A Guide to Kayaking From Panama to Colombia, a.k.a the Darien Gap
Table of Contents
Introduction
Route summary
Preparation
Where to get ready
Where to stay in Panama City
Visa
Health
Equipment
Transportation
How to ship your bike (bicycle touring specific)
Navigation
Route Information
Overall route
Day to day travel
Navigation
Safety
Culture
Wildlife
Accommodation and camping
Equipment
Food
Budget
Overall tips
Conclusions
Introduction
In October 2023, I set out to kayak from Panama to Colombia, solo. This area follows the "infamous" area known as the Darien Gap.
Beautiful coastlines, daily thunderstorms, amazing people and islands filled with coconuts.
Below, is a guide for people who are want to attempt something similar or are just interested! Please enjoy.
*Looking for my video, link here: https://youtu.be/RUZAT1BNuZ4?si=TsddDxxcjlyiCug1
Route summary
I left from Lago Gatun, kayaking through the lake portion of the Panama Canal to the ocean facing side. A portage over to Rio Chagres, followed out to the ocean. Passing by Colon, Portobelo, to the Gulf of Guna Yala.
From there I passed through the San Blas Islands heading into the area known as the Darien Gap. I continued along, reaching the final port in Panama, Puerto Obaldia. From there a short distance to Capurgana, Colombia where my kayaking journey ended.
Preparation
Where to get ready:
I got ready for my journey in Panama City, which I would recommend. For a few reasons:
Ability to buy new and used kayaks
All other equipment can be found relatively easily
Lots of options for places to stay
Where to stay in Panama City
I stayed at the Overland Embassy, a business which specializes in shipping Overlanders from Panama to Colombia.
They also have a campground available, which was easy to plan my trip from. But, my main reason was I was travelling by bicycle (https://www.keiferaedelmayer.com/blog/what-am-i-doing-cycling-around-the-world) and looking to ship my bicycle to Colombia.
Other options you could try for accommodation during your preparation:
Warmshowers (for cyclists)
Trustroots, Couchsurfing, other accomodation apps
A hostel (next budget friendly option)
Notes:
Be ready for preparation to take at least a week
I took 13 days in total in Panama City
Visa requirements:
You will need to have ability to enter both Panama and Colombia. Your exit stamp location for Panama is Puerto Oblida. A coast town accessible only by boat. The entrance stamp for Colombia is in another coastal town called Capurgana, about 15 km following the coast from Puerto Oblida.
Notes:
I was easily able to get my exit and entrance without any fees.
Get your exit stamp in the morning, not the night before
Health:
Malaria: Both Panama and Colombia have marked the areas with the possibility that Malaria transmission can occur. A Malaria medication should be considered. At the bare minimum, proper insect repellent and clothing is necessary.
Insurance: Make sure your covered for what could be deemed a extreme activity. The region may limit this, check with insurance providers.
Medication: Carry all needed medication with you, Malaria medication, ibuprofen, etc, whatever is needed
Sun: Expect heavy sun all day and high heat during kayaking. Dehydration and heavy sunburns are real dangers. I recommend kayaking with the bare minimum amount of exposed skin, with sunscreen always on. Taking a electrolyte salt mix would be a good call
Insects: While mosquitos are present. The sand flies are terrible, some are small enough to fit through your tent mesh and bite all night. I recommend bringing a full set of light weight (remember the heat) set of clothes to sleep in and cover your body when in and around camp.
Notes:
Bring an anti-chafe, vaseline for example. This is one medical item I really wish I had
Light pants, long sleeve top, socks, and a face bug net for sleeping and wandering around camp for the sand flies
Equipment:
Sourcing a kayak can be difficult in Panama City. There are really three options:
Option 1: Panama Paddle Center, Diego
Diego owns the one serious kayak store in town, I do recommend checking it out and talking to him at the very least. He has a lot of information about the area. This will be the most expensive option just because 90% of your options will be new
Option 2: Used markets, aka FB marketplace
If the used market has any kayaks you can potentially purchase them. When I was there, this wasn't a option. My friends where able to find some when they did the crossing. Cheaper, but very dependent on what is available on the current market.
Option 3: A cheap sporting goods store
You can probably find a cheap kayak at a department store meant for recreation use. But I honestly wouldn't recommend this. Having your boat fail would be a huge, potentially life threatening problem. Cost wise this would probably be between option 1 and 2, same for difficulty acquiring.
Closed or Open Kayak
Simply, can you roll a kayak? If you don't know what that means or can't, a open faced kayak is what you should be using. Touring kayaks are closed shell, which can make your life easier, but not necessary. The kayak I used was a Pescador Pro 12 open face kayak.
Other Equipment
I would again suggest Diego's shop for kayak related gear like paddles, PFD, etc.
For things I couldn't find there, like a marine radio, I found at Abernathy (Marine store). One could also try a outdoor sporting store for other simpler items like sunhat l, sunglasses, etc for example.
Notes:
I purchased my kayak at Diego's shop, along with PFD, a paddle and a spare, leash, and some bags for wallet/passport
At Abernathy I bought a marine radio, rope, sunhat, and sunglasses. The rest of my gear was taken from the cycling equipment I was already carrying
Transportation:
Where to start your kayaking is a bit overwhelming, here are three options. The first two are very concrete with a third giving some wiggle room.
Option 1 (what I did): Start in Lago Gatun
Pros:
Close to Panama City
Taxi and rides cheap
Cons:
Police
Large boats
May not be possible
You can start at the boat launch here in Lago Gatun. It takes 2-3 days to cross the lake. The difficulty comes with the police patrolling the lake. At the time I was allowed to be there, this may have changed. Either way expect being stopped a lot or denied entry.
Also you need to be aware and stay out of the shipping lanes. Then expect a portage at the end with no good spot to land and about a half kilometre walk to the river boat launch.
Notes
Another option would be start at the boat launch at Rio Chagres, bypassing the lake.
Option 2 (what my friend Silvan did): Start at Puerto Carti in the San Blas Islands
Pros:
Shorter time to Colombia
Right into the more remote area
Cons:
Taxi up is very difficult. The entering the area around Carti requires a special pass for taxis. You may have to go half way, and then get a ride from a local who can take you the rest of the way
Costs a lot more to ride all the way up there, around a 100 USD
You cannot leave directly from Carti by kayak, you have to be towed by a motor boat to another island (more money to pay a fishing boat to take you)
Option 3 (Portobelo or the surrounding area):
Pros:
Avoid the cops and Colon (I have been warned about the area around Colon being dangerous)
Small towns, more relaxed leaving
Cons:
Taxi up, could cost a decent chunk
You have to research more places to launch, businesses, boat launches, harbours, etc
The third option is Portobelo and all the small towns, marinas, and businesses you could leave from. You would have to research the area more though, and find a ride up. But it could be cheaper than option 2 and a full ride could probably be possible.
How to ship your bike (for bike packers and cycle tourists)
I would say there are four options.
Option 1: ship your bike with a Overlander (what I did)
Pros:
Your bike will probably arrive ahead of you in Colombia
Can be the cheapest option
You don't have to take it with you
Cons:
You have to find someone willing to take your bike, this can take some time
Cartagena is your only option
You have to find someone to watch your bike if you arrive after
The Panama Overland Embassy is a business which specializes in shipping vehicles from Panama to Colombia.
I was able to camp there and talk to people shipping their vehicle. One couple let me put my bike inside and dropped it off at a Warmshowers house who agreed to watch it.
If you go this route, Alihandro is the owner of Panama Overland Embassy and is very helpful.
Option 2: Take your bicycle with you
Pros:
Your bike is with you, no need for other transport costs
Cons:
Will need a larger boat, 2 person kayak to fit it on top
Need to wrap your bike with plastic wrap heavily. Salt water destroys everything
If anything happens to you on the water, flipping, waves, etc, you could lose your bike
I had a friend do this, but after doing the crossing myself I would not recommend. You would need to find a larger boat and if anything happens you could lose your bike.
Option 3: find somewhere to leave it, and fly a round trip.
Pros:
Only have to find somewhere to store
Flights between Panama city and Medellin/Bogota are pretty cheap
Can be done completely on your time
Cons:
Flying with a bike costs more and is a hassle
You have to backtrack
Another idea I had was find somewhere to store my bike in Panama City. After finishing kayaking, book a return flight somewhere in Colombia to Panama City. Pick up the bike, and fly back. While this would be a pain, it could be a solution if you can't find anything else/help.
Option 4: Find a sailboat or boat crossing which can transport your bike
Pros:
Don't have to take your bike
Can schedule ahead of time
Cons:
Could cost a decent amount
Have to be there to pick up your bike
I have heard this was an option in the past. I have no idea if this service is still available or if you could find a individual to do this. You would need to research on your own.
Navigation
For safety and navigation I had three devices. My phone, a Garmin inReach Mini 2, and my marine radio.
Phone: Used for navigation, a mix of Google maps and satellite view to find campsites, mark distance, view hazards, etc. When I had service I could also check weather, stay in touch, etc.
Garmin inReach: Used to ping my camping location to my family to track. It also has a SOS button for very extreme emergencies. Also had a electronic compass.
Marine radio: Had a smaller range of about 50 km. Which could be used in emergency to check for immediate help. This was just backup, I did not use this the whole trip. Another electronic compass was in the device.
Notes:
Switch google maps to satellite to preload the images
Finding pictures of the coastline or taking screenshots of satellite images would be useful in advance
I had no cell coverage past the San Blas, with Claro. There were towers, so I imagine another provider has coverage. Research into this would be beneficial
Route Information
What to expect
Prepare for 20 to 30 km of kayaking daily and 5-8 hours on the water actively paddling. Most camp spots I scouted the night before on Google maps. I had no service past the San Blas Islands.
My route
Lago Gatun: lots of cops and stopping to check passport, gators present, take caution
River Chagres: gators, take caution
River to Portobelo: towns along the way, have to pass Colon
Portobelo to Gulf of Guna Yala: more remote, later part not a lot of camp spots
San Blas Islands: easy to camp, may have to pay on islands
Area pass main grouping of islands and into Darien Gap area to Puerto Obaldia/Capurgana: camping is okay, similar to the area before the islands
Notes
21 days in total, I would recommend a break. I did it without and it was challenging
Weather dependent, if you have bad storms, you have to get off the water
I was told that mid December is not possible, better to be done by December. Other sources online said Oct/Nov was bad, but it was doable.
My recommendation of being done by mid December was from Diego
Day to day travel
For a recap of my day to day, check out this article here (https://www.keiferaedelmayer.com/blog/kayaking-panama-to-colombia-along-the-darien-gap-a-day-to-day-journal)
Navigation
My method of navigation was using a mix of Google maps, OSM, and sight.
As stated above, I had service till the San Blas Islands and then none till Capurgana. I was using Claro. Plan accordingly or find another provider.
Each night I would plan out my route, using the measuring tool for Google maps and map out about 20-25 km of travel. I would look for coastline and islands in the area I could potentially camp safely. During the day I would check the route on Google maps.
I didn't take paper maps with me, but if you were to take them they would need to be waterproof (lots of surf, rain, chances to get wet)
I carried no maps of local reefs/marine maps. All reef navigation was done by eye. Again weather was by eye, with no service for half the trip, this was my only option.
Navigating safely
To navigate safely, specific things to watch for:
Surf on beach and entering/leaving shore: With tides, waves can be smaller and larger at times. Watch for location, for direct wavelines that break on shore. These can be dangerous, it could be easy to come in, but in the morning waves could be to large to leave.
Reefs: generally water level will be much lower and as a result impossible to kayak properly and can damage the bottom of your boat. Bright side is that water is clear, and reefs are visible.
Reef breaks: as a result of shallower waters from the reef, waves will break out at sea. This can be dangerous, be careful where you exit/enter to shore through the reef break (it's everywhere). Reef break will also force you to kayak out further from shore, increasing weather risk.
Notes
My boat flipped once leaving shore due to higher waves in the morning. Very dangerous, avoid
Reef break was a constant watch, you don't want to be to far out so you generally paddle around 10 meters away.
Safety
As much as the area is infamous for being dangerous, I no issues from people. In my opinion, natural dangers required much more attention.
Here are some general points noticed though:
People
Lago Gatun has a large police force, be prepared to deal with police and be careful when crossing the canal
Colon is known to be dangerous, be careful around it. I was warned about the area, along with reports on ioverlander
I avoided larger towns in the island chains. I'm sure these could be fine, using your judgement. But I didn't want to have issues storing my kayak.
Very remote, but expect to see the coconut man every morning.
Don't take coconuts and leave where they are. The native population use them and are some people's livelihood. Bring your own food.
Nature
Thunderstorms can happen quick. You will often see at least one storm or hear thunder off in the distance once a day. Pay attention to the sky and stay within a hour of shore to head in during emergencies
Wind, can be a pain, making the trip slower. Along with blowing you out far. Follow the same advice as thunder, pay attention
Current, really watch this. Current for me was never more than my paddling rate, but could double my time needed for a specific distance. If you got to far out, you could be screwed
Reefs, easy way to damage boat and creates surf further out (i.e reef breaks)
Surf, waves out or close to the beach. Both require navigation and staying aware
Temperature, all day 30 plus, with humidity. Plus with clothing requirements it is very easy to overheat. Watch out and know the signs for heat exhaustion/stroke.
Insects, bug spray necessary and clothing that is complimentary. Mosquitos were tolerable for me, sand flies were unbearable at times. Some are small enough to pass through mesh on tent.
Sun, up and bright all day. High reflectivion off the surface. Sunscreen is not enough, wear appropriate sun clothing and leave only face uncovered with sunscreen.
Injuries, list of what I received
Skin split open on hands in multiple spots because of salt water
Blisters
Shoulder pain from paddling
Heat headaches
Chaffing
Culture
In the San Blas Islands live the Kuna people. A lot of which, still live in a traditional fashion. Please be respectful to local customs and requests.
Notes
Lots of small towns along the way. I got invited to a village to stay. General from my knowledge, the cheif of the village has to approve you staying.
Some you cannot enter or walk around, another I was only allowed to pay to stay in a home, not walk around
Coconuts are some people's livelihood, don't take them
Wildlife
Overall, I ran into no wildlife that caused me issues except for insects.
A short list of what I confirmed seeing:
Crocodiles
Whales
Turtles
Birds
The biggest concern and safety precautions should be insects and crocodiles. For crocodiles, don't enter the water out of your boat in their environment. Give them wide space if you see them, and follow croc camping safe guidelines.
For insects, repellent, and limb covering clothing, for both on the water and camp. Bring bug spray and expect it to be bad
Notes
Worry about cros, be safe
I would not worry about sharks
Saw a few turtles, lots of reefs
Didn't see any snakes, cats, spiders of note
Accommodation and camping:
For the most part this is a camping journey (I camped 19 out of 21 nights).
Depending on time of year it can rain a decent amount, along with storms. It is quite warm and I did not bring my sleeping bag, only the liner.
Along the route, a lot of camping will be wild. There are properties, businesses, and villages along the whole route where one could ask to set up camp. I mostly wild camped to not have to deal with continuing on close to dark if I wasn't allowed to camp at the location.
There is also the possibility of hostels, resorts, etc along the way that would allow camping.
Notes
Plan your own adventure style, look for locations to camp
Satellite images is great for wild camping
Google is good for businesses
Remember that a lot of villages will be permission based
Equipment:
Below you can find a simplified gear list:
Kayak, paddle, PFD, marine radio
Kayak outfit, camp clothes
f
Food for 10 days, 12 L of water capacity
Tools, medication
Passport, cash, phone, power bank
Notes
Don't skip on the safety equipment
Anything that really can't get wet should be in multiple bags inside the main
Anything you can't lose or would put you in trouble without, should be on your body (passport, cash, cellphone
Capsizes, big surf, things just falling off can all result in lost gear. See above bullet
Food:
For food you will need to carry enough to at least travel to the next town with a store. Travelling with more people will make it easier to resupply without worrying about the boat. Travelling solo, I carried 10 days of food at maximum to deal with this less frequently and if a storm prevented travel.
See below for a list of what I carried.
Tortillas
Peanut butter, Nutella
Ramen, mac n cheese
Candy
Cookies
Coffee
The list was this small/simple to allow me to resupply cheaply and more easily in remote locations.
What I ate on a daily basis:
Breakfast:
Coffee with a breakfast drink mix
Tortilla, with peanut butter and Nutella
Snacks (before lunch):
A single serving pack of cookies or crackers every hour or half until lunch
Lunch:
Tortilla with peanut butter and Nutella
Snacks (afternoon):
One more cookie or cracker pack
Dinner:
Ramen or mac and cheese
A bit of candy for a pick me up
Potentially more cookies or crackers (if needed)
Notes
This kept weight/size of food bag down
Easy to resupply at any store
Cheaper food options
Nothing will expire before I am able to eat it
Passing restaurants, I would occasionally eat for more calories and to handle diet deficiencies
Budget
No matter new, used, or something in-between gear cost will be the largest cost. For my gear, keeping in mind the markup/customs cost for Panama compared to somewhere like the United States.
Kayak, 1500
Paddles, 80x2
PFD, 100
Marine radio, 150
For ongoing costs I had food, Garmin subscription, and accommodation costs.
Food, variable, expect costs to go up in remote areas. Can be done cheaply. My initial ten day supply was 30 USD
Garmin, already in active use for bike trip, about 10 USD is currently cheapest option
Accommodation, I payed/quoted around 5-20 USD for camping and accommodation, dependent on area heavily
Notes
The more food you carry out, the cheaper it will be overall. I.E bulk buy in Panama City
Expect the San Blast Islands to be much more expensive overall, especially camping
Upfront costs can be cut with used gear, but will have to find/be available
Don't skip on safety gear
Overall tips
Enjoy your time, plan ahead seasonal wise. Storm season could easily prevent a crossing
Safety gear is important, buy it
At the time of my journey I had no Claro service, other providers may have service
Bring vaseline
Carry cash for emergencies and general use. Card will not work
Carry cash, cards, and documents on body in water proof container/bag. Things sink/float away, don't lose it out there
Watch out around reef breaks
Sand flies are terrible, expect the worst
Conclusion
It was a wild experience, in a area few people ever see. Kayaking is a lot slower, and you're more beholdent to the weather. I hope this guide above helped. Check out my video and daily recap for more!
