The colorful canvas of the San Blas Islands creates one of the most overlooked, yet awe-inspiring destinations on the planet. A true masterpiece, the islands and their welcoming people beckon to be explored — the way one only can with The Road Less Traveled. As some of the few people privileged to spend time in this Caribbean jewel, we gather in Cerro Azul, just outside of Panama City, to acquaint ourselves with the history and culture of the San Blas and the Embera and Kuna Indians before embarking on our journey.
We then set off to the rainforest of Chagres National Park. One of the largest extensions of tropical forest in the Canal Watershed, Chagres is home to a considerable wealth of wildlife including jaguars, owl monkeys and iguanas, as well as little blue and green heron, great egret, anhinga, cormorants, toucans and kingfishers. We spend two days white water rafting Class II and III rapids in the basin that provides the 52 million gallons of water needed for each ship to pass through the Panama Canal.
Our rafts take us to an Embera community, where we find tribe members adorned in colorful textiles and unique body paintings. The Embera open their homes to us for an evening. We learn about their distinctive culture, dance and customs and observe how they have adapted to an agricultural lifestyle since the loss of their forest due to the construction of the Pan-American Highway.
The San Blas Archipelago, home to the Kuna people, has more islands than days in the year, yet only 40 are inhabited. We set sail in our cayucos — hand-carved, wooden, dug-out canoes with colorful patchwork sails — for three days of island-hopping. All around us, tropical beaches covered with sugary sand and coconut trees dot the horizon. Completely self-sufficient, we camp on a different shore every night, swimming and snorkeling in the clear waters. In the heart of this Mesoamerican Barrier Reef — the second largest reef in the world — we find untouched coral, sponges, ochre starfish and an array of marine life.
Living an hour and a half away from the mainland by boat, the Kuna Indians have maintained their own language, dress, music and economic system for centuries. In this matriarchal society, women are known for their colorful dress — arm and leg beads, gold nose rings and intricately sewn mola panel blouses. Men fish for crab and lobster and gather coconuts to support their families. In this rare opportunity granted to RLT by the chief, we witness a strongly-knit tribal community that seeks to preserve its history and identity and maintain a life free from the complexities of modern technology.
Our service work focuses on building multi-purpose ranchos for the community. These structures have been utilized by the Kuna for many purposes, including a health outpost for doctors, an extra classroom and a store for the school, a building to house the island’s generator and a house for a family in need. A challenging aspect of the project will be transporting building materials from the mainland across the Caribbean waters via cayucos. Our task is not just to construct buildings, but to develop relationships as well. We work with the community, sharing evenings with the lively children, creating lesson plans and teaching English to four different grades of Kuna children.
When our work is complete, we head to the other coast of Panama, the Pacific, for a day of surfing and relaxing in the crystal blue waters along Playa San Carlos. This area, known as one of the best surf spots in the country, provides a perfect opportunity to test out new skills on a surfboard or simply lounge on the beach. From here, we travel back to Panama City, ready to embark on our final adventure. Boarding a 42-foot catamaran, we learn the basics of sailing and navigation on sapphire seas. Our destination is Taboga Island, also known as the “Island of Flowers,” and it is paradise pure and simple; with pristine beaches, turquoise waters and white surf lapping the shoreline. We enjoy whale watching during the best time of year for observation, and camp onboard our boat or idyllic nearby beaches. We savor our last nights together on the water's edge, enjoying the beauty of the islands and the secret knowledge we’ve gained of this remote tropical paradise.
| AGES |
DAYS
|
TUITION |
DATES |
ARRIVE/DEPART |
| 15–19 |
24 |
5,495 |
6/26/10–7/19/10 [session 1]
7/22/10–8/14/10 [session 2] |
Panama City, Panama
|
