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The Darien Gap: Travels in the Rainforest of Panama
Finalist for the 2009 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction
If you want to drive from North America to South America, you'll have a hard time when you reach Panama's southernmost province, Darien. The Pan-American Highway ends just sixty miles short of Colombia. It's the only missing link in what would otherwise be uninterrupted highway from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.
When Balboa marched through Darien's jungles to cross the narrow isthmus in 1513, he was the first European to sight the Pacific from its eastern shores. For the next four centuries, pirates, gold miners, rebels, and political schemers all gravitated to Darien. Scotland failed miserably in its attempt to establish a colony. An American Navy expedition wandered lost in its jungle for two months with seven men dying, and countries fought to control the region's traffic and trade. Yet today, Darien is best known as a roadless backwater, home to native communities, Colombian guerrillas, and the descendants of black slaves and Spanish colonists.
For twenty years, Martin Mitchinson has travelled in Central and South America. Fascinated by tales of Darien, he arrived aboard his 36-foot sailboat Ishmael, and spent the next 18 months navigating physical challenges, native politics and the constant risk of kidnapping. Mitchinson found temporary shelter in native communities while he followed footpaths through the rainforest, and paddled a dugout canoe along Darien's rivers. With two Kuna guides, he set off to follow Balboa's historic route across the continental divide to the Pacific.
Drawing on firsthand accounts and personal interviews to illuminate the history of the region, and recounting his travels with extraordinary honesty and grace, Mitchinson has produced the first of what we hope will be many fine travel narratives.
If you want to drive from North America to South America, you'll have a hard time when you reach Panama's southernmost province, Darien. The Pan-American Highway ends just sixty miles short of Colombia. It's the only missing link in what would otherwise be uninterrupted highway from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.
When Balboa marched through Darien's jungles to cross the narrow isthmus in 1513, he was the first European to sight the Pacific from its eastern shores. For the next four centuries, pirates, gold miners, rebels, and political schemers all gravitated to Darien. Scotland failed miserably in its attempt to establish a colony. An American Navy expedition wandered lost in its jungle for two months with seven men dying, and countries fought to control the region's traffic and trade. Yet today, Darien is best known as a roadless backwater, home to native communities, Colombian guerrillas, and the descendants of black slaves and Spanish colonists.
For twenty years, Martin Mitchinson has travelled in Central and South America. Fascinated by tales of Darien, he arrived aboard his 36-foot sailboat Ishmael, and spent the next 18 months navigating physical challenges, native politics and the constant risk of kidnapping. Mitchinson found temporary shelter in native communities while he followed footpaths through the rainforest, and paddled a dugout canoe along Darien's rivers. With two Kuna guides, he set off to follow Balboa's historic route across the continental divide to the Pacific.
Drawing on firsthand accounts and personal interviews to illuminate the history of the region, and recounting his travels with extraordinary honesty and grace, Mitchinson has produced the first of what we hope will be many fine travel narratives.
- GenresNonfictionHistoryTravel
284 pages, Paperback
First published April 14, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 30, 2008
When I first got this book, I was concerned that I might be picking up the chronicles of a pretentious adventure-seeker. One of those intrepid but ignorant fools that dive into some unknown region simply because they're told they shouldn't. Danger-seekers. I mean, there's nothing wrong with a little excitement. I'm all for living and experiencing life. But that doesn't mean that I want to go around being willfully reckless. So, I must say, I was pleasantly surprised when I found this guy to be pretty down to Earth. He traveled in a dangerous area, but he didn't go out actively seeking danger. His motivation was seeing the land and meeting the people, learning about culture and nature, not thrill-seeking. I like that.
The book is essentially set up like a series of journal entries, describing what the author experienced during his travels. This would have been thoroughly enjoyable reading on its own. However, I was quite impressed with the amount of background research that was obviously done in putting together this book. The author not only described his first-hand experiences but also went into the history, geology, and politics of Darien. The sprinkling of traditional Choco and Kuna myths and stories throughout the narrative are also a nice touch.
A wonderful book and a very enjoyable read! I like the writing style and the author's attitude towards travel. I hope that, in the future, he might decide to write about some of his other trips.
The book is essentially set up like a series of journal entries, describing what the author experienced during his travels. This would have been thoroughly enjoyable reading on its own. However, I was quite impressed with the amount of background research that was obviously done in putting together this book. The author not only described his first-hand experiences but also went into the history, geology, and politics of Darien. The sprinkling of traditional Choco and Kuna myths and stories throughout the narrative are also a nice touch.
A wonderful book and a very enjoyable read! I like the writing style and the author's attitude towards travel. I hope that, in the future, he might decide to write about some of his other trips.
July 22, 2023
Things I liked: the author wasn’t an adventure adrenaline junkie, and seemed pretty respectful of the region and its inhabitants. Loved the map and that it included basically all place names mentioned in the book. Really enjoyed the story of the isthmus crossing and the way historical accounts were interwoven with his experience.
I wasn’t crazy about the seemingly random stream-of-consciousness writing in the first two thirds of the book. I found myself wishing for more info on why the Darien Gap is considered to be one of the most dangerous places on earth, as mentioned in the first para on the back of the book. That said, I’m glad the focus of the book was on the people who lived there and how he only survived because of them. I learned a lot…
I wasn’t crazy about the seemingly random stream-of-consciousness writing in the first two thirds of the book. I found myself wishing for more info on why the Darien Gap is considered to be one of the most dangerous places on earth, as mentioned in the first para on the back of the book. That said, I’m glad the focus of the book was on the people who lived there and how he only survived because of them. I learned a lot…
July 25, 2017
Very nice mix of the author's experience and travels - along with the history - of this area. Thoroughly enjoyed!!
January 15, 2024
Absolutely fascinating.
March 18, 2010
Does anyone else find travelogues kind of self-indulgent and useless? If not then prove me wrong with a recommendation.
So this is about a guy who travels around Darien, Panama for a year trying to find himself. My major problem with it is how pathetic the author's problems are compared to the life of the people he's living with. A day with them should have made him realise he doesn't have any problems and that his presence there isn't helping anyone. The local people look at him as someone who they expect to help them, but he continually does nothing useful exept plant rice and eat their food. What's worse is that he does mention how his problems can't compare with theirs and yet doesn't go any further than that.
The other part to this book was the local history that was interspersed with his travelogue. He actually did a good job on this and it kept me reading to the end. My favourite chapter was the last, where the author is making his trip across the Darien Gap while at the same time writing about the first historical expedition across the same gap. It was pretty well done!
One last thing that isn't really important but can't get left unsaid...I am sooooo tired of reading the same old historical metaphor (in this case a football field) illustrating history on earth. You know the one, where they make a big deal about humans not even showing up on the field (or whatever else) until the very last section of the end zone? Yeah, it's really tired and someone needs to find another way to say that...or assume we already know it. I've also seen people use the USA (from west to east across the states) and the hours of a day. Boring!
So this is about a guy who travels around Darien, Panama for a year trying to find himself. My major problem with it is how pathetic the author's problems are compared to the life of the people he's living with. A day with them should have made him realise he doesn't have any problems and that his presence there isn't helping anyone. The local people look at him as someone who they expect to help them, but he continually does nothing useful exept plant rice and eat their food. What's worse is that he does mention how his problems can't compare with theirs and yet doesn't go any further than that.
The other part to this book was the local history that was interspersed with his travelogue. He actually did a good job on this and it kept me reading to the end. My favourite chapter was the last, where the author is making his trip across the Darien Gap while at the same time writing about the first historical expedition across the same gap. It was pretty well done!
One last thing that isn't really important but can't get left unsaid...I am sooooo tired of reading the same old historical metaphor (in this case a football field) illustrating history on earth. You know the one, where they make a big deal about humans not even showing up on the field (or whatever else) until the very last section of the end zone? Yeah, it's really tired and someone needs to find another way to say that...or assume we already know it. I've also seen people use the USA (from west to east across the states) and the hours of a day. Boring!
April 1, 2020
It's my own lack of researching this author before I bought it to blame for my disappointment that there was very little mention of anything to do with nature, animals or plants in this book - Mitchinson is not a naturalist. It's certainly an astounding thing he did, just not something I am interested in - the politics and personalities of the region. However the small tidbits of history (they were going to use 275 nuclear explosions in the 1960s early 70s to build a Panama-type Canal in the region; the decision not to was deemed caused by "supersticious Latin Americans and the public's hysterical anti-nuclear attitude") brought this from 3 to 4 stars for me. It's one of the last places in the world humans haven't been able to overpopulate, farm, mine or otherwise tamper with and destroy.
December 15, 2008
This summers must read.
The Drien Gap is a well-written autobiography about a man who gives up a life of Canadian luxury of food, clothing, education, safety and health care for the hardship in a third world country. The trip is either to find himself or to escape, which leaves the reader guessing throughout his epic journey.
His story combines the hardships of his travels interwoven with the history of the Spanish and Scottish vicious attacks to conquer the rights of passage.
The Drien Gap is a well-written autobiography about a man who gives up a life of Canadian luxury of food, clothing, education, safety and health care for the hardship in a third world country. The trip is either to find himself or to escape, which leaves the reader guessing throughout his epic journey.
His story combines the hardships of his travels interwoven with the history of the Spanish and Scottish vicious attacks to conquer the rights of passage.
May 15, 2010
An excellent book on a region of the world few people hear about. Its both a contemporary travel book and regional history book. Informal style, but no fluff. The photographs also give it a bit of value a pictorial record.
August 10, 2011
I enjoyed the mix of history and adventure. Panama can be a pretty wild place!
September 6, 2013
A good book especially if you have been anywhere in the area and can associate with what the author is writing.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews