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The Darien is a large area of sparsely populated tropical forest on the Panama border with Colombia. It is home to Darien National Park, reachable for Panama City by airplane to El Real, the town nearest the park entrance. The park was named a Biosphere for Humanity by UNESCO in 1981.

It is best to book a tour of the Darien with a tour operator from Panama City. Enter the words “darien parque tours” in a Google search and follow the links to a comprehensive list of tour operators. Insist on a guide who speaks your language.

Darien National Park, Parque Nacional Darien, comprises 1,400,000 acres of tropical rain forest, the Tuira and Chucunaque rivers and mountains rising to 7,500 feet above sea level.

Much of the Darien is empty of people but full of biodiversity. One of the human settlements in the Darien is the comarca of Emberá.

Emberá

Emberá is a Panama comarca indígena in eastern Panama created in 1983 within Darién Province which borders Colombia. According to the 2000 census the comarca had about 8000 people living in an area of about 500 square miles. Inhabitants of the Emberá autonomous region of Panama speak Emberá which is a Choco language which in turn is distinct from Kuna.

Ecotourism is a popular pursuit for the adventuresome in the Darien.

Eco Tourism in Panama

Panama has lots of undeveloped land, lots of excellent locations for eco tourism. National Parks such as Chagres and Coiba National Park in Veraguas Province are examples of preservation of nature in Panama.  The comarcas, autonomous regions, in Panama promote eco tourism and its component of cultural preservation with the San Blas islands of Kuna Yala as the prime example.

Panama has dozens of tour operators willing to take you around the country and into the wild. Panama has two sea coasts, a central mountain range, five indigenous autonomous regions and areas of great natural beauty throughout. There is no lack of things to see and experience. Surf the web; find a spot you like; come and enjoy nature in Panama. The comarcas especially allow for a more pure Panama eco tourism experience. The Kuna especially are about preserving their land and culture.

Property and the Darien

The islands off the Caribbean Coast of the Darien are the Comarca or autonomous area of the Kuna Yala. You can visit here but the property belongs to the Kuna people.

There are Pacific Islands off the Darien in the Archipelago de las Perlas or Pearl Islands about 30 miles from the Darien coast. Property is available here on Isla del Rey and the smaller islands.

La Palma, Darien

The capital of the Darien is the 4,300 person town of La Palma. This is a good starting point for a tour of the Darien, or the islands off the coast, as La Palma is on the Golfo de San Miguel or Saint Michael Gulf. A Google search of La Palma Panama will take you to hotels and tours of the Darien out of La Palma.

If you are interested in the Darien and would like more information please feel free to contact us at ABPanama.