Inside The Ngöbe-Buglé Village of Isla Bastimentos
Loading up into the dinghy, we all tried to play it cool. We didn’t want to get overly excited or hype up our expectations and honestly, we didn’t know what to expect. We’re no National Geographic after all, but the idea of the adventure we’re about to embark on sounded worthy of a NatGeo assignment.
A group of traveling sailors, thirsty for an adventure, head into the indigenous village of the Ngöbe-Buglé people on Isla Bastimentos. In search of wild sloths, monkeys and poison dart frogs. They enlist the help of a native villager to guide them deep into the thick, dangerous jungle. What they didn’t expect to discover was …ok, you get the idea. We booked a native guide to take us into the jungle and we were pretty stoked about the idea of it all.
We’re anchored outside of a resort on Isla Bastimentos called Azul Paradise. The indigenous village of Salt Creek is a short walk away. It’s the best, and possibly the only, way to access the trails of Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park (Panama’s first national marine park).
We knew going on a mission in search of wild jungle life would be a hike filled with chance. It’s not like walking into a zoo. There are no guarantees we’d see anything, other than rainforest (of course). Considering this was our first big trek into the jungle, the hike alone is enough to satisfy us. But, with luck and our native guide Alfred, we got much more than a simple jungle tour.
Our mission was a success and then some. While I can’t say we’ll be making it on NatGeo anytime soon, it was an adventure! We went in search of jungle life but what we didn’t expect to discover was so much about the Ngöbe people. Wandering along the footpaths, learning about their homes, their way of life and the jungle from a native like Alfred is a truly unique experience.
Dates: August 10 – 11, 2017
- Nautical Miles Sailed: None
- Anchorage: Playa Azul, a calm and quiet place to drop the hook. The anchorage can be found easily on Active Captain.
