The Darien Gap is a sixty-mile stretch of jungle, rainforest, swamps, and mountains between Colombia and Panama and is considered one of the world’s most dangerous routes. Along with the estimated 135,000 refugees and migrants that cross the Darien Gap annually, the treacherous route is rife with drug traffickers and kidnappers, poisonous and venoms creatures, and plants.
Any overlander who has an interest in or has driven the PanAmerican Highway is aware that the Darien Gap cannot be driven across. Most overlanders opt to ship their vehicle out of Panama or Colombia around the Darien Gap and then either hop on a plane or sail the San Blas Islands around the Darien Gulf, waiting for the arrival of their precious cargo.
In 2014, we were lucky enough to book a spot on the second-last ferry that took passengers and vehicles across the Darien Gap. Unfortunately, this is no longer an option; contrary to the yearly rumors, another ferry will not be commissioned soon.
In this week’s video from RevZilla, we watch retired veterans Wayne Mitchell, Simon Edwards, Mike Eastham, and Richard Doering ride their motorbikes from Alaska to Argentina through the Darien Gap while Jake Hamby documents the journey. Yes, you read that correctly. Watch as they ride, get hoisted, pulled along, and slip and slide through the Darien Gap. You can read Wayne Mitchell’s inspiring interview with the team here.
Sidenote: Although many experienced bikers would quip that their bike selection was one of their downfalls (perhaps a more lightweight 650 would have sufficed) and that any seasoned biker would always carry backup clutch plates considering the terrain, the question is, would you be willing to undertake this grueling challenge and what considerations led the group to make the choices they did?
There have been other brave souls that have successfully crossed the Darien Gap, those via motor vehicles and other via bikes, namely:
Motor vehicle:
- The Trans-Darien Expedition with a Land Rover
- Dick Doane’s crossing with Chevrolet Corvairs
- The British Trans-Americas Expedition with a Land Rover and Range Rovers
- Loren Uptons crossing with a 1977 Jeep CJ-7
- Mark Smith’s crossing with Jeeps
Motorbike:
- Ed Culberson on a BMW R80 G/S
- Helge Pedersen on BMW R80 G/S
- Bob Webb and Ron Merrill on Rokon motorcycles
- Loren and Patricia Upton on Rokon motorcycles
Our No Compromise Clause: We carefully screen all contributors to ensure they are independent and impartial. We never have and never will accept advertorials, and we do not allow advertising to influence our product or destination reviews.
