Guided Darien Jungle Experience - 5 Days / 4 Nights

4.5 (4 reviews) Panama City, Panama
Duration5 days
TicketMobile or paper ticket accepted
LanguagesEnglish, Spanish
Group sizeUp to 8 travelers

Overview

Enjoy a trip into raw nature, meeting ancient cultures and participating in their rituals and customs. We are offering expeditions into the Darien jungle for various different degrees of adventure levels. Your personal guide will customize your experience depending on your ambitions and physical constituency.

- All of our guides are experienced Embera men with an in-depth knowledge of the jungle and its flora and fauna.
- All of our guides speak fluent English and Spanish
- We give back to the community: Every booking supports the local tribes
- 24/7 customer support

What's included

  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Overnight Stay in La Tuira Hotel
  • Breakfast
  • Speedboat into La Chunga $40 each way
  • Water: Please bring your own water or water purification tablets
  • Meals in La Palma
  • Bus ticket from Panama City to Meteti $9
  • Bus ticket from Meteti to La Puerto Kimba $2
  • Miniboat via La Palma $4

What to expect

Day 1: Travel Day to La Palma
  1. La Palma
    12h
    This is a travel day. We will meet you at the Albrook bus terminal at 7:00am and will take the bus to La Palma, Darien. Upon arrival at the capital of the Darien province we will accompany you to the La Tuira hotel, where you will stay overnight to be ready for your jungle experience, starting the next day.
Day 2: Visit Palma Darien and boat ride on the Sambu river to the La Chunga village
  1. Darien National Park
    1 day · Admission ticket included
    At 6:30am you will be picked up from your hotel by one of our staff. After an information session and after a tour of the community you will embark on a fast two-hour boat ride through the beautiful bay of San Miguel before reaching the mouth of the Sambu river. As you progress deeper into the flooded rainforest, the landscape will change as your boat weaves through thick mangrove trees. After two hours we arrive at the Embera village of La Chunga. On the way you will see traditional Embera huts built on stilts and probably some specimen of the local fauna such egrets, herons and, with a bit of luck, a caiman lying on the muddy riversides.

    ​
Day 3: Hike in primary Rainforest
  1. Darien National Park
    1 day · Admission ticket included
    In the morning you will hike on one of the Corredor Biologico Bagre rainforest trails. This is an impressive journey under towering trees through a remarkable ecosystem with an incredible biodiversity: rare animal species such as the black-headed spider monkey (ateles fusciceps) can be spotted with a bit of luck. The beautifully colored poison darts frogs are often seen on the forest litter. Passing under the virescent canopy is like walking over hundreds of years of fallen leaves, billions of insects and more roots than God himself could map on a sunny afternoon. This place is so alive it makes the city seem barren, even with it's millions of people. Here life is at every level, in every direction, with more species that have ever been, and likely ever will be, classified.

    After dinner back in La Chunga, if weather allows, we will venture out again, into the dark, trying
    to spot some of the nocturnal species and listening to the jungle come alive.
Day 4: Cultural Interaction with the Emberas
  1. Darien National Park
    1 day · Admission ticket included
    You will discover more aspects of the rich Embera culture. Your hosts will tell you about their history, their political organization and take you to their fields surrounding the village. You will enjoy their traditional music and dances. They will explain you how they make their beautiful and unique handicrafts: delicately weaved baskets and masks made with two kinds of palm fibers for the women, spectacular wooden sculptures made of hard cocobolo wood and wonderful small art pieces made of vegetable ivory (tagua) for the men.

    If the weather allows it you will make a short night walk after dinner.
Day 5: Return from La Chunga Village to Panama City via Puerto Kimba
  1. Darien Province
    6h
    After saying goodbye to your Embera hosts, you will leave early in the morning, following the many river turns in the middle of the thick mangrove. You will come back to Puerto Kimba where the public bus will transfer back to Panama City.
    Note: Itineraries are not bound to specific hours of the day depending mainly on the tides
    of the Pacific Coast communities in Darien.

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point

We meet all travelers at the Albrook bus terminal at 7am. Your tour guide will be waiting next to the electric stairs inside the terminal with a sign saying TOUT Panama. The bus leaves at 7:30am. Please be on time.

End point

We meet all travelers at the Albrook bus terminal at 7am. Your tour guide will be waiting next to the electric stairs inside the terminal with a sign saying TOUT Panama. The bus leaves at 7:30am. Please be on time.

Additional information

  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Cancellation policy

If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.<br>If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.<br>If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.

Reviews

4.5 (4)
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