PANAMA
B E Y ON D T H E CA NAL
From left: Guna homes are traditionally built from wood, cane and palm
leaves; the Naso are one of Panama’s eight Indigenous Peoples; the Guna’s
traditional ulu canoes are carved from single logs and remain an essential link between island
communities and the sea
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Try cacao with members of the Ngäbe-Buglé community
Once largely closed to outsiders, the ancestral lands of the Ngäbe-Buglé — Panama’s largest Indigenous group — are now opening to visitors seeking a deeper connection with one of the country’s oldest living cultures. Across their semi-autonomous comarca (territory) spanning parts of Bocas del Toro, Veraguas and Chiriquí, the Ngäbe and Buglé peoples continue to preserve traditions shaped by the forest, rivers and generations of knowledge. From the mountain town of Soloy in Chiriquí,
a local guide leads visitors through the forest to Kiki, one of the Ngäbe-Buglé’s most sacred sites and one of Panama’s most spectacular waterfalls. Considered a living temple, the waterfall is believed to connect the community with their ancestors. Here, cacao grown in the region takes centre stage in ceremonies led by local leaders, who invite visitors to give thanks to the natural world, reflect on their place within it and honour the future. HOW TO DO IT: Ogaya offers four-day tours including transport and accommodation. Prices start from £1,710 per person.
ogayatravel.com
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NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/TRAVEL
With its cerulean waters lapping against palm-lined, white-sand beaches, the Guna Yala archipelago looks a lot like its Caribbean neighbours. Forty-nine of the 365 islands that make up this island chain are inhabited by the Indigenous Guna — the first group to gain political autonomy from the government more than a century ago. Times have been tough since: rising sea levels threaten the islands, with hundreds of the 32,000-strong population relocated to the mainland. Those who remain are unwavering in their
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commitment to preserving their culture, and visitors can sail out to the islands on a liveaboard catamaran to learn more about the Guna peoples’ worldview. Recommended stops include the Museo de la Cultura Guna, which provides a cultural understanding of the Guna, and communities across the archipelago, where botanists and healers lead sacred rituals for visitors. HOW TO DO IT: Ancona Expeditions offers four- day sailing excursions starting from £1,740 per person.
anconexpeditions.com
Sail to the Guna Yala archipelago to learn about Guna culture
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Take a drumming workshop in Casco Viejo
Few sounds are more closely tied to Panama’s identity than the beat of the tambor drum. Introduced by enslaved West Africans in the early 1500s, its rhythms evolved over generations into the tamborito, a fusion of African, Spanish and Indigenous traditions that became Panama’s national song and dance. In a studio in Casco Viejo, discover the rhythms
of the tambor in an hour-long, hands-on workshop with professional percussionist Omar, who has spent two decades exploring the drum’s African roots. He introduces the melodic poetry of the tamborito, where verses led by a female singer — often exploring themes of love and desire — are answered by three drums carved from hollowed wood and covered with cowhide. Through call-and-response rhythms, clapping and stamping, you’ll leave with a deeper appreciation for the sounds that spill from street corners and Carnival celebrations across Panama. HOW TO DO IT: Workshops start from £45 per person (minimum two people).
instagram.com/panamadrumming
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