The Choco-darien jungle, located in Colombia and Panama, is a complex of estuaries and mangrove forests universally recognized for the great wealth of its biodiversity and its many endemic species. It has the largest number of bird and amphibian species in the world.It is also home to birds, reptiles, amphibians and butterflies whose splendor, singularity and endemism are exceptional. There are more than 8,000 plant species, 97 species of reptiles, 127 species of amphibians and nearly 600 species of birds that fly over this bucolic landscape. Among the abundant animals are the jaguar ( Panthera onca ), and the red-napped pinch or Geoffroy tamarind ( Saguinus geoffroyi ).
The waved tamarin ( Saguinus oedipus ) in the north is one of the most endangered monkeys in the world.On the border of Panama and Colombia there is a territory that has been included many times in the ranking of the most dangerous places on earth – the Darieni gap. It is a site of a territory undeveloped by man, on which there is nothing but impenetrable jungles and swamps.
Only the most desperate tourists dare to cross this territory on cross-country vehicles, motorcycles or even on foot.Geography of the Darien BlankThe Darieni gap is located at the turn of the province of Darien (Panama) and the department of Choco (Colombia). This area is known for its impenetrable swamps and moist tropical forests. Such a terrain creates unfavorable conditions for the construction of the road.
Even the world’s longest road, known as the Pan-American Highway, breaks off in the Darien Gap.The southern part of the Darien gap is occupied by the delta of the Atrato River. It creates periodically flooded swampy areas, the width of which can reach 80 km.
In the northern part of the territory are the Serrania del Darien mountains, the slopes of which are covered with damp tropical jungles. The highest point of the mountain chain is the Takarkun peak (1875 m).One of the first to cross the Darieni space was officer Gavin Thompson. It was he who led the auto expedition, which in 1972 successfully passed through this inhospitable area. According to the officer, during the trip, the members of the expedition had to pass through the swamped malarial jungle, in which at every step were poisonous snakes and blood-sucking bats.In order to make the area even more insurmountable, it is now the FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which have invested part of the Darién. Officially the guerrillas were expelled from Panama. They are certainly present in the Chocó, on the Colombian side.
Without carelessly venturing into the jungle, some villages around the “Tapón” attract tourists, such as Capurgana or Sapzurro. We come here to swim in the Caribbean Sea and buy rum at $ 7 a liter in the small free zone of La Miel, Panamanian side
