The Darien Rainforest in Panama

Most of us have seen a rainforest on the Discovery Channel but unless you have been standing in the midst of such beauty, it is difficult to define.  One such rainforest is the Darien Rainforest located in Panama.  Legendary, this particular rainforest has fought hard and won against the Pan-American Highway, along with numerous other attempts to tame the wild beauty.  Unfortunately, today we still see many settlers and loggers determined to take over control of the Darien National Park, which would dislodge some of the world’s most amazing wildlife, not to mention destroy vast vegetation. 

During 1699, some 900 Scottish settlers pushed their way deep into the jungle where they were killed by the native Indians or ravished by malaria.  However, in 1854, an American expedition decided to try their hand so they too began the trek through the Darien rainforest, fighting off deadly snakes and heavily rooted areas.  Although they were trying to find a canal route, they quickly became lost.  Soon, many began to die and for those still alive, eating their own was the only way to survive. 

Many others have tried to make their way through the heavy confines of the Darien Rainforest and even today, the Darien Gap, which measures 60 miles wide, is a vast wilderness of caimans, crocodiles, poisonous snakes, narcotic traffickers, guerrillas, bandits, and mercenaries, obviously not a safe place to visit.  Even so, this rainforest has long been a prized place, first by Spanish conquistadors looking for gold and then followed by settlers and loggers trying to destroy this beautiful jungle.  In fact, many areas of the Darien National Park are very safe and offer guided tours so you can enjoy the incredible beauty. 

Because so many people have fought to salvage the Darien Rainforest, it is the only gap in the 16,000-mile Pan-American Highway.  This “highway” is a collection of roads first proposed in 1923 by the United States as a means of bringing American goods south.  To create such a massive highway, Latin American workers worked hard and long to level off the dirt and then lay asphalt.  However, as they approached the rivers, swamps, mountains, and the rainforests that were a part of the Darien labyrinth, the work stopped. 

Only after the Pan-American Highway was almost constructed did concern rise over the possibility of this road being used to spread other things such as disease, as well as create more access for those wanting to bring drugs into the United States.  Even so, the final work was completed.  Today, there remains only a small portion of the highway still needing to be blacktopped, which when done, will create a way for even more cattle ranchers, loggers, farmers and developers to come, disrupting the Darien Rainforest. 

Sadly, as you make your way to this region, you will see large trucks stacked 30-feet tall with fresh cut timber.  Each tree cut from this rainforest ends an ecosystem that the entire world needs.  Not only is rare vegetation lost forever but also wildlife, insects, and bird life.  This rainforest sees less than 1,000 tourists each year, spending around $300,000.  Typically, tourists come to marvel at the massive trees filled with monkeys and colorful birds. 

The ecotourism in Panama is a booming industry, bringing in as much as $20 annually.  However, if you were to visit the smaller national parks located in nearby Costa Rica, their tourist industry brings in $360 million.  Even so, experts believe that with the right changes, the Darien National Park could easily draw as many as 500 or more visitors every day, all without damaging the coveted rainforest. 

Depending on the season, the colors of the rainforest change.  You can hike 28 miles to Cana but this type of trek is not something for the inexperienced.  Considering many obstacles lie ahead such as the deadliest snake in the Americas, parasites, disease, and others, you need to know about the jungle.  However, some people enjoy this type of challenge and have the required experience to make the journey. 

If you take a guided tour to this part of the jungle, you will reach a point at Cana where you take a trip via fiberglass boat to Tuira.  There, you will find thatch-roof houses and a true frontier.  Another town but one outside the protected area of the Darien National Park is called El Real.  This was built by the Spanish as a place of protecting their gold.  Interestingly, almost 1,200 people call El Real home, the majority of them being African descendents of people forced to work the Holy Ghost Mine. 

The homes in this part of the Darien Rainforest are nothing more than a small hut with a corrugated tin roof and peeling, faded paint.  In fact, the town has a Mayor who is a former ranger.  To protect the Darien National Park, which covers 1.4 million acres (five times that the size of Los Angeles), just 11 rangers are paid to serve.  Armed with only walkie-talkies and vehicles, they do the best they can. 

You will find a number of these backcountry towns, which offer a brand new perspective into Central America life and history.  Today, the Darien Rainforest is in jeopardy of being destroyed, which would also destroy bears, cats, deer, tapirs, extinct horses, monkeys, armadillos, anteaters, sloths, vultures, and a whole array of wildlife.  The rainforest is a magnificent place with such incredible history.  For this reason, we will continue to see the battle of existence raging on.