Darien Province, Panama

The Darien Gap is a remote, road-less swath of jungle on the border of Panama & Colombia. Known as a smuggling corridor between the two countries, it’s rarely seen by outsiders.

When asked what my favorite experiences are after 10-years of world travel, I usually describe camping on an erupting volcano in Guatemala, trekking through Afghanistan, or my journey into the remote Darien Gap.

The Darien has an almost mythical quality to it — a mysterious region full of exotic plants, rare wildlife, indigenous people, and dangerous paramilitary groups. It sits on the border between Panama and Colombia.

Largely untouched by the modern world, the Darien is one of the least visited places on the planet.

In the Fall of 2011 I spent 5 days exploring the Darien Gap with a friend. Cutting our way through this formidable wilderness with a machete to discover if these myths were true.

I hope my photos give you a fascinating glimpse into this unique part of Latin America.

End Of The Road

This simple footbridge in the town of Yaviza marks the only break in a 29,000 mile (48,000 km) stretch of road known as the Pan-American Highway, reaching down from Alaska to Argentina. This 100 mile section of impassible jungle between Central & South America is called the Darien Gap.

There are no roads that span the jungle here, only footpaths. While a handful of expeditions have crossed by land vehicles, it’s not something most people can accomplish unless you have well-financed team.

For those interested in driving their through from Panama to South America, you’d have to ship your vehicle across the ocean from Panama City to the town of Turbo, Colombia via cargo ship.

River Transportation In The Darien

Most of the Darien rainforest is roadless, so long Piragua canoes like this are the primary mode of transportation. Locals with some money are able to afford an outboard motor for it. But most propel themselves along with hand-made wooden paddles — which can be difficult due to strong river currents.

Traditional Emberá Home

The Emberá People build their homes up on stilts to protect against animals and flooding. We passed many such homes on our way through the region.

The log ladder up to the main level serves two purposes. Along with providing access to the home, if the notches are facing out visitors are welcome — if they are rolled under it means “do not disturb”. I thought that was pretty cool!

Panama Senafront Base

These guys may look like military soldiers, but technically they are Panama’s elite border police called Senafront. Drug smugglers use the Darien to transport their goods over the border from Colombia. Human trafficking is a popular activity too.

Because of all the criminal activity, access to most of the Darien without Senafront’s explicit permission is impossible. Before I could explore the Darien, I needed to request permission from Senafront in Panama City, and they informed me on how far I could travel into the jungle.

The situation is always changing, depending on what’s going on at the time. Sometimes the Darien is completely closed off to visitors, or certain locations are off-limits.

Poisonous Jungle Frogs

The Darien is home to many different species of poison frogs. While I’m not sure, this is possibly a Harlequin Toad — also known as a clown frog. The scientific name is Atelopus Varius. If that’s what it is, these frogs were thought to be extinct in Panama! Any frog experts out there?

The jungle gets crazy loud at night, when most of these creatures come out. If you think you’re going to have a peaceful night sleeping in the jungle, you’re dead wrong! It’s like a symphony of wildlife.

Darien National Park

The Darien National Park and biosphere has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. With proper permissions you can go hiking and camping inside, as we did.

It doesn’t get many visitors these days though, so a machete is useful for clearing the many overgrown trails.

Jungle Scorpion

There are all kinds of creatures in the Darien jungle that can be dangerous. Like this black scorpion we found hiking.

The area is also home to painful fire ants, deadly fer-de-lance snakes, jaguars, bot flies which lay eggs under your skin, wild pigs, and other animals you probably don’t want to meet.

Chunga Palm Tree

This tree does not like to be hugged. You’ve been warned, hippies! The Chunga Palm (also called Black Palm) is found throughout the rainforests of the Darien. Their long, very sharp, bacteria-covered spines can be pretty nasty if you’re not careful. Contracting a horrible infection in the middle of the jungle is not recommended.

Plantain Banana Farm

Many indigenous people who live in the Darien earn money growing plantain bananas, which are then shipped upriver to Yaviza and eventually sold in Panama City.

This is a relatively new development though, as money was not a priority until hunting was banned in the National Park. Now they need to pay for their food because they can’t hunt for it.

Indigenous Tribes Of The Region

This girl came out in the rain to say hello with some other kids as we stopped at a riverside security checkpoint in the Wounaan village of Vista Alegre. A few minutes after this photo was taken, the kids helped me save our canoe from floating down the river with all my gear inside…

Dangerous FARC Guerrillas

Meet Gilberto Torres Muñetón aka “The Calf” a commander of the notorious Colombian FARC anti-government guerrillas. Wanted for drug trafficking, arms smuggling, kidnappings, and a bombing that killed 80 people along the border of Panama & Colombia. We saw quite a few of these wanted posters.

Security Checkpoints

Private Wilson here guards a Senafront checkpoint on the road into the Darien. The Panamanian Government is trying to re-claim the jungle from smugglers, bandits, and paramilitary groups. So there are plenty of camouflage uniforms & machine guns around.

Fishing The Turia River

One day our Kuna guide Isaac took us hand-line fishing on the Turia River outside the village of El Real. This was our catch that afternoon, some of which we proceeded to cook up and eat for dinner. The rivers are absolutely full of fish! Throw your line in and 1 or 2 minutes later something was attached to it.

Kuna Indian Woman

This is Mariana, she stopped by to say hello along with her husband. They showed off some of their handicrafts, like this colorful Mola bag. The Kuna are just one of 3 major indigenous groups that call the Darien jungle home. The others are called the Embera and the Wounan.

Darien Gap Flooding

Flooding is a big problem during the rainy season in Darien Province. I experienced this first-hand when trying to leave the area. A river broke its bank and submerged the road, forcing everyone to pay for boat rides over to the next dry section of land about 300 yards away.

Plantain Banana Farmers

The Darien isn’t only populated with indigenous people. Panamanians and Colombians have moved into the area to start plantain banana farms, cattle ranches, and logging operations. This local farmer ended up hitchhiking with us in the back of a truck, his horse trotting along behind.

Jungle Consumption

The heat, humidity, and plant life of a rainforest will destroy anything in its path. Like this old house. Sunlight is prime real estate, and everyone (and everything) wants in on the action. If left alone this building would quickly get eaten-up by the jungle.

Swollen Turia River

This is the mighty Turia River, a main artery of transportation in the Darien Gap. The river is dark & swollen from heavy October rains. We slowly motored up the river for 5 hours heading to the village of Boca de Cupe, where I was soon expelled by Senafront soldiers who feared for my safety.

Canoe Ride In The Rain

Heading back to the village in a Piragua canoe after a rainy afternoon of fishing. This is my guide’s son in the front of the boat.

The relaxed pace of life, interesting things to see, and complete lack of tourism are why Panama’s Darien Gap has been one of my most memorable experiences to date. ★

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

Navigating the Darien’s Rio Turia

Boca de Cupe, Panama

After traveling through the Darien Gap by piragua canoe to visit a remote jungle village, I was forced to leave when security forces kicked me out.

The Darien is a swath of roadless wilderness between Panama & Colombia that’s full of mystery & intrigue. For years it’s been known as a haven for criminals, drug smugglers, and anti-government guerrilla groups.

Understandably most travelers decide to avoid the area, sailing around or flying over it instead.

But after speaking with a few individuals who had recently made the journey inside, I determined that it was safe enough to attempt a trip. Panama’s elite border security force Senafront has built up a strong presence in much of the region.

While the Darien Gap is by no means danger-free, it’s safer than it was just a few years ago.

My morning started in the village of El Real. I said goodbye to my Brazilian friend Gabriel as he hitched a ride to Yaviza via canoe to catch a local bus back to Panama City.

Unfortunately he did not have the proper permissions to continue further with me.

From here on it would just be myself and Isaac — a local guide from the Kuna indigenous tribe.

Indigenous Stilt Homes Along the River

Traveling Through the Darien Jungle

We began loading our skinny 25-foot long wooden piragua canoe with gas & supplies for the 5 hour trip up the Turia River to the village of Boca de Cupe. The simple craft used a small outboard motor to power us through the river’s current.

Of course it was raining when we finally pulled out onto the water. October is the heart of the rainy season here.

Rain had been a constant companion while trekking through the wilderness of Darien National Park for the past 3 days. We were well accustomed to it at this point.

Our piragua cut through the wet & humid air making it’s way deeper into the jungle over a highway of silty brown water.

Traditional thatched-roof homes built by the Emberá people were perched on stilts along the riverbank.

Local indigenous families floated past us in their own piraguas loaded full of plantain bananas, the primary cash crop in this remote region of the world.

Wounaan Children of Vista Alegre

Police Checkpoints

We were forced to stop at Vista Alegre, a small Wounaan tribal village with a riverside security checkpoint. It was a simple military bunker made from sandbags and camouflage netting.

Hard looking men with automatic weapons took my passport and letter of permission, trying to decide what to do with me.

A posse of local Wounaan children came out to inspect me along with the soldiers — gringos are a rarity in these parts.

It was then that some children noticed my piragua canoe had broken loose from the dock, and was quickly floating down the swollen Turia river without us! 8O

We raced through the mud while one boy actually jumped into the swift moving river and saved the boat (and all my gear) before it was lost.

After pulling it back upstream and securing it to a dock, the soldiers finally told me that we’d been approved and would be allowed to continue on our journey.

Senafront Soldiers in the Darien Gap

Town of Boca de Cupe

For 5 long hours we slowly pushed our way up the winding Rio Turia in the pouring rain — passing by the villages of Unión de Chocó, Yape, and Capeti. But my discomfort was lessened as I listened to the songs of exotic birds & searched along the river’s muddy banks for Caimans (part of the alligator/crocodile family).

Eventually our destination came into view.

The town of Boca de Cupe is located on the Turia River, about 20 miles from the Colombian border. Some 30% of it’s inhabitants are Colombian refugees.

In the 1900’s Boca de Cupe was an integral part of the British-owned Cana gold mines, where ore was transported through the jungle via single-gage railway before getting shipped downriver to the coast.

But prior to British control, the Cana mines were owned by the Spanish in the 1700’s. British & French pirates frequently ransacked the very lucrative gold producing area.

Streets of Boca de Cupe

A History of Violence

In more recent times, the area around Boca de Cupe has been a hotbed of Colombian guerrilla activity. There are good reasons why travelers have avoided the Darien Gap region over the last 20 years.

• In 1993 three American missionaries were abducted from a nearby village and later murdered.
• In 1996 twenty armed men & women attacked Boca de Cupe, stole supplies from the health clinic, and kidnapped a local store owner.
• In 1997 the female commander of a M56 Colombian guerrilla force led an attack on the town. They took supplies, money, and weapons after burning the police station to the ground.
• In 2000 the British travelers Tom Hart Dyke & Paul Winder were kidnaped by Colombian FARC guerrillas while searching the Darien jungle for rare orchids. After being held for 9 months deep in the wilderness, they were set free.
• In 2003 National Geographic writer Robert Young Pelton and two others were taken after 4 local indigenous men were murdered in the nearby village of Paya by the AUC paramilitary group. The Americans were eventually released in Colombia a week later.

All these incidents and more began to humiliate the Panamanian government, who eventually stepped up efforts to control their lawless & wild backyard.

These days Boca de Cupe is full of Senafront border soldiers dressed in military fatigues, patrolling the town’s concrete pathways armed with assault rifles.

Soldiers on Patrol

Meeting with the Comandante

We pulled our piragua up to an embankment and began unloading gear as a soldier quietly looked on. When finished, he escorted us through town past dozens of curious onlookers. Time to check in with the Comandante of the Senafront base.

Inside the fortified building I spied a giant .50 caliber machine gun leaning against a wall..

Technically Senafront isn’t a military organization, as Panama’s standing army was dissolved after the 1989 US invasion. Officially they are tasked with protecting the country’s border, and are actually considered police.

But Senafront’s security forces all wear camouflage uniforms, often live deep inside the jungle, carry large automatic weapons, and conduct military-style offensives against Colombia’s guerrilla groups.

Sure, maybe they don’t have the power to invade another country, but they are definitely unlike any other police force I’ve ever seen…

The commander spoke some English, which up to this point had been very rare here inside the Darien. I explained that my plan was to spend the night in Boca de Cupe, and I had all the proper paperwork.

He would make some radio calls to headquarters back in Panama City to confirm.

Reluctantly Leaving Boca de Cupe

Kicked Out of Town!

Isaac and I checked ourselves into a cheap dormitory where I changed and cleaned up. As soon as we went looking for a place to eat, some local “women of the night” quickly found us and wanted to know if we needed any company.

They were obviously amused to have a white guy in town.

We brushed them off and found a cantina that served food. This place was filled with sketchy looking characters. Younger guys with fancy clothes & jewelry that didn’t quite fit this poor & remote jungle town.

Drug smuggling from Colombia to Panama is still very rampant within the Darien… but I couldn’t be sure, and didn’t feel comfortable asking them what they did for work.

After a few $0.60 beers and a $2 meal, it was time to head back to the base. It was there I learned that I would not be allowed to spend the evening in Boca de Cupe. :(

Reason: They were afraid I’d get robbed in the middle of the night.

Unfortunately this meant we must leave town immediately, before the evening river curfew took effect.

A curfew is in place to make it more difficult for drug smugglers & paramilitary groups to operate on the river at night.

There was no talking my way out of this one. After a long & uncomfortable five-hour river journey through the jungle in the pouring rain just to get here, I’d now have to turn around and do it all over again to go back!

We reluctantly loaded our gear into the piragua, fired up the outboard motor, and left the village. The town of Boca de Cupe would ultimately be the furthest I could get inside the notorious Darien Gap.

But I’m happy I went, as it was quite an experience. :D

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Packing Guide

Check out my travel gear guide to help you start packing for your trip. Pick up a travel backpack, camera gear, and other useful travel accessories.

Book Your Flight

Book cheap flights on Skyscanner, my favorite airline search engine to find deals. Also read my tips for how I find the cheapest flights.

Rent A Car

Discover Cars is a great site for comparing car prices to find the best deal. They search both local & international rental companies.

Book Accommodation

Booking.com is my favorite hotel search engine. Or rent local apartments on Airbnb ($35 discount!). Read my post for tips on booking cheap hotels.

Protect Your Trip

Don’t forget travel insurance! I’m a big fan of World Nomads for short-term trips. Protect yourself from possible injury & theft abroad. Read more about why you should always carry travel insurance.
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This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

Modern Panama City Skyline

Panama City, Panama

Panama City is not like other cities in Central America. A unique mixture of modern skyscrapers and crumbling neighborhoods full of history.

I spent a couple months living in Panama City, giving me plenty of time to explore it’s diverse streets. Central America’s biggest metropolitan area is growing rapidly. It’s often called “The Miami of the South”. But many of the high-rise skyscrapers you see are actually empty or not yet finished.

The city center has moved a few times over the centuries after pirates like Henry Morgan destroyed it. In the past Panama City was also used as a Spanish base for gold exploration and the conquest of many countries, including Peru in South America.

In 1989 the United States invaded Panama, destroying parts of the city with bombing. The invasion’s aim was to get rid of Panama’s dictator General Manuel Noriega, who had worked for the CIA under President Bush for over 20 years as a paid informant (supporting foreign dictators seems to be a common theme for the United States).

In this photo essay I attempt to reveal the many different sides of Panama City. Enjoy! :)

Beach Front Property

Old Casco Viejo Neighborhood

Panama City Police Force

Diablo Rojo Public Bus

Wildly Popular Panama Lottery

The Presidential Palace

Panama City Fish Market

New Skyscraper Construction

Cathedral Metropolitana Panama City

Panama City Fishing Boats

War-Torn El Chorillo Neighborhood

Squatter Buildings with Character

[su_box title=”Travel Planning Resources for Panama City” style=”noise” box_color=”#333333″ title_color=”#FFFFFF” radius=”3″ class=”resource-box”]

Packing Guide

Check out my travel gear guide to help you start packing for your trip. Pick up a travel backpack, camera gear, and other useful travel accessories.

Book Your Flight

Book cheap flights on Skyscanner, my favorite airline search engine to find deals. Also read my tips for how I find the cheapest flights.

Rent A Car

Discover Cars is a great site for comparing car prices to find the best deal. They search both local & international rental companies.

Book Accommodation

Booking.com is my favorite hotel search engine. Or rent local apartments on Airbnb ($35 discount!). Read my post for tips on booking cheap hotels.

Protect Your Trip

Don’t forget travel insurance! I’m a big fan of World Nomads for short-term trips. Protect yourself from possible injury & theft abroad. Read more about why you should always carry travel insurance.
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Which of the above shots is your favorite & why? Let me know in the comments!

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

Fishing in the Darien

El Real, Panama

Fishing is a major source of food and income for the indigenous people of Panama’s Darien provence. We joined them in an attempt to catch our dinner.

My buddy Gabriel and I had just finished trekking for a few days through the rainforest in Darien National Park, and were now staying with a local Kuna family in the village of El Real.

The rainy season was in full swing. But after a few days of it, you soon get accustomed to wearing wet clothes all the time.

Hand-line fishing in the rain now sounded like a lot of fun.

So our Kuna guide Isaac, his brother Alberto, and Isaac Jr. handed us a pair of hand-carved wooden paddles for the journey down-river. Our transportation? A Piragua. This traditional wooden canoe had been used in the Darien for hundreds of years.

Crocodiles Like Gringos

Walking down to the dock in the rain, we passed a cantina full of drunk Colombians. It was 2pm. They spied our paddles and called us over to warn against falling into the river. Didn’t we know the water is full of hungry crocodiles?

After displaying our expert piragua paddling skills in an attempt to ease their fears, they unanimously agreed we were goners. They forced us to have a last dance with them before we became crocodile food…

Thanks for the vote of confidence guys.

Transportation on the Turia River

Navigating the Turia River

Piragua canoes are very long and skinny. They tip easily. All my life I’ve been told not to stand up in a canoe because it will tip over. So I was more than a bit nervous attempting to maneuver our craft the traditional indigenous way — standing up.

The water was murky and brown. It seemed impossible to tell how many man-eating crocodiles were lurking under the surface, just waiting for me to make a mistake.

But soon Gabriel and I got the hang of it. We paddled our way down a tributary that would eventually push us out to the mighty Turia river. The rainfall began to increase, but because of the heat, it was very refreshing.

A shower from heaven in the middle of the wilderness, with the smell of rainforest humidity in the air.

Now the Turia river came into view, swollen and moving fast. It’s powerful current propelled us forward. Concentration was needed in order to avoid floating trees and other debris in the water.

Isaac pointed out a favorite fishing spot on the far bank.

Gabriel Waiting for a Bite

Fishing Without A Fishing Pole

The people of the Darien fish with nets or simple spools of fishing line. No one uses fishing rods here. They are expensive and unnecessary. A heavy-duty line, a few lead sinkers, a sharp hook, and wiggling worms are the only tools needed.

So after securing our boat to a tree so we wouldn’t float away in the fast-moving water, we baited our hooks and tried to cast the lines without ripping each other’s eyes out in the process.

This involves whipping the line over your head like a rodeo lasso, releasing at just the right moment in order to reach a good distance.

After many sad & embarrassing attempts, we were eventually able to cast without triggering bouts of hysterical laughter from our Kuna Indian friends.

Catching Fresh Fish

Having Some Trouble…

In the beginning, everyone was catching fish but me. Over and over again they’ed pull them out of the water. This river was absolutely filled with fish! Some were beautiful looking too. Shimmering rainbow colors and fins that moved in a hypnotic sine-wave type fashion.

Suddenly I got my first bite! Firmly setting the hook, I began pulling it in hand over hand…

Damn. More hysterical laughter erupted from the boat as I proudly displayed the 6-inch long monster I’d managed to wrestle on board.

Redeeming My Manhood

I threw the baby fish back into the river, and loaded my hook with a big fat juicy worm. Determined to catch something of value, I whipped the line back out on the water. It wasn’t long before I received another bite!

My excitement grew as I began to real it in.

This was no minnow, I could feel it was big.

Everyone cheered as I finally pulled up a large Macana. This strange looking fish with a constantly waving bottom fin was around 18 inches long. Much more respectable.

I could now return to the village with pride and hold my head high. :D

Catch of the Day!

Into Dark Waters

We tried a few more fishing spots, spending about 3 hours out on the Turia river. It was peaceful and quiet. The rain continued on & off over the course of the afternoon.

Isaac started to pull a new fish into the boat, when suddenly one of our previous catches tried to make a break for it! He flopped out of the wooden canoe in a last-ditch effort to escape…

Trying to grab at the slippery animal before it went under, Isaac inadvertently knocked Gabriel’s pair of $200 sunglasses into the water. Shit.

Isaac quickly jumped into the brown river that reached about neck-high, motioning for Gabriel to join him in the search for his glasses. “We can only be in here for 15 minutes” said Isaac. “After that, crocodiles will come and investigate the splashing”.

I decided to let the two of them search the zero-visibility water without my help. After all, someone needed to have a video camera ready to record their last words.

Keep em’ Coming!

End Of A Good Day

Exactly 15 minutes of nervous underwater searching attempts later, they gave up. Oh well. It was just “stuff” after all. In my opinion, stuff is overrated. Since I began traveling long-term, I’ve been trying to get rid of as much of it as I can.

I’d happily part with fancy sunglasses to experience this adventure. Gabriel agreed.

We headed back in our traditional piragua using a small outboard motor this time. Gas is over $5 a gallon down here, but trying to paddle up the powerful Rio Turia current would have taken us all night.

Returning to the village victorious with a boat full of fish, and all our arms & legs intact, Isaac’s wife fried-up a portion of our catch for dinner that night.

I slung my hammock in a back room, drifting off to sleep with a full belly. ★

[su_box title=”Travel Planning Resources for El Real, Panama” style=”noise” box_color=”#333333″ title_color=”#FFFFFF” radius=”3″ class=”resource-box”]

Packing Guide

Check out my travel gear guide to help you start packing for your trip. Pick up a travel backpack, camera gear, and other useful travel accessories.

Book Your Flight

Book cheap flights on Skyscanner, my favorite airline search engine to find deals. Also read my tips for how I find the cheapest flights.

Rent A Car

Discover Cars is a great site for comparing car prices to find the best deal. They search both local & international rental companies.

Book Accommodation

Booking.com is my favorite hotel search engine. Or rent local apartments on Airbnb ($35 discount!). Read my post for tips on booking cheap hotels.

Protect Your Trip

Don’t forget travel insurance! I’m a big fan of World Nomads for short-term trips. Protect yourself from possible injury & theft abroad. Read more about why you should always carry travel insurance.
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Have you ever fished with a hand-line before? Share your opinion in the comments below!

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

Darien Gap, Panama

Pain suddenly shot through my arm, awakening me in the middle of the night. That was soon followed by no feeling at all. Poison had rendered it completely useless.

Hanging between two trees deep inside the Darien jungle, I was now unable to move my arm.

Surprise. Disorientation. Shock.

Struggling in the dark (with only one arm) to break free of my camping-hammock cocoon, I was finally able to step down into an ankle-deep mud and search for help in the pouring rain.

What the hell just bit me?!

Gabriel, my travel companion from Brazil, along with Isaac, our Kuna Indian guide, had both chosen to sleep inside a wooden shelter here at the Rancho Frio ranger station in Darien National Park. I was the only stubborn one who insisted on sleeping outside.

My reason? Listening to the rainforest animals at night. Now I was paying the price for that decision… the animals were attacking me.

Damn you animals! I thought you were my friends?

Another Round of Chicha Please!

We’d spent the night hiking into Darien National Park after drinking a type of local indigenous moonshine called “Chicha Fuerte”. It’s a sweet, home-fermented corn liquor with a big kick.

Imagine warm kool-aid and 190 proof grain alcohol with bits of corn floating around.

Mmmmm. Feel the burn!

Actually, the stuff is illegal. But everyone makes it down here anyway, including the Emberá family we stopped to chat with on our way into the rainforest.

There are three different indigenous groups that live in this region. The Kuna, Emberá, and Wounaan tribes. Sometimes the Emberá & Wounaan are collectively known as the Chocó, but they aren’t big fans of that term.

At first, our Emberá hosts told us that they didn’t have any Chicha Fuerte with them. But after chatting for a bit and having a few laughs, out came the hidden plastic jug and a single cup with which to share the forbidden liquid.

Hunting For Dinner

As sunlight quickly disappeared in the Darien Gap, we thanked our hosts, strapped on headlamps, sharpened our machetes, and began marching into the jungle. For provisions, we’d packed a couple gallons of fresh water, a sack of rice, oatmeal, and a few cans of fish.

To supplement this diet we gathered fresh tasty bananas & green oranges from the trees.

There were plenty of river crossings to maneuver through as well, and we occasionally stopped in them to go fishing…

With our machetes. In complete darkness.

How to Fish with a Machete:

Step 1: Stand in cold river water.
Step 2: Shine headlamp down at your feet.
Step 3: Wait for something to swim past.
Step 4: Hack it to death with rusty machete.
Step 5: Make sure you have all your toes.

Using this method, we caught 2 fish, 3 river-shrimp, and 1 freshwater crab. Arriving at camp after the 3-hour hike through the darkness, our captured critters were boiled in a pot and mixed with rice and plantains for a hearty jungle meal! It was all washed down with steaming cups of freshly-cut lemongrass tea.

These organically harvested calories would be used to fuel our hike up Pirre Mountain the next day.

Dark & Wet Journey

The day after my arm was attacked in the middle of the night (rumor has it I screamed when stung, but because I don’t recall that specific detail, I’ll just pretend it didn’t happen), we readied ourselves for the climb up Cerro Pirre, the first real mountain before you hit the Colombian border range.

It was October, and the Darien’s wet season was in full swing.

The rain came pouring down for most of the day and brought 100% humidity with it. The trail was steep, muddy, and overgrown with jungle. Singing birds and monkey sightings helped us forget about the wet hiking conditions though.

Overcast skies combined with thick jungle foliage conspired to block out most of the sun’s rays. A constant twilight surrounded us.

Everything Is Hazardous

Darien National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s also one of the world’s top birding destinations.

But with the area’s notorious reputation as a hideout for paramilitary groups, drug smugglers, and other criminals, the park doesn’t get too many visitors.

Luckily the only dangers we faced were scorpions in rotten trees, a coral snake lying in wait along the trail, and repeatedly walking face-first into Orb-Weaver spider webs on the night hike back down the mountain.

Always wash your hands after handling a poison dart frog too.

Fresh Jaguar tracks were discovered in the mud — but these big cats are actually pretty shy and would much rather keep their distance from stinky hikers like us…

Experience Of A Lifetime

On the third day of our Darien National Park expedition, we trekked out to a beautiful waterfall that worked perfectly as a 30-foot long natural water slide. Playing in the cold river was a welcome relief from the constant rainforest heat.

After collecting & treating more drinking water for the 5-hour hike out, we eventually made our way back to the village of El Real, saving some time by hitchhiking part of the way in the back of a (very rare) pickup truck.

Finally, we checked in with the military again — reassuring them that we hadn’t been kidnapped by rebel forces.

What About My Arm?

As for what attacked me in the middle of the night, it is still a mystery. The creature didn’t leave much of a mark, and my arm felt fine after about 30 minutes.

Our Kuna guide Isaac suggested it was some type of insect, maybe a small scorpion, but there is no way to know what without seeing the culprit first-hand.

I just hope there isn’t some alien creature growing inside my arm, preparing to pop out and say hello at some future date. ★

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

Darien Gap Police Checkpoint

“Vamos!” snaps the heavily armed man dressed in military fatigues. We reluctantly follow him and his AK-47 off our disco school bus and stumble into the morning light.

The Pan-American Highway is a 29,800 mile network of roads that runs all the way from the state of Alaska down to the southern tip of Argentina in South America.

This almost continuous stretch of interconnected pavement has but one break – a short 60 mile section of remote rainforest between Panama & Colombia with a dangerous reputation.

Traveling into the Darién Gap

The journey started around 3 am back in Panama City when I boarded a colorful Diablo Rojo public bus along with 2 other gringos: 25 year old Gabriel from Brazil and 49 year old Susan from the United States. We met each other for the first time at a yachtie bar the night before, with the common goal of exploring one of the least-visited spots in the Americas.

Thick tropical jungle eventually swallows up the highway’s northern section at a little Panamanian town called Yaviza, 30 miles from the Colombian border.

Our first obstacle to entering the Darién Gap was simply making our way towards this isolated backwater village known as a haven for smugglers, prostitutes, and fugitives.

Just because there’s a road that leads to Yaviza doesn’t mean you can simply hop on a bus and go.

More Roadblocks on Our Way to Yaviza

A Notorious Reputation

Due to the Darien’s history of drug running, kidnapping, weapons smuggling, and anti-government guerrilla activity, access into the area is highly restricted. Special permissions are needed for non-locals to enter; and even though we had obtained formal approval, our trip down was anything but smooth.

The three of us attempted to rest during the first pre-dawn leg of the journey, but sleep was almost impossible while bumping along in an old American school bus with busted shocks, squealing brakes, blaring Colombian music and a powerful multi-colored disco light that bedazzled the interior every time the driver opened the door for additional passengers.

So 4 hours later when we finally arrived at our first police checkpoint in the village of Agua Fría, we were all a bit slow to move.

Once off the bus, a young officer takes our passports and starts peppering us with questions in Spanish.

Where are we headed? What is our mission? Who are we meeting with?

The short road-side interrogation abruptly ends when he tells us we must turn around and go back…

You’re Joking, Right?

It seems no one from the Senafront base (Panama’s border police) has informed him about 3 gringos traveling into the Darién. He explains to us that this province is a dangerous place. We are restricted from going any further.

I was afraid of this. We plead with him to contact the base via radio and talk to the commander. We’ve all definitely received permission to travel past these roadblocks, they’ve simply forgotten to notify him about it!

The three of us are not about to give up that easily though, and we persist with our objections. He eventually gives in and makes the call. Thirty minutes later we’ve got the green light to continue on our quest. :D

Meanwhile, about 20 locals traveling on the bus with us have also been forced to wait. Understandably they aren’t too happy.

But before we can head out, there’s a new problem. Our fabulous pink & white disco bus won’t start. The driver and his assistant pop open the hood to inspect the engine, giving us a great close-up view of the professionally airbrushed naked lady on the front.

Trying to Fix our Disco Bus

Saved by a Female Mechanic!

Susan, our slightly spaced-out but rugged travel companion and jungle survivalist from the US, offers to help fix the bus with her years of experience working on yacht engines.

But in Latin America, a woman giving advice to a man about how to fix an engine is outright offensive! They absolutely refuse to listen to her.

Of course, her diagnosis is correct though, and once the men reluctantly act on her advice, we’re able to drive onward again towards our goal. Yaviza.

The landscape outside our windows is a mixture of clear-cut cattle farms & dubious looking logging operations. Some of these old-growth jungle trees are so monstrous in size that only a single one will fit on the logging trucks flying past us along the rutted highway.

Giant swaths of rainforest were soon destroyed on both sides of this road once it was completed. Further deforestation is one of the many arguments against finally completing a route over to South America in the future.

Nothing is Easy in the Darién…

It’s now 9:30 am and we are forced to stop at another police checkpoint outside the town of Metetí. Even though the bus is full, we are the only ones who are asked for our IDs. Three foreigners who don’t belong here.

By this time we’re confident the whole process will go smoothly though because everything was squared away at the last roadblock. Right?

Nope.

Once more we’re forced to file off the bus to explain ourselves, and yet again these soldiers-masquerading-as-police must radio headquarters in Panama City. But now it takes even longer, over an hour.

None of these outposts seem to talk to each other at all!

In the meantime, our bus has (understandably) become tired of waiting for us to argue with these guys at each stop, and it finally decides to just leave us and take off. With all our gear still inside!

There’s nothing we can do. Our backpacks are gone, and if we try to run after the bus we’re likely to get shot by the angry-looking $%#&er in the lookout tower over the road.

We beg the police to stop the bus, or to let us go after it. They completely ignore us.

End of the Road: Yaviza

Will We Make It To The Darien?

But once our permissions to travel to Yaviza have finally been confirmed, a sympathetic commander relents and radios ahead for a taxi to take our bags off the bus and bring them back.

Reunited with our gear again, we jump into a local collectivo (public taxi-van) and continue on over the deteriorating highway towards Yaviza.

Around noon we pull into a shabby looking town with homes perched on stilts along the side of a winding brown jungle river. People move about in the street, loading up giant dump-trucks full of plantain bananas brought down via dugout-canoe from indigenous plantations upriver.

The great Pan-American highway narrows into a simple path that ends with a suspension footbridge hanging over the water.

At last! 145 miles and 9 hours later we’ve arrived at the end of the road.

Welcome to Yaviza. Unofficial entrance to the Darién Gap.

Who knows what adventures await us inside…

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Location/Map: Yaviza, Panama

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This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.