The Emberá Communities of Chagres

Emberá communities living along the Chagres river inside the national park run visits themselves, and the journey is part of it: a drive from the city, then a piragua, a long motorised dugout, poled and driven upstream through forest to a village of open-sided thatched houses raised on stilts. Visits typically include a walk with a guide explaining medicinal plants, a demonstration of the basketry and tagua nut carving the Emberá are known for, music and dance, and a lunch of fish and plantain served in a leaf. Temporary jagua body painting is offered. The income supports communities whose traditional livelihoods were restricted when the national park was created around them.

What you actually see

• The river journey - upstream by dugout canoe through rainforest.
• Basketry and tagua carving - the fine woven work the Emberá are known for.
• A forest walk - medicinal and useful plants explained by village guides.
• Music and dance - performed in the village meeting house.

When to go

December to April, the dry season, when the river is easier and the road better. In the wet season the river runs higher and faster, which makes the journey more dramatic and sometimes impossible.

Honest expectations

Be honest with yourself about what this is: a scheduled cultural visit, part performance and part genuine exchange, and how it feels depends heavily on the operator and on whether you engage or just photograph. Ask before taking pictures of people. Book with operators working directly with the communities rather than intermediaries, so more of the money stays in the village. It rains hard here even in the dry season.

Nearby

Chagres National Park surrounds the river; Panama City is around an hour and a half away.