(The Panama Gringo) As you probably know the Pan-American Highway does not currently run from Panama into Colombia. This means there is no way to cross the continents by bus or car. While it’s not entirely true that it’s completely impassable by land as a few brave souls venture through the jungle to bridge the gap, for those of us with a little more common sense than adventure sense we only have two options. Around the same price of about $500 one can either choose to fly or sail to Colombia. The flight only takes a couple hours and the boat takes about a week, but the boat sails through the unforgettable San Blas islands so those rich on time may find it the superior option. On the other hand the south Caribbean seas can be rather unforgiving so those prone to seasickness may choose a flight over a week of being sick. With price and fun being the most decisive factors in his decision, this Panamanian Gringo decided to take the trip to Colombia and in doing so discovered a third option, a speed boat. (If you are interested you can read about my journey here)
Run by an adventurous New Zealander and humorous French-Canadian their speed boat is appropriately named the Darien Gapster. For a much more reasonable $300 you can cross the gap to Colombia in a mere three days. The way it works is the speed boat cruises for about 2-4 hours per day between different San Blas islands on the way to Colombia. What makes this trip unique is that that you are able to spend the night on a different island every night and spend more time enjoying the unreal paradise that is San Blas than if you sailed. The local indigenous people of the islands are known as the Kuna, a friendly bunch of people who used coconuts as money for most of their history. If you choose the speed boat option you will learn a lot more about the local people, sleeping in hammocks inside their basic huts and watching their simple way of life. You will also get to camp on completely deserted islands and enjoy lots of time snorkeling or just relaxing on the islands. The only downside to the speedboat is that the sea can be quite rough which can make for a bumpy ride at times so I can recommend from experience not to take the journey with a hangover! For more information visit thedariengapster.com