Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From Puerto Quimba, unscheduled boats to La Palma leave several times a day
between 7:30am to 6:30pm (US$5); they depart from La Palma roughly between 5:30am
and 5pm. A one-way charter (US$40) may also be an option.
Traveling to La Palma by boat from Puerto Quimba is an excellent alternative to flying
straight in from Panama City. The scenery along this 30-minute river trip is virgin jungle
and dense mangrove forests - and you're bound to meet interesting characters on board.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Yaviza
Part bazaar and part bizarre, this concrete village is the end of the road. Here the In-
teramericana grinds to a halt and beyond lies the famous Darién Gap. Rough edged and
misshapen, it's hardly a destination unless you had cockfighting in mind. For travelers, it
is an essential stop to check in for entry to Parque Nacional Darién.
The
ANAM
( 299-4495) office of Parque Nacional Darién can offer updated inform-
ation on trails and safety; register here and pay your park fee (foreigners US$15). Note
that you must have prior permission from
SENAFRONT
(Servicio Nacional de Fronteras;
in Panama City 527-1000;
www.senafront.gob.pa
)
in Panama City in order to go any further.
The office also can suggest local guides (US$10 to US$20 per day). If you do not need a
local guide, your best bet is to register with SENAFRONT and ANAM in Panama City
and take the boat to La Palma from Puerto Quimba.
The best sleeping option is
Ya Darien
( 294-4334; d US$25; )
where tidy rooms
have cold-water showers and the help is as slow as molasses.
Hotel 3Americas
(
299-4439; r from US$25)
has worn, plain rooms and the distraction of a cockfighting pit.
There are eight buses daily between Panama City and Yaviza (US$16, 4½ hours).
To arrange a private boat to El Real (US$70 for three passengers), contact
Chicho
Bristan
(
6539-2007, 299-6566)
of El Real to pick you up in Yaviza.
GETTING TO COLOMBIA
The Interamericana stops at the town of Yaviza and reappears 150km further on,
far beyond the Colombian border. Overland crossings through the Darién Gap on
foot are not recommended.
The Caribbean crossing between Puerto Obaldía, Panama, and Capurganá, Co-
lombia, has become a better option than in the past. Air Panama flies to Puerto
Obaldía. From here, there are no buses. You must boat or walk to the Colombian
