Thinking of visiting to a destination in Darien Province is wanting to discover one of the most inhospitable places in Panama. Fear and adrenaline do their thing before packing the suitcases. It is perhaps one of those experiences that you only live once. Going to a place little known by the majority of Panamanians, is a challenge for the adventure tourist or for expert survival travelers.
One of Darien sites as a reference to visit is Playa Muerto (Beach of the dead), where the green jungle, the stormy waves and the black and gray sand, invite you to explore the beauty of a place with exuberant nature. In the surroundings a daily life related to the settlers and fishing is perceived, with little commercial development but with real landscapes that you start enjoying.
Located within the Darien National Park, Playa Muerto is just two hours away from Garachine town by boat. Visiting this beach is an authentic adventure, it is a paradisiacal place of incomparable beauty. Nearby, you can appreciate the mangroves and the exotic scenery of the landscape until you reach the black sand beach community. It is practically the only Embera group that lives on the shores of the Pacific Ocean.
Embera Community at Playa Muerto
In this sector open to ecotourism is the Embera Wounaan Region. Playa Muerto is part of the Indigenous Community Tourism Network of Panama (REDTURI PANAMA) where projects are managed and coordinated by the indigenous communities themselves, making it a 100% authentic experience.
This community tourism provides a greater sense of coexistence and cultural exchange in tourists, especially those who stay more than one day and in indigenous homes. This experience generates an intrinsic need for adaptation, but at the same time full of fun and relaxation with the activities offered by both indigenous and locals. Visitors are guaranteed a real experience and will be able to savor its delicious cuisine that is made from marine products.
Community Projects
In order for tourism to be sustainable over time and contribute to the Embera’s purposes for the sake of their daily coexistence and tourist activities in a harmonious way, the indigenous communities together with REDTURI agreed on some practices, some directed exclusively for the community, in others together with tourists:
– Conservation Project for Kemp’s ridleys, managed by the community.
– Community-managed Harpy Eagle Conservation Project.
Activities for Visitors
All must be carried out with a certified guide, and providing the documents requested by the entities that preserve security in the region, and maintain biosecurity measures: use of a mask, alcoholic gel, social distancing between people who do not correspond to the same social bubble (two meters).
– Walk on the Path of Oh Wandra (Path of the Harpy Eagle)
– Tour for whale watching: such as humpback whales season.
– Turtle sighting: to watch their spawning and / or release of hatchlings.
– Traditional dances and food.
– Local crafts.
– Storytelling: about Playa Muerto.
The indigenous peoples of Panama have wonderful places that are waiting to receive more tourists, especially in the province of Darien, due to the continuous promotion of the Embera community locally and internationally.
