PRESENTATION

Hiking and kayaking from the caribbean sea to the pacific ocean you will live the adventure of Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, the first explorer to cross the isthmus, in 1513...

DESCRIPTION

day 1
Early in the morning ,we shall take off from Panama city Albrook airport...Our flight to Porvenir will take approximatly 35 minutes.
Porvenir is a small island in the San Blas archipelago, a paradise of coral where the kuna indians are the only rulers.
Our kuna boatmen will be waiting for us and, after a short navigation we shall reach the caribbean coast, our starting point.
During the first part of our hike we shall cross the river Carti (a holy place for the Kuna, there are several cemetaries on the sides)then walk through an
open area of secondary rainforest.

As we go uphill the forest will change, you will admire the first tree ferns, witnesses of the extreme humidity. The roar of howler monkeys will surprise you from time to time (frequently seen,together with white faced capuchins and Geoffroy's tamarins) as will the buzzing flight of the diminutive humminbirds, flashes of metallic light in the dark forest...

You will take a lot of pictures (a good excuse to rest anyway).... At the end of the afternoon we shall reach Burbayar jungle lodge where we shall spend the night.

Around noon we shall reach “El llano” ,where we shall swap our shoes for the paddles of our kayaks. During our navigation donwnriver there will be a lot of occasions to observe the rich fluvial ecosystem: turtles, spectacled caimans and american crocodiles are quite abundant... Our arms a bit shaky after 4 hours of paddling we shall reach our bivouac . A good dinner will be served before we fall into Morpheus' arms ..

day 3 We shall continue to paddle downriver heading south, towards the Pacific ocean. Part of our navigation will be through thick mangrove, the kingdom of millions of crabs, where your silent approach will allow you to surprise numerous resting birds. Eventually, with the legitimate pride of the explorer discovering a new world at the end of his long and exhausting journey, we shall reach the powerful Pacific ocean. We shall stop on a vast beach near the mouth of the Bayano river, where our transport back to Panama city will be organized.

RATE OF DIFFICULTY

Hard, an excellent physical condition is required

HIGHLIGHT

live the adventure of the first explorers of Panama

WHAT TO BRING ALONE

• canteen
• small backpack
• good hiking shoes spare socks, to be changed often to avoid blisters
• poncho
• hat
• solar cream
• flashlight
• waterproof bag for your camera
• personal pharmacy
• mosquito repellent
• and, above all, a good sense of humour, it helps a lot when tireness puts spirits down !

ORGANIZATION

• during the hike and in the kayak you'll just need a small backpack + water reserve
• your luggage will follow you at every bivouac
• kayaks, paddles and life jackets are supplied by the organization
• the organization is in charge of bivouacs and meals