What It's Like Inside Panama's Notorious Darien Gap

2017-03-23T16:37:49Z

The INSIDER Summary:

The Darien Gap is a patch of impenetrable rainforest that breaks up the world's longest road.
"Expert Vagabond" Matthew Karsten spent five days exploring it.
It's a dangerous area, but the locals were friendly and the scenery was gorgeous.

There comes a time in every overlander's journey on the Pan-American Highway from Alaska to Argentina when they simply can't go on — not because they've become weary and can't fathom the road ahead, but because there simply is no road ahead.

The system of roads that connects North, Central, and South America continues uninterrupted for 30,000 miles — with one exception.

A dense patch of insurmountable rainforest called the Darien Gap breaks up the world's longest road. Upon reaching its entrance in Panama, travelers are forced to bypass it by loading their vehicles onto a ferry into Colombia.

Matthew Karsten has been traveling the world for six years as a blogger and photographer on Expert Vagabond, and he wasn't deterred by reports of drug gangs, kidnappings, poisonous animals, frequent flooding, and forests so thick that walking even a few feet requires a machete. He wanted to see it for himself.

Here's what his five days exploring the Darien Gap looked like.

The Pan-American Highway is a system of roads about 30,000 miles long, which stretches through North, Central, and South America.

The Darien Gap is its only break — 100 miles of remote swampland with no roads and no rules.

It's full of poisonous animals though.

Matt Karsten (center) heard from other travelers that it was "an impenetrable jungle full of indigenous people and lawlessness that everyone had to sail around."

Naturally, he decided to venture inside.

In order to enter, he had to obtain permission from Senafront, Panama's border police who patrol the region.

"The Darien has a dangerous reputation, even among locals in Panama," Karsten said. "Drug smuggling and human trafficking are a big problem, and several tourists have been kidnapped or killed over the years by drug gangs and paramilitary groups that hide out in this super remote and largely ignored wilderness."

"Exploring the Darien felt like a true adventure into the unknown," he said.

Canoes serve as the primary mode of transportation through the rainforest.

For some, shuttling people and cargo up and down the rivers is a source of income.

Others harvest plantains for shipment into Panama City.

The drug trade from Colombia is also a lucrative pursuit.

darien/farc wanted poster — A "wanted" poster for a commander of FARC, an anti-government guerrilla group. Matthew Karsten/Expert Vagabond

Locals invited him to fish, eat dinner, and drink homemade moonshine with them.

"Being a tall white-skinned foreigner, it was hard for anyone to miss me," he said.

He was struck by the poverty and basic living conditions in the area.

"The local people there lead difficult lives," he said.

He also became well-acquainted with the local wildlife, including snakes, birds, insects, fish, and poisonous frogs.

"The diversity of plants and animals in the Darien was incredible — thick rainforest for as far as your eye could see," he said.

"With no roads, you were forced to travel by canoe or on foot, exposed to the elements."

He gained a new appreciation for this insular and often inaccessible site, one that he hadn't known much about before.

"It felt wonderful to be surrounded by so much nature, alone with your thoughts in the middle of a jungle wilderness," he said.

This guy spent 5 days exploring one of the world's most dangerous places — here's what it was like

The Pan-American Highway is a system of roads about 30,000 miles long, which stretches through North, Central, and South America.

The Darien Gap is its only break — 100 miles of remote swampland with no roads and no rules.

Matt Karsten (center) heard from other travelers that it was "an impenetrable jungle full of indigenous people and lawlessness that everyone had to sail around."

Naturally, he decided to venture inside.

In order to enter, he had to obtain permission from Senafront, Panama's border police who patrol the region.

"Exploring the Darien felt like a true adventure into the unknown," he said.

Canoes serve as the primary mode of transportation through the rainforest.

For some, shuttling people and cargo up and down the rivers is a source of income.

Others harvest plantains for shipment into Panama City.

The drug trade from Colombia is also a lucrative pursuit.

Locals invited him to fish, eat dinner, and drink homemade moonshine with them.

He was struck by the poverty and basic living conditions in the area.

He also became well-acquainted with the local wildlife, including snakes, birds, insects, fish, and poisonous frogs.

"The diversity of plants and animals in the Darien was incredible — thick rainforest for as far as your eye could see," he said.

He gained a new appreciation for this insular and often inaccessible site, one that he hadn't known much about before.

"It felt wonderful to be surrounded by so much nature, alone with your thoughts in the middle of a jungle wilderness," he said.

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This guy spent 5 days exploring one of the world's most dangerous places — here's what it was like

The Pan-American Highway is a system of roads about 30,000 miles long, which stretches through North, Central, and South America.

The Darien Gap is its only break — 100 miles of remote swampland with no roads and no rules.

Matt Karsten (center) heard from other travelers that it was "an impenetrable jungle full of indigenous people and lawlessness that everyone had to sail around."

Naturally, he decided to venture inside.

In order to enter, he had to obtain permission from Senafront, Panama's border police who patrol the region.

"Exploring the Darien felt like a true adventure into the unknown," he said.

Canoes serve as the primary mode of transportation through the rainforest.

For some, shuttling people and cargo up and down the rivers is a source of income.

Others harvest plantains for shipment into Panama City.

The drug trade from Colombia is also a lucrative pursuit.

Locals invited him to fish, eat dinner, and drink homemade moonshine with them.

He was struck by the poverty and basic living conditions in the area.

He also became well-acquainted with the local wildlife, including snakes, birds, insects, fish, and poisonous frogs.

"The diversity of plants and animals in the Darien was incredible — thick rainforest for as far as your eye could see," he said.

He gained a new appreciation for this insular and often inaccessible site, one that he hadn't known much about before.

"It felt wonderful to be surrounded by so much nature, alone with your thoughts in the middle of a jungle wilderness," he said.

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