two nights. The island is really pretty but very poorly managed.
There are two main parts handled by two groups. You should definitely avoid the one under Aaron's control. Lots of garbage as soon as you leave the main areas, no water to take a shower, a disgusting bathroom area. The "tour" offered was a real joke ...
On top of this, the second night was a real nightmare. A party was organized by the kunas with very loud music making it impossible for us to sleep. We had to ask three times for them to lower the music
It's a shame, the island has so much potential...
There are two main parts handled by two groups. You should definitely avoid the one under Aaron's control. Lots of garbage as soon as you leave the main areas, no water to take a shower, a disgusting bathroom area. The "tour" offered was a real joke ...
On top of this, the second night was a real nightmare. A party was organized by the kunas with very loud music making it impossible for us to sleep. We had to ask three times for them to lower the music
It's a shame, the island has so much potential...
Written April 4, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
berni507
Panama City, Panama121 contributions
Jan 2019 • Couples
the huts looked very basic and people looking for fiesat more than culture or nature interest. lots of drug taken here
it s a choice, not mine
it s a choice, not mine
Written January 20, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
paulcezanne1282
Aurora, Canada16 contributions
Oct 2018 • Friends
Chichime Island is one of the biggest island in San Blas. Accommodation is very rustic, it rained so hard one night that we woke up almost soak. And you have to walk outside to get to the washroom, but i am not complaining about it because it was quite an experience and we laughed about it in the morning. Food was good when we were there. Fresh fish and first time i had Conch. It was tasty. You have a lot of room to explore the island, although there were some garbage and hopefully the local people will try to maintain it clean. I love the beach and there were lots of starfish. We booked for 1 night and ended up staying for another night. I would have stayed longer if time permits. One of the places i surely want to come back.
Written December 11, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I was looking at this island and an Air BnB on "big orange" Narasgandub Dummand. Have you been there? Which island would you recommend?
Written March 26, 2019
Traveling to Chichime next week - must I really bring my own water to drink? And fins for snorkeling? No one shares them? Also - hammocks: is it good to bring a simple hammock with me? Staying at Ogob Nega cabins. WHat else should I know and bring for 4 day visit? Thank you in advance!
Written January 17, 2019
Ciao a tutti! ad agosto sarò alle san blas e vorrei dormire a chichime ma non riesco a trovare alloggi da prenotare. Riuscite ad aiutarmi?!
Grazie mille
Written June 7, 2018
Ciao,
Prova a cercare su Facebook la pagina ufficiale delle isole e scrivere a loro un messaggio privato.
Saluti.
Written June 9, 2018
Hola! Vpy a estar visitando la isla por 2 noches y queria saber si alguien tuvo problemas con las cosas de valor (celulares, dinero, pasaportes). vamos a compartir cabaña y queria quedarme tranquila que no hay probkema con esas cosas
Written April 17, 2018
En que cabañas ? Ogob Nega ? Siempre me ha quedado en eses pero todas son privadas. Tengo confianza a los Guna pero no a todos los turistas de paseo ;-)
Written April 21, 2018
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