Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The only jungle B&B around, Sambu House ( 6687-4177, 268-6905;
www.sambuhausedarienpanama.com ; s/d incl meals US$75/125) is a North American-owned
attractive yellow clapboard run by friendly Mabel. Cozy but simple, this might be the
only place to get pancake breakfasts in the Darién. You can also arrange cultural tours
here.
The Emberá community runs Werara Puru ( 299-6090; per person US$12) , a choza
(hut) built to lodge tourists, located a 10-minute walk from town. When we visited the
space was under renovation. Near the airstrip, Mi Lindo Sueño (
public phone 333-2512;
r with shared bathroom US$10) has plain concrete rooms.
You can get cheap and tasty meals at Comidas Benedicta (meals US$2.50) , where
Anthony Bourdain dined when in Sambú. If it's a party you want, check out Mis
Cabañas del Nuevo Milenio ( Sat & Sun) , a woodsy juke-joint with music blasting
half the village away. You can get a beer here, though it may not be cold.
For flights, Air Panama ( 316-9000; www.flyairpanama.com ) flies twice weekly, cur-
rently Wednesday and Saturday, from Panama City (US$150 round-trip, one hour). Al-
ways confirm your return ticket in advance. If the airline can't fill a flight, it may be
delayed. This also goes for flights out of Sambú.
The panga (small motorboat) to Puerto Quimba (US$20) goes three times a week,
with one stop in La Palma. Trips are not scheduled far in advance, ask around and try to
confirm a date for a return trip.
PARQUE NACIONAL DARIÉN
Parque Nacional Darién is the most ecologically diverse land-based national park in all
of Central America. Although it's often overshadowed by the security situation in the
province, there is no doubt that it is the crown jewel of Panama's national parks, mostly
sought after by specialists like biologists and botanists.
TOP OF CHAPTER
El Real
POP 1200
Riverside El Real dates from the conquistador days when it was merely a fort beside Río
Tuira. The settlement prevented pirates from sailing upriver to plunder Santa María,
where gold from the Cana mines was stored. Today, El Real is one of the largest towns in
the Darién, though it's still very much a backwater settlement.
 
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