The Dangerous But Mesmerizing National Park You Might Want To Avoid In Panama

Aptly, the mere mention of the Darien strikes fear into the hearts of seasoned travelers. It forms the natural border between North and South America, a dense jungle riddled with guerrillas, human traffickers, and cartel operatives. Battling through the perilous bottleneck, hundreds of thousands of desperate migrants take the land route each year. They're led out from one of the most dangerous places in the Western Hemisphere into Darien National Park, an increasingly popular destination for adventurous travelers in Central America.

Sprawling across 2,220 square miles of Southern Panama, the vast park is veiled by often impenetrable rainforest thickets. Here, jaguars stalk just out of sight through the virgin jungle. Resplendent quetzales flitter amid the cloud forests. The wails of howler monkeys ring through premontane forests. Deadly snakes, stalking ocelots, and silent pumas slink unseen along the jungle floor. Mysterious and treacherous, the national park is wisely avoided by the vast majority of travelers to Panama, but for those who are not risk-averse, the park itself is abundant with natural beauty.

Traversing into the northernmost territories of the Darien, travelers are flung instantly into the wild. Most tours through the mountains and mangroves launch from Pirre Station, but the journey to the station is an adventure in itself. Crossing on canoe and foot through Pinogana, El Real, and Pijivasal you need to keep an eye on the sky: some 450 species of birds soar above this stretch of forest, including technicolor macaws and dainty jacamars. The biodiversity here is similar to that found in the cloud forests of Costa Rica's pristine national parks, easy to spot canoe-side.

The journey along the rivers and rainforest trails takes travelers to Pirre Station, an ANAM (La Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente) ranger station inside the park. It's one of the only places in the forest that formally hosts visitors. Though basic, the lodging is located in the midst of lush jungle and at the base of two popular hiking routes. Intrepid explorers can embark on the Cerro Pirre trail, winding up the mountainside. It's steep, thickly mud-slicked, and tough even for very fit travelers, but it rewards visitors with mountainside vistas and rare bird spotting opportunities. The trail takes around 9.5 hours, covering seven miles and 3,799 feet of elevation gain. A lighter option is the one-mile loop leading from the station to an array of hidden waterfalls, primed for a freshwater dip. On both hikes it is absolutely essential to travel with a guide.

Experts warn that any and all travel into the Darien is reckless. Beyond being the epicenter of the Central American migratory crisis, it's a hotbed of organized crime, a dead-zone for state protections like medical care or police, and the terrain is hazardous throughout. Travelers who still wish to venture into the vast and sparsely controlled national park must request a guide and permission to travel from ANAM.

Once both have been acquired, travelers can head seven hours south overland from the capital, Panama City. This route leads out to Yaviza, from which a two-hour canoe journey down the Chucunaque river and a four-mile spell on public transport takes visitors to the park entry. After another 1.8 miles on foot through the sweltering forest, travelers arrive at Pirre Station. From the station, all excursions must be undertaken with an accompanying guide and travelers should be on high alert for dangerous wildlife, including big cats, burrowing bot flies that lay eggs under human skin, aggressive wild pigs, and plentiful poisonous snakes. Strong insect repellent is advisable given the significant number of bug-borne diseases prevalent in the forest.

Despite the sense of adventure that may be evoked by the idea of venturing into one of most treacherous destinations on earth, travelers might be better advised to visit Panama's luxury-feeling Pacific coast hideaways or its private Caribbean island getaways instead.