Embera Experience at the Chagres National Park

Our guide will pick you up at your hotel and welcome you, apply the biosecurity protocols and guide you to this incredible day full of incredible surprises!

This is where you start to discover a different part of Panama City that you will only know if you dare to enjoy this incredible adventure. From the road, see a cemetery in its traditional form.

The further we advance, the further we enter the heart of the local towns, San Miguelilto is one of them. Known for being declared a special district since the late 1960s With its more than 300 thousand inhabitants, distributed in areas of social invasions that took place with the seizure of power by the military and the dictatorship of the time, San Miguelito, has become one of the areas in the Republic of Panama, with higher population density.

La Cabima has become the commercial center of the communities that live in the mountains of that area. Transportation problems, very dense traffic and long hours on public transport to get to the city center, has been the number one cause of growth in this area. Here we make a 10-minute stop to buy the fruits with which you will accompany your lunch. The main reason for our stop is to support the local economy. By doing this, we contribute to making our tours more sustainable while supporting producers in the region. You can also enjoy taking the best photos of true Panamanians in their hard daily work.

Cemex is the world's largest cement factory that arrived in Panama during the boom in the construction of the 3rd set of locks for the Panama Canal and its Expansion project.

Here begins our journey within the limits of the Chágres National Park. You will be able to see the way of life of the locals who today are the guardians of this invaluable natural reserve. After having reached the northern limit of the province of Panama, we entered the limits of the Chágres National Park. We make a 15-minute stop to use the restrooms and tour the Park's visitor center. The Chágres National Park Visitor Center offers a very good introduction to the location, biodiversity and lifestyle of the area's inhabitants.

Puerto Corotú is an artisanal port of embarkation for locals used by the surrounding communities, located right in front of Alajuela Lake. This man-made artificial lake, flooded in the late 1930s to contain the waters of the Chágres River during the rainy season, is the entry point to beautiful communities of fishermen, peasants and indigenous people. Here will be your meeting with the indigenous people of the Embera ethnic group, who will welcome you, remember the biosecurity protocols during your visit and guide you to the place where you will board your "Piragüa" (boat made from the trunk of a single tree)

This artificial lake, created in the mid-1930s by the Americans, became the first improvement made to the Panama Canal. The water that supplies this lake comes mainly from the Chágres River

The Chágres River is the most important river for the operation of the Panama Canal. It provides more than 35% of the water that is required for the transit operations of ships through the interoceanic route. During the dry season, the tour of this river can be extended up to 1 hour of navigation. In the rainy season, the river is at its maximum levels and the travel time is reduced to 40 minutes of navigation. You will enjoy a trip through the tropical jungle, and nature will surprise you with its species of birds, amphibians and reptiles that you can appreciate, while the skilled indigenous people maneuver the boat on its journey through El Chagres!

This is the place where two worlds meet ... The fascinating Embera Indigenous culture and visitors from all over the world. Their music, their art, their gastronomy and their sincere smiles will mark your memory with incredible memories! Here you will enjoy the best experience that you will never forget !!!