The San Blas Islands look like paradise. Photographer Scott Sporleder has proof.

ONLY 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.