You’ve probably never heard of Darien Gap—and honestly, most travelers haven’t. It’s an unclaimed piece of land that belongs to no country, and it’s so dangerous that even the bravest adventurers think twice before going there.
Nestled between Panama and Colombia, Darien Gap is this stretch of untamed jungle that just screams, “Stay away.” We’re talking about dense trees, steep mountains, treacherous swamps, winding rivers, and some of the worst humidity and rainfall you can imagine. Basically, it’s a nightmare for anyone trying to make it through.
Who Would Dare Cross This Jungle?
Turns out, asylum seekers are the ones crazy enough to take the risk. But by 2021, this place turned into a traffic jam with over 133,000 migrants trudging through, looking for a way out of economic disaster, political chaos, violence, and—oh yeah—climate change.
That’s 40 times the yearly average from just a decade ago. Let’s just say, things are getting real crowded in a place with no Starbucks for miles.
The Nightmare Journey
So what do these brave souls face? Well, the journey through Darien Gap takes anywhere from 7 to 15 days, costs somewhere between $100 and $1,000 per person (yup, not cheap), and throws all kinds of nightmares their way: disease, lack of food and water, armed groups waiting to rob them, and—oh right—no government authority to help out.
Oh, and let’s not forget the lovely welcoming committee: the Gulf Clan, Colombia’s biggest drug cartel. These guys make a killing (literally and figuratively) off the smuggling trade, raking in around $57 million from migrant crossings in just the first 10 months of 2023. Not exactly a friendly bunch.
And Then There’s the Trash Problem…
As if crossing a jungle filled with wild animals and cartel members wasn’t bad enough, there’s now a trash problem too. Yeah, all those people crossing Darien Gap? They leave a lot of garbage behind—tons of it.
Now, Darien Gap’s been home to indigenous groups for centuries, people who’ve lived there in harmony with nature. But the trash piling up is seriously messing with their way of life. Imagine going about your day, and then BAM—trash everywhere. Not cool.
One indigenous leader, Yenairo Aji, put it bluntly: “We didn’t expect this. One day, we were living our peaceful lives, and the next, we’re drowning in garbage.”
The Turquesa River, once clear and rocky, is now a floating junkyard. And it’s not just trash—leaking fuel from boats and, well, human waste are contaminating the water. Yikes.
It’s Hurting the Locals Too
Tania Chanapi, another local leader, said people used to use the river for everything—drinking, bathing, washing clothes. But now? It’s a no-go. Drinking the water causes sickness like diarrhea and vomiting, and the fish? Yeah, they now taste like gasoline. Not exactly appetizing.
The locals are now forced to buy bottled water, and they’ve stopped growing their usual crops like bananas, rice, and corn because of the environmental damage. Instead, they’ve been sucked into the migrant trade business, working in ways they never expected.
And while this disaster unfolds, the indigenous people are the ones left cleaning up the mess, trying to fix what’s left of their ecosystem.
A Bigger Crisis Looms
Even Panama’s environment minister, Juan Carlos Navarro, is throwing up his hands. He’s asked the U.S. for a portion of the $10 million promised to help clean up the trash and manage the migration crisis.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.