Things To Do in Archipielago de las Perlas

Shopping for Pearls -- Casaya Island is home to a very humble village with no electricity, and residents collect and sell pearls to visitors from their homes. There are no "stores" here; typically, when residents see a tourist walking by, they'll pop out with their glass jars and matchboxes that they use to store loose pearls, which are teeny-tiny, irregularly shaped, and varying in luster, costing from $5 to $25 (£2.50-£13). Don't expect to find any gems -- residents contact expert buyers as soon as they find anything valuable, so what's left over for tourists isn't particularly impressive. However, pearl buying can be fun, and it's a good way to support the floundering local economy. On Sunday, residents pour into the streets, drink a lot of warm beer (there's no electricity, remember), and hold cock fights that usually either repel or fascinate visitors. Otherwise, this is a low-key excursion, recommended more as a pleasant 1-hour boat ride to get to the Casaya and make contact with the locals. The average cost is $60 (£30) round-trip for a maximum of four people; ask your hotel to hook you up with a boatman, or find one at the Punta Galeón dock.