When You Go Places You Are Not Supposed To Go

After spending a few days in the very beautiful but very rolly Isla Cañas in Las Perlas, we sailed 38 miles east to the Golfo de San Miguel. We dodged a few fishing boats and settled into a calm anchorage outside of the village of Punta Alegre. We were immediately greeted by Aeronaval who took pictures of our boat and asked us to check in. They were friendly, took pictures of our passports, and asked for details on our stay in the Darién. They offered to show us around town, but packs of children were happy to give us a tour. Our friend had arrived a day earlier and had already met Victor, the town elder who appears to know everyone. He gave us a tour of Punta Alegre, showing us the school, the well, the mini-super, and the lively bar, where we had a few beers with the locals. Everyone there was incredibly friendly and excited we were there–they said we were the first sailboats to visit in a year. We unloaded the gifts we had brought (coloring books and bracelets were big hits with the kids; cooking supplies, medical equipment, and clothes were appreciated by the adults). They asked us to come back the next morning before we left, and we got another tour and chatted more with the locals before departing.

From Punta Alegre, we sailed 20 miles up the Río Sabana. The river was immense, wide, and easy to navigate. After passing Palma (the largest town in Darién), the river was flanked by gorgeous green mountains shrouded in mist. As the river narrowed, we eventually dropped anchor at sunset in 15 feet of water when we could travel no further up river. The next morning we were greeted by a cacophony of howler monkeys, birds, and the mountains still draped in a beautiful perpetual mist.

We decided to trek further up river in our dinghies, hoping to make it to Wounaan village of Puerto Lara. Our 2HP outboard was making very slow progress up river, and eventually we were approached by two young fishermen on a panga. They were very curious about why we were there and told us we were the first sailboats they’d seen in the river in two years. Our adventurous friend Skip asked them if they’d be willing to tow our dinghies to Puerto Lara, and they agreed. We ended up spending the entire day with them.

They gave us a tour of Puerto Lara and invited us to their homes to wash our feet from the muddy landing in Puerto Lara. The Wounaan women were very excited to sell us their handicrafts, and we got a tour of the ecotourism efforts they are making to try and attract visitors, including a large traditional wooden structure that is available to rent. Puerto Lara is connected to the Panamerican highway, so the town was far more modern than we’d expected. Our two fishermen took us back down river to our boats, loading up their panga with beer for the ride. We invited them for dinner on our boat and cooked them mahi. They had never tried dorado before, as they only eat river fish and don’t get out to deeper water. They talked about their love for the Río Sabana, how safe it is, and how they hope to see more visitors in the future. They ended up spending the night in our river anchorage with us.

The next morning we sailed back down river into the Golfo de San Miguel. We anchored outside the beautiful Isla Iguana and Isla Iguanita. The next day was Christmas and there were four fishing boats around us, so we dropped off gifts for them to give their kids and a few cold beers to each one. They were appreciative and welcoming but clearly thought this was a little odd. The following morning we regrettably had to leave the Darién, and it showed its displeasure with a torrential downpour and uncomfortable seas as we left.

The Darién exceeded our expectations in every way. It was stunningly gorgeous, felt extremely safe, and every person we interacted with was immensely welcoming and friendly. After spending two years sailing most of the Pacific coast of Panama, this place might be our favorite.