A private cultural encounter with the Emberá, one of Panama's seven indigenous peoples, in their community on the banks of the Gatún River within the rainforest.
The tour begins with pickup at your hotel and a 90-minute transfer to the shores of the Gatún River. From there, you board a motorized dugout canoe for about 20 minutes upriver through lush rainforest, where you may spot little blue and green herons, great egrets, anhingas, neotropical cormorants, Amazon, ringed and green kingfishers, as well as keel-billed toucans and ospreys in flight.
Upon arrival, the Emberá welcome visitors with traditional music and dance. The visit offers a close look at their relationship with nature, natural medicine, clothing, education and way of life, with the chance to see community children at play and, during the school year, peek into their classrooms.
The community offers local handicrafts for purchase: wood-carved animals and hand-woven baskets. You may also be painted with jagua, a natural dye the Emberá traditionally use as body adornment and a natural insect repellent, part of their ancestral medicine.
The visit includes a traditional Emberá lunch, accompanied by fresh seasonal fruit and beverages. Afterward, the return trip is by canoe to the starting point, then back to Panama City, arriving mid-afternoon.
Special arrangements and any other particular requirement can be coordinated to tailor the experience to your occasion or preference.
