I had a truly transformative experience, surrounded by the beauty of the ocean and the idyllic islands. Meeting lovely people along the way have added to the richness of my journey, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

It’s clear that the crew, José and Francisco, played a significant role in making my trip special on the Santana Catamaran. Their dedication and attention to detail not only ensured everything was well organized but also created an atmosphere where i could fully relax and enjoy the moment. Francisco’s culinary skills was next level.! He did some magic in the kitchen.!
I would def. recommend a trip like this. It‘s worth every dollar.!

Everything was perfect on the Santana; the food, the islands, the crew working the boat and all the other guests we met. Jose and Francisco are really good at what they do, kept the guests informed and up to date, and are just really cool guys. Thanks again Jose and Francisco for the highlight of our year long trip through Latin America! 10/10

MUST-DO on your Central/Southamerica trip!

If you are wondering, whether this trip is worth it (the money) and whether you should do it: DO IT!

We absolutely loved it!
Do it with the crew: José, Francisco, Maxi
Do it with the boat: Santana (catamaran)

Why? Four reasons:

1. The Crew:
Choose your crew wisely when booking this tour! Your crew is responsible for not only your safety (!) but also for your well-being on board.

Our captain José Gordillo made us feel very safe on board, which was particularly important for me since I was quite nervous about the open sea crossing.

Francisco, co-captain, was talking English very well, which also made me feel very safe (it does help if you have the feeling you can communicate well).
AND he was an exceptionally good cook.

Which leads us to reason number two:

2. The Food

I am really not exaggerating here – each meal – and there are three of them per day – was incredibly good. The food was fresh, healthy and tasty. Lots of fruits and veggies. Lots of variation. We really did not expect those kind of meals on a sailing boat with limited space and facilities.
Thank you Francisco for this culinary highlight!

3. The boat:

We chose a catamaran for more stability since I was quite afraid of the open sea part. It turned out to be very smooth so luckily no huge waves or panic moments. Some people who are very sensitive to sea sickness still took a few pills but for everyone who never had problems with that no pills were needed. We read and heard that the open sea crossing can be rough though. So be mentally and medically prepared for that!

Besides from stability catamarans have another huge advantage:

… space on deck.

For everyone comfortably chilling on the boat during the day, sunbathing, reading, taking a beer, and so on.
Here another thank you to the crew always putting up the sun cover,etc to make it comfortable to chill on the boat!

… space for sleeping

We slept in the “dorm” which is – covered area on deck. It’s next to/part of the common area during the day. You have way less privacy there than in the cabins below deck but also a way more “open” feeling when sleeping. I did get a little nervous in ships before in narrow spaces. Sleeping on deck was perfect for me for that reason. You can easily look and get out anytime. And you also get lots of fresh ocean air when sleeping. You don’t get wet from rain or waves if you are wondering about that while reading this.

And last but not least the most obvious:

4. The Carribean Dream Destination SAN BLAS ISLANDS

We anchored before the most beautiful, picturesque carribean islands you can imagine. We snorcheled, played volleyball, found huge shells, swam on dream beaches. It was unreal.

The cherry on the cake for us was the people we did this tour with. You can ask blue sailing for the age and nationality of the people who already booked the trip. It can make a difference to travel with e.g. people your own age. You spend five days on limited space together after all.

We recommend this experience 100% with José and Francisco on Santana!