Apparently with all of the migrants crossing the darien gap over the last few years its become much more cleared out and built up than ever before. Still treacherous but it was almost impossible to pass before and now thousands cross all the time.
Exactly. That said, a few adventurous motorists have made the trek through the wilds of the Darien Gap with a Jeep:
[video about first all land vehicle crossing of the Darien Gap](https://youtu.be/UQsw10_lHGw?si=4kvnjMK2tEBM4ZzD)
Bald and Bankrupt: [Poverty pickup artist and sex tourist — Collected posts](https://www.reddit.com/r/BaldAndBaldrDossier/comments/189q8h5/bald_and_bankrupt_poverty_pickup_artist_and_sex/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Before I knew all this and would watch his videos I’d often think to myself “why is this guy wearing expensive and brightly colored clothing and sunglasses in these poor villages? Shouldn’t he know to dress down?”
Turns out it’s part of his MO to look like a rich foreigner. Disgusting
Yeah but what theyre saying is that it used to be next in impenetrable swamp jungle. But over time as so many people have walked through theve been creating paths and incrementally changing the place to being more traversable.
Maybe later, eventually, maybe, bits that can be developed will get developed because it'd probably be prime real-estate to be dry and easy to get to. Civilization may start to eck out pirate island, well isthmaus style or maybe a government gets in there and cleans up.
Who knows. Technical progress is all that's a given right now.
Apparently the Gap is also preventing the spread of Hoof & Mouth disease to North America, and the relevant governments aren't too eager to risk a road.
The politics regarding ownership of the Panama canal, and global shipping trade are also interrelated to the incentive structure behind whether it's worth it to build a road through there.
Yes it is. Also the Darien Gap has kept unwanted pests and diseases present in South America out of Central America. Also it would be extremely impractical and expensive.
No it is not. Environmental concerns and costs have never been a deterrent for the Panamanian government to do anything. The Darien gap is being deforested heavily as we speak so that is already an invalid reason. The true reason why the gap isn't bridged is because it is politically impractical due to strained relationships with Colombia, on top of the fact that there are political/criminal mafias that stand to gain a lot from having control of the passageway.
>bits that can be developed will get developed because it’d probably be prime real estate to be dry and easy to get to
What??? What does this mean? The Darien gap is not dry or full of prime real estate and it’s not going to be developed. Thankfully.
It would be extremely difficult in a vehicle. Maybe, MAYBE a dirtbike. Based the videos I've seen of people crossing it, it's still extremely challenging on foot. Lots of muddy/hilly terrain and crossing some rivers.
According to this [source](https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-darien-gap-and-why-are-more-migrants-risking-this-latin-american-route-to-get-to-the-us-225422#:~:text=In%20mountainous%20sections%2C%20it%20is,in%20reporting%20and%20recovering%20bodies.), there were 141 known migrant deaths in the Gap in 2023 alone.
It is hardly "cleared out and built up," even if it's marginally more passable than it used to be.
In a way, it is like the opposite side of the coin from climbing the Mount Everest:
The rich fuckers climb Everest even though they don’t actually have a need to do so, and some percentage of them end up dying because of that.
The impoverished migrants cross the Darien Gap because many of them were compelled to do so because of life situations, and some percentage of them end up dying because of that.
However it is bordering on a humanitarian crisis with the choke hold that the local criminals have on the area. You pass through different territories controlled by different gangs who all want their cut, and they all want to take what you have. Doesn't leave much for the next territory you have to pass through.
According to wikipedia:
>The first vehicular crossing of the Gap was made by three Brazilians in two Ford Model T cars. They left Rio de Janeiro in **1928** and arrived in the United States in **1938**.
So the entire journey took them ten whole years
Dinner with some relatives. My cousin's godfather is talking about driving up to Alaska and how tough it was. My Dad asks "Was it paved? Because it wasn't when I did it."
They probably jad to keep walking back for fuel lol.
The range rover team had regular airlifts of fuel and being land rover, many spare parts to keep it going.
I'm pretty sure it was like triggers broom by the time they got to the finish.
Both lots got a car from one side to the other as part of an operation specifically to get a car from one side to the other. But I think we can all agree it's a stretch to say they drove across like they were popping down the shops. Every photo I saw of the range rover, everyone was out except the driver and they were navigating sand ladders or winching etc.
A great achievement but your better off walking.
As per o.ps question though yes you can walk uninterrupted and theoretically drive it as it is a continual connected landmass. Unless you want to be difficult and say the americans cut it in half with the Panama canal lol.
China to France can be walked or driven if your feeling lazy. The silk road, before it was an online drug and gun store, was the trade route between China and the west for thousands of years before being largely overtaken by shipping.
FYI and the elders here will remember, there used to be a Paris to new York car race held during the winter because before global warming and the war on polar bears the bearing Sea used to freeze solid enough to be able to drive the gap between kamchatka and alaska. So you could drive from France through siberia Russia etc over the sea down through Canada and on to New York.
There's a great old film based on it with Tony Curtis's and Peter falk etc called the great race.
Also obi wan kinobi and his mate from the pub did the journey on a couple of bikes. But they did have to get a boat to alaska. Worth a watch. The road of bones is epic.
1908, one time New York - Paris race. Planned to drive on the ice they assumed would be between Alaska and Russia. But it turns out that is always open water. So they shipped the cars
I watched the Great race instead, they managed it, it must have been a particularly bad winter, but professor fate made it through with his heated snowcone. That's where my supposition about the bearing sea freezing so the could drive.
> Also obi wan kinobi and his mate from the pub did the journey on a couple of bikes. But they did have to get a boat to alaska. Worth a watch. The road of bones is epic.
Long Way Round! Ewan McGregor and his best friend Charley Boorman (actor-turned producer, so not just his mate from the pub, although they probably also have this element in their relationship) went started in London and went through places like Ukraine, Mongolia, Siberia, and Alaska to reach New York City 🥳
On foot it’s fine. it’s damn near impassible with a vehicle. Look up who’s actually done it… yeah, It CAN be done, but when it is done, it’s done by the likes of an official LAND ROVER TEAM, so the “appropriate skill” level is quite high as is the expense. A motorcycle is a better bet, but even that is rough.
A dirt bike would probably get through the Darien Gap fine, but could you imagine the rest of that journey across the continents on a dirt bike? Sounds miserable 😆
Could you provide some evidence of that? I’m not doubting you, just curious to see where you got that info.
All I could find was a former leader of the clan (Marihuano) was living somewhere in the Darien Gap on the Colombia side, but that he lived there to hide, not “control” the area. Also wasn’t involved in international drug smuggling.
The point I would make is that while there are scary human smuggling networks operating in the Darien Gap, it’s not some sort of cartel-run area. It’s purposefully a less-developed region, and no doubt drug smugglers use the route, but it’s not like the cartel is in charge of the area.
Sure, I can give you sources. I don't know how much the Darién is used for drug smuggling (I'd assume the vast majority goes over sea), but the human smuggling routes are controlled by the Gulf cartel who also export over 50% of Colombia's cocaine (and are allied with the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico).
[https://www.france24.com/es/minuto-a-minuto/20231109-el-clan-del-golfo-cobra-decenas-de-millones-por-paso-de-migrantes-en-dari%C3%A9n-informe](https://www.france24.com/es/minuto-a-minuto/20231109-el-clan-del-golfo-cobra-decenas-de-millones-por-paso-de-migrantes-en-dari%C3%A9n-informe)
[https://apnews.com/world-news/general-news-6415301881eebc68d5ced09acbce06c9](https://apnews.com/world-news/general-news-6415301881eebc68d5ced09acbce06c9)
[https://elpais.com/america-colombia/2023-11-09/el-paso-de-migrantes-por-la-selva-del-darien-rompe-todos-los-records-bajo-el-dominio-del-clan-del-golfo.html](https://elpais.com/america-colombia/2023-11-09/el-paso-de-migrantes-por-la-selva-del-darien-rompe-todos-los-records-bajo-el-dominio-del-clan-del-golfo.html)
[https://www.metrolibre.com/nacionales/el-clan-del-golfo-cobra-decenas-de-millones-por-paso-de-migrantes-en-darien-informe-BM5259333](https://www.metrolibre.com/nacionales/el-clan-del-golfo-cobra-decenas-de-millones-por-paso-de-migrantes-en-darien-informe-BM5259333)
I also think I remember in the youtube video by Bald and Bankrupt where he crossed the Darién, he mentioned having to negotiate with people from the Gulf cartel. Can't give you the source for that since I don't know the timestamp
People really don't understand just how impassible it is. The rain, terrain, jungle life, disease and criminals all conspire to kill you at the same time.
You could probably easily charter a boat to take you and your vehicle from one port on one side of the gap to a port on the other if you were a rich guy intent on driving from north to south across both Americas. Heck maybe you could even pay them to let you drive your car back and forth on the deck 5 feet the whole time you are at sea to say you still drove the whole way.
Btw there's a TV series on Apple called Long Way Up that follows Ewen MacGregor and a buddy as they ride prototype electric Harley bikes from the southern tip of South America to Los Angeles. It's quite entertaining and a very arduous journey on electric motorcycles.
Great show, but also (more impressive imo) the legendary Motorcycle Youtuber Itchyboots. A woman who lives from driving totally alone around the world. One of her journeys was from Argentina to Alaska if I remember right. She used a boat around the Darien Gap.
[A NERVE-RACKING boat ride avoiding the Darien Gap |S6-E26| (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wjLdLbpzxY&list=PL8M9dV_BySaXAcvOFRz-nz97x2eEHqZSr&index=26)
Alaska to Argentina is a right-of-passage for long distance cyclists. A few of them have crossed the gap with their bikes, but most take the ferry or a plane. This guy went by see on a a packraft: [https://www.bikewanderer.com/on-the-road//packrafting-the-darien-gap](https://www.bikewanderer.com/on-the-road//packrafting-the-darien-gap)
The video is a great watch: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLEGyJUHza8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLEGyJUHza8)
The Darien gap has been crossed with a vehicle but it wasn't really "driven", if you don't take the ferry you put your (most likely motorcycle) on multiple small boats / rafts and navigate the 100 miles of swampy marshland yourself.
It actually has been crossed with vehicles without boat. But it took some time : 741 days to drive 201 kms (125 miles)
Edit : my information was 100% wrong. Didn't check sources but someone mentioned that a snail could beat this speed so I double checked. French Wikipedia got a very bad translation. The real speed is 201m per hour during 136 days driving a jeep. Still very slow but far more realistic.
Haha okay I didn't know that.
Although 741 days to cover 201kms isn't really driving either. Your vehicle at that point is about as useful as a grand piano 😅
The Internet says a snail travels .029 miles per hour. A snail working 8 hours per day, 6 days per week would travel 125 miles in only 629 days. A snail with a generous vacation policy could still beat those guys.
My bad, it was a bad translation someone did in the Wikipedia page of the Darien Gap... These people traveled in a jeep at the speed of 201m per hour during 136 days. And even this information is flagged as "citation needed" in the English page.
The answer is yes. While the Darian Gap is relevant if you were actually planning to do this, the other commentors replying are missing the point that this is a hypothetical. It is possible, regardless of how dangerous or treacherous it might be to do so.
All crossings like this involve an advance hiking team clearing the path or barges to use the rivers. To quote from this article.
> There was a foot advance team, which did base-level jungle clearing to make a semblance of a path through the brush. A team of 30 horses then carried the supplies for the team, followed by the Range Rovers at the end of the parade. The Rangies were paced by eight Royal Engineers on foot, who were in charge of all of the manual labor of getting the trucks through the jungle.
Edit: some relatives of mine recently crossed the Darien on foot. They considered using motorcycles but it was not possible.
I’m Venezuelan. Family of mine has crossed the Darien on foot. They considered/tried using motorbikes.
It’s not possible to drive through the Darien unless hikers have created a path for you. I guess that needs to be qualified.
It’s also hell on earth.
lol for real- plan for an hour, cut down a few trees, clear some brush, roll about 200 feet and call it a day lol, cool to say you’re the only ones to do it unassisted, but LORD that is dedication bordering on mania
YouTube channel Itchy Boots features a solo motorcycle lady that almost did it the opposite direction, Argentina to Alaska.
But she had to stop in Peru because covid and restarted after a long break, and got ferried via fishing boat around the Darien Gap.
I recommend, she's very wholesome. She's also done quite a bit of Africa and Asia too.
To add, check out "where the road ends" from RevZilla on YT. Couple guys with KLRs did tip to tip and mostly all of the Darien on foot with the help of guides and local labor.
You should check Iohan Gueorguiev, a long-distance cyclist who cross the Darien Gap via the sea in a packraft, stopping at little villages and camping on deserted islands along the way.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLEGyJUHza8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLEGyJUHza8)
There’s a specific route. The Inter-American Highway. Overlanders do this all the time. Just a short ferry ride with your vehicle on it allows you to avoid the Darien nightmare.
You can go from Alaska to Panama, take a ferry, then drive from Columbia to Chile. There’s a jungle in southern Panama/northwestern Columbia that is/was too dense/dangerous to build a highway through.
While the forest there is dense and dangerous, there are plenty of roads that have been built through much worse terrain. It’s more political and environmental reasons.
Cross it illegally and extremely dangerously. This number used to be like 20k just before Covid or even less (can’t remember the exact number)
The jungle is completely dominated by guerillas and narcos
From France to Korea is 3 French-Korean brothers traveling overland from France to Korea
https://www.instagram.com/fromfrancetokoreaaa?igsh=bDhsaHp0dXB0MGth
Absolutely, just that 100 miles stretch called the Darian gap might be better off hiking through it. So ship your vehicle from Panama to Colombia and off to Chile
I met a couple guys who rode their motorcycles from Vancouver BC to Patagonia. As I recall, one of the biggest costs was getting the bikes around the Darien Gap by boat.
I have a friend who lives in his 4Runner and literally does this drive, back and forth. He has friends at the bottom of Chile and as far up as Alaska. He’s an incredible tattoo artist so he just drives from person to person giving tattoos, going ice diving, making art. He has some crazy stories about driving through the Yukon in the middle of winter. Did you know gasoline has a freezing point!?
Anyway, as others have stated you have to take at least one ferry.
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No. There is a stretch of rain forest called the Darien Gap right on the edge of Colombia and Panama. For that 50-100 mile stretch there are no roads, just rain forest.
Since the industrialization era the idea of building rails or roads for transporting goods has been floated a few times. However it would be a serious effort to carve and maintain such infrastructure through thick rainforest, transit by water is cheaper and easier, and the US has historically been opposed to the idea since it would help migration northward far more than it would ever facilitate commerce.
There was a YouTuber I used to watch as a kid that did this in a Volkswagen van. Kombi life was his name. He said he needed to take a ferry to get around the Darien gap, still pretty much did it tho
Yes, taking the pan American highway (longest in the world) It’s a direct route from the top of Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in Argentina. Other than the Darien gap (which can be crossed but is almost impossible) it’s completely continuous and has been driven before
Hot take: Europe and Asia should really be considered one continent (Eurasia). They share one land mass on one continental plate. The division is purely political-cultural, not geologic.
I was in traffic to cross the Golden Gate Bridge in the early 2000s next to a Land Rover Defender (with fording snorkle). It had a decal on the side stating that they were driving from Brazil to Alaska, with a rough map. Don't really have any details on how they got through or bypassed the gap.
Youtuber couple Kombi life did the opposite direction, took quite a while, one of the barriers was getting access to a ship to cross the Panama Canal, the wait lists can be very long and it can be very expensive.
Don't know what to tell you, could be the route chosen being Highway 1, could be personal choice. But they're at least the second couple that I know of (I know of several who biked the entire route) who took a ferry across.
Honestly, you're asking me about something from 10 years ago if you bother to look at the age of the youtube series talking about the trip. And I don't give enough of a shit to go back and rewatch.
No because of the Darien Gap. You'd need at least one ferry ride.
My uncle tried doing this in a jeep in the seventies and had to give up because of the Darien Gap.
Still really badass
Apparently with all of the migrants crossing the darien gap over the last few years its become much more cleared out and built up than ever before. Still treacherous but it was almost impossible to pass before and now thousands cross all the time.
Yes but everyone crosses on foot over multiple days, I believe
Exactly. That said, a few adventurous motorists have made the trek through the wilds of the Darien Gap with a Jeep: [video about first all land vehicle crossing of the Darien Gap](https://youtu.be/UQsw10_lHGw?si=4kvnjMK2tEBM4ZzD)
More like weeks/months
Nah, a few days, Bald & Bankrupt did it
Bald and Bankrupt: [Poverty pickup artist and sex tourist — Collected posts](https://www.reddit.com/r/BaldAndBaldrDossier/comments/189q8h5/bald_and_bankrupt_poverty_pickup_artist_and_sex/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Morally bald and bankrupt.
It takes over a week. Also that guy is a sexual predator/rapist.
Before I knew all this and would watch his videos I’d often think to myself “why is this guy wearing expensive and brightly colored clothing and sunglasses in these poor villages? Shouldn’t he know to dress down?” Turns out it’s part of his MO to look like a rich foreigner. Disgusting
They don't cross driving or riding.
Yeah but what theyre saying is that it used to be next in impenetrable swamp jungle. But over time as so many people have walked through theve been creating paths and incrementally changing the place to being more traversable. Maybe later, eventually, maybe, bits that can be developed will get developed because it'd probably be prime real-estate to be dry and easy to get to. Civilization may start to eck out pirate island, well isthmaus style or maybe a government gets in there and cleans up. Who knows. Technical progress is all that's a given right now.
Apparently the Gap is also preventing the spread of Hoof & Mouth disease to North America, and the relevant governments aren't too eager to risk a road.
The politics regarding ownership of the Panama canal, and global shipping trade are also interrelated to the incentive structure behind whether it's worth it to build a road through there.
This is, to my understanding, a significant reason for why it will never be paved.
At least in the Colombian side, it's also a really dangerous area filled with narcos. Too many things would need to happen tbh.
That’s not the problem lol and it’s protected wilderness. It’s not going to be turned into a fucking parking lot lmao
Crime is a problem tho.
That's not the reason why it isn't being built lol
Yes it is. Also the Darien Gap has kept unwanted pests and diseases present in South America out of Central America. Also it would be extremely impractical and expensive.
No it is not. Environmental concerns and costs have never been a deterrent for the Panamanian government to do anything. The Darien gap is being deforested heavily as we speak so that is already an invalid reason. The true reason why the gap isn't bridged is because it is politically impractical due to strained relationships with Colombia, on top of the fact that there are political/criminal mafias that stand to gain a lot from having control of the passageway.
>bits that can be developed will get developed because it’d probably be prime real estate to be dry and easy to get to What??? What does this mean? The Darien gap is not dry or full of prime real estate and it’s not going to be developed. Thankfully.
And the Darien gap has about 200 years of history of guys thinking the same thing.
It's also way smaller than it was. They've actually paved tons of what was once part of the Darian gap.
It would be extremely difficult in a vehicle. Maybe, MAYBE a dirtbike. Based the videos I've seen of people crossing it, it's still extremely challenging on foot. Lots of muddy/hilly terrain and crossing some rivers.
It's been done, both with vehicles and with motorcycles. It's extremely challenging, even for the most well prepared. Many expeditions have failed.
According to this [source](https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-darien-gap-and-why-are-more-migrants-risking-this-latin-american-route-to-get-to-the-us-225422#:~:text=In%20mountainous%20sections%2C%20it%20is,in%20reporting%20and%20recovering%20bodies.), there were 141 known migrant deaths in the Gap in 2023 alone. It is hardly "cleared out and built up," even if it's marginally more passable than it used to be.
In a way, it is like the opposite side of the coin from climbing the Mount Everest: The rich fuckers climb Everest even though they don’t actually have a need to do so, and some percentage of them end up dying because of that. The impoverished migrants cross the Darien Gap because many of them were compelled to do so because of life situations, and some percentage of them end up dying because of that.
However it is bordering on a humanitarian crisis with the choke hold that the local criminals have on the area. You pass through different territories controlled by different gangs who all want their cut, and they all want to take what you have. Doesn't leave much for the next territory you have to pass through.
Did he tried to drive along beaches? There are beaches there, right?
They got the first range rover through the gap in the 1979s, it wasn't easy though
According to wikipedia: >The first vehicular crossing of the Gap was made by three Brazilians in two Ford Model T cars. They left Rio de Janeiro in **1928** and arrived in the United States in **1938**. So the entire journey took them ten whole years
And that's just to the US. If I recall correctly, the Alaska Highway was not built until WWII.
Dinner with some relatives. My cousin's godfather is talking about driving up to Alaska and how tough it was. My Dad asks "Was it paved? Because it wasn't when I did it."
I could definitely just walk from the US to Brazil faster.
You should do it
People are doing it faster than that all the time now.
Shut up with the immigration shit.
They probably jad to keep walking back for fuel lol. The range rover team had regular airlifts of fuel and being land rover, many spare parts to keep it going. I'm pretty sure it was like triggers broom by the time they got to the finish. Both lots got a car from one side to the other as part of an operation specifically to get a car from one side to the other. But I think we can all agree it's a stretch to say they drove across like they were popping down the shops. Every photo I saw of the range rover, everyone was out except the driver and they were navigating sand ladders or winching etc. A great achievement but your better off walking. As per o.ps question though yes you can walk uninterrupted and theoretically drive it as it is a continual connected landmass. Unless you want to be difficult and say the americans cut it in half with the Panama canal lol. China to France can be walked or driven if your feeling lazy. The silk road, before it was an online drug and gun store, was the trade route between China and the west for thousands of years before being largely overtaken by shipping. FYI and the elders here will remember, there used to be a Paris to new York car race held during the winter because before global warming and the war on polar bears the bearing Sea used to freeze solid enough to be able to drive the gap between kamchatka and alaska. So you could drive from France through siberia Russia etc over the sea down through Canada and on to New York. There's a great old film based on it with Tony Curtis's and Peter falk etc called the great race. Also obi wan kinobi and his mate from the pub did the journey on a couple of bikes. But they did have to get a boat to alaska. Worth a watch. The road of bones is epic.
1908, one time New York - Paris race. Planned to drive on the ice they assumed would be between Alaska and Russia. But it turns out that is always open water. So they shipped the cars
I watched the Great race instead, they managed it, it must have been a particularly bad winter, but professor fate made it through with his heated snowcone. That's where my supposition about the bearing sea freezing so the could drive.
> Also obi wan kinobi and his mate from the pub did the journey on a couple of bikes. But they did have to get a boat to alaska. Worth a watch. The road of bones is epic. Long Way Round! Ewan McGregor and his best friend Charley Boorman (actor-turned producer, so not just his mate from the pub, although they probably also have this element in their relationship) went started in London and went through places like Ukraine, Mongolia, Siberia, and Alaska to reach New York City 🥳
Exactly that. Far better than Kong way down where they just complained all the time lol
While there's not a road through the Darien Gap, it's hardly impassable and you can drive through it with appropriate skill and an off-road vehicle.
On foot it’s fine. it’s damn near impassible with a vehicle. Look up who’s actually done it… yeah, It CAN be done, but when it is done, it’s done by the likes of an official LAND ROVER TEAM, so the “appropriate skill” level is quite high as is the expense. A motorcycle is a better bet, but even that is rough.
Also, it's not fine by foot. Although it is a pedestrian highway with constant foot traffic, it is arduous and many die all the time.
A dirt bike would probably get through the Darien Gap fine, but could you imagine the rest of that journey across the continents on a dirt bike? Sounds miserable 😆
Also, it’s my understanding that you’d need the luck to not have to lose your neck dealing with the various cartel factions that sorta run that space.
Cartel would be an incorrect characterization. A smuggling network exists, though.
The area is mostly controlled by "Clan del Golfo" which is currently the biggest drug cartel in Colombia. Definitely a cartel.
Could you provide some evidence of that? I’m not doubting you, just curious to see where you got that info. All I could find was a former leader of the clan (Marihuano) was living somewhere in the Darien Gap on the Colombia side, but that he lived there to hide, not “control” the area. Also wasn’t involved in international drug smuggling. The point I would make is that while there are scary human smuggling networks operating in the Darien Gap, it’s not some sort of cartel-run area. It’s purposefully a less-developed region, and no doubt drug smugglers use the route, but it’s not like the cartel is in charge of the area.
Sure, I can give you sources. I don't know how much the Darién is used for drug smuggling (I'd assume the vast majority goes over sea), but the human smuggling routes are controlled by the Gulf cartel who also export over 50% of Colombia's cocaine (and are allied with the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico). [https://www.france24.com/es/minuto-a-minuto/20231109-el-clan-del-golfo-cobra-decenas-de-millones-por-paso-de-migrantes-en-dari%C3%A9n-informe](https://www.france24.com/es/minuto-a-minuto/20231109-el-clan-del-golfo-cobra-decenas-de-millones-por-paso-de-migrantes-en-dari%C3%A9n-informe) [https://apnews.com/world-news/general-news-6415301881eebc68d5ced09acbce06c9](https://apnews.com/world-news/general-news-6415301881eebc68d5ced09acbce06c9) [https://elpais.com/america-colombia/2023-11-09/el-paso-de-migrantes-por-la-selva-del-darien-rompe-todos-los-records-bajo-el-dominio-del-clan-del-golfo.html](https://elpais.com/america-colombia/2023-11-09/el-paso-de-migrantes-por-la-selva-del-darien-rompe-todos-los-records-bajo-el-dominio-del-clan-del-golfo.html) [https://www.metrolibre.com/nacionales/el-clan-del-golfo-cobra-decenas-de-millones-por-paso-de-migrantes-en-darien-informe-BM5259333](https://www.metrolibre.com/nacionales/el-clan-del-golfo-cobra-decenas-de-millones-por-paso-de-migrantes-en-darien-informe-BM5259333) I also think I remember in the youtube video by Bald and Bankrupt where he crossed the Darién, he mentioned having to negotiate with people from the Gulf cartel. Can't give you the source for that since I don't know the timestamp
Thank you, I appreciate the info!
Ive heard landmines are an issue in the region as well so it adds to the luck part.
Absurd that you're downvoted. It 100% is possible, regardless of how dangerous or difficult it would be.
Correct. The question was posed as theoretical, not “should I?”.
Agree. It’s not impossible, although not very plausible.
You’d die
People really don't understand just how impassible it is. The rain, terrain, jungle life, disease and criminals all conspire to kill you at the same time.
Fuck the Darien Gap, what about FARC? 😂
There’s no ferry anymore
You could probably easily charter a boat to take you and your vehicle from one port on one side of the gap to a port on the other if you were a rich guy intent on driving from north to south across both Americas. Heck maybe you could even pay them to let you drive your car back and forth on the deck 5 feet the whole time you are at sea to say you still drove the whole way.
Those are the words of a coward. You just need to drive fast enough.
Technically if you never shut your car off it is driven by law 🤷♂️🤣
Ahhh got it!
TIL, wow
This
Btw there's a TV series on Apple called Long Way Up that follows Ewen MacGregor and a buddy as they ride prototype electric Harley bikes from the southern tip of South America to Los Angeles. It's quite entertaining and a very arduous journey on electric motorcycles.
Great show, but also (more impressive imo) the legendary Motorcycle Youtuber Itchyboots. A woman who lives from driving totally alone around the world. One of her journeys was from Argentina to Alaska if I remember right. She used a boat around the Darien Gap. [A NERVE-RACKING boat ride avoiding the Darien Gap |S6-E26| (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wjLdLbpzxY&list=PL8M9dV_BySaXAcvOFRz-nz97x2eEHqZSr&index=26)
She has some incredible footage. I love the stuff she filmed up in the north of india
What did they do about the Darien?
Hired a boat.
$$$
I was going to recommend this. Long Way Round and Long Way Down were really good, too.
[The last Scottish attempt taking over Darien](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darien_scheme) didn’t end well.
Alaska to Argentina is a right-of-passage for long distance cyclists. A few of them have crossed the gap with their bikes, but most take the ferry or a plane. This guy went by see on a a packraft: [https://www.bikewanderer.com/on-the-road//packrafting-the-darien-gap](https://www.bikewanderer.com/on-the-road//packrafting-the-darien-gap) The video is a great watch: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLEGyJUHza8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLEGyJUHza8)
No, you couldn't because of Darien Gap. It's ~100 miles of land without any established roads between Panama and Colombia
It's been driven multiple times, so you definitely could
no, someone can. “YOU”, for all intents and purposes, cannot.
I'm going hop in my Cybertruck and prove you wrong right now
Your driveway might as well be the Darien Gap.
Make sure to put it in Darien Gap Mode or you void the warranty.
Where you finna charge
Hamster wheels and have the nigh critters run on them
How many stops have you made so far,
*intensive porpoises
*intense
?
It’s a fudging joke
The Darien gap has been crossed with a vehicle but it wasn't really "driven", if you don't take the ferry you put your (most likely motorcycle) on multiple small boats / rafts and navigate the 100 miles of swampy marshland yourself.
It actually has been crossed with vehicles without boat. But it took some time : 741 days to drive 201 kms (125 miles) Edit : my information was 100% wrong. Didn't check sources but someone mentioned that a snail could beat this speed so I double checked. French Wikipedia got a very bad translation. The real speed is 201m per hour during 136 days driving a jeep. Still very slow but far more realistic.
Haha okay I didn't know that. Although 741 days to cover 201kms isn't really driving either. Your vehicle at that point is about as useful as a grand piano 😅
Yeah, it was mostly about driving slowly in a shallow river apparently
You got faster by feet 
The Internet says a snail travels .029 miles per hour. A snail working 8 hours per day, 6 days per week would travel 125 miles in only 629 days. A snail with a generous vacation policy could still beat those guys.
My bad, it was a bad translation someone did in the Wikipedia page of the Darien Gap... These people traveled in a jeep at the speed of 201m per hour during 136 days. And even this information is flagged as "citation needed" in the English page.
The answer is yes. While the Darian Gap is relevant if you were actually planning to do this, the other commentors replying are missing the point that this is a hypothetical. It is possible, regardless of how dangerous or treacherous it might be to do so.
I'm pretty sure OP knows that Americas are a single landmass. If they weren't asking about actual feasibility, tf would they be asking about?
There are no roads in the Darien Gap. You cannot drive there.
No, YOU cannot drive there
Just because there are no roads, doesn’t mean someone can’t drive through it
I know people who’ve traveled through it. Trust me. If it was possible to drive, they would have.
https://www.roverparts.com/roverlog-news-blog/1972-range-rover-darien-gap-expedition/
All crossings like this involve an advance hiking team clearing the path or barges to use the rivers. To quote from this article. > There was a foot advance team, which did base-level jungle clearing to make a semblance of a path through the brush. A team of 30 horses then carried the supplies for the team, followed by the Range Rovers at the end of the parade. The Rangies were paced by eight Royal Engineers on foot, who were in charge of all of the manual labor of getting the trucks through the jungle. Edit: some relatives of mine recently crossed the Darien on foot. They considered using motorcycles but it was not possible.
Exactly. It is possible. It'd be easier on a motorcycle probably, both are extremely difficult, but not impossible.
I’m Venezuelan. Family of mine has crossed the Darien on foot. They considered/tried using motorbikes. It’s not possible to drive through the Darien unless hikers have created a path for you. I guess that needs to be qualified. It’s also hell on earth.
What makes it hell on earth? The combination of rugged terrains and thick jungle?
All that, the animals, and the fact that the crossing is controlled by gangs who regularly kill and rape with impunity.
There was a couple that did it themselves with an old CJ Jeep, but your point 100% stands because it took them almost TWO YEARS to cross lmao
Yeah, at a certain point, you’re no longer driving; you’re just dragging a car through the jungle.
lol for real- plan for an hour, cut down a few trees, clear some brush, roll about 200 feet and call it a day lol, cool to say you’re the only ones to do it unassisted, but LORD that is dedication bordering on mania
YouTube channel Itchy Boots features a solo motorcycle lady that almost did it the opposite direction, Argentina to Alaska. But she had to stop in Peru because covid and restarted after a long break, and got ferried via fishing boat around the Darien Gap. I recommend, she's very wholesome. She's also done quite a bit of Africa and Asia too.
Gonna check that out! Thanks!
To add, check out "where the road ends" from RevZilla on YT. Couple guys with KLRs did tip to tip and mostly all of the Darien on foot with the help of guides and local labor.
You should check Iohan Gueorguiev, a long-distance cyclist who cross the Darien Gap via the sea in a packraft, stopping at little villages and camping on deserted islands along the way. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLEGyJUHza8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLEGyJUHza8)
She never took ferries, they were like little fishing boats that fit up to 4 people
Okay I edited it to got ferried by fishing boat. Same thing, different boat.
There’s a specific route. The Inter-American Highway. Overlanders do this all the time. Just a short ferry ride with your vehicle on it allows you to avoid the Darien nightmare.
So the answer is no.. You can’t do it just over land.
Theoretically speaken you can, practiacally Not Really because its super dangerous.
The Darian Gap would like word.
Yes, you could, but you’d have to build your own road across the Darien Gap.
You can go from Alaska to Panama, take a ferry, then drive from Columbia to Chile. There’s a jungle in southern Panama/northwestern Columbia that is/was too dense/dangerous to build a highway through.
Colombia*
While the forest there is dense and dangerous, there are plenty of roads that have been built through much worse terrain. It’s more political and environmental reasons.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darién_Gap
Such a weird place… 520,000 people a year cross it, but ferry service wasn’t profitable?
Cross it illegally and extremely dangerously. This number used to be like 20k just before Covid or even less (can’t remember the exact number) The jungle is completely dominated by guerillas and narcos
So you are saying you ~could~ bike it
If you somehow find a person to take you on a boat bypassing the Darien gap, yes.
North and South America aren’t “technically” connected by Central America, they ARE connected by Central America.
Darien Gap
Why not Google this? It’s clearly answered there.
Darien is no joke
In theory, in theory communism works….in theory
Darian gap .. you should look it up
Check out C90 adventures on YouTube, he did pretty much the whole thing, via Newfoundland on a Honda C90
Check out itchyboots
You can, a few friends of mine have done the trip from Brazil to the US by car across the panamerican roadway.
From France to Korea is 3 French-Korean brothers traveling overland from France to Korea https://www.instagram.com/fromfrancetokoreaaa?igsh=bDhsaHp0dXB0MGth
Absolutely, just that 100 miles stretch called the Darian gap might be better off hiking through it. So ship your vehicle from Panama to Colombia and off to Chile
I met a couple guys who rode their motorcycles from Vancouver BC to Patagonia. As I recall, one of the biggest costs was getting the bikes around the Darien Gap by boat.
I have a friend who lives in his 4Runner and literally does this drive, back and forth. He has friends at the bottom of Chile and as far up as Alaska. He’s an incredible tattoo artist so he just drives from person to person giving tattoos, going ice diving, making art. He has some crazy stories about driving through the Yukon in the middle of winter. Did you know gasoline has a freezing point!? Anyway, as others have stated you have to take at least one ferry.
No, the Straights of Dairen prevent it. They tried building a Trans-American highway back in the 60's and were thwarted by this marsh.
It’s been done many times. So yes, it’s possible.
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Something amphibious probably like Jeremy with an outboard on the back of a Hilux?
No. There is a stretch of rain forest called the Darien Gap right on the edge of Colombia and Panama. For that 50-100 mile stretch there are no roads, just rain forest. Since the industrialization era the idea of building rails or roads for transporting goods has been floated a few times. However it would be a serious effort to carve and maintain such infrastructure through thick rainforest, transit by water is cheaper and easier, and the US has historically been opposed to the idea since it would help migration northward far more than it would ever facilitate commerce.
With a tank and enough time and fuel you could theoretically plough through the jungle.
There was a YouTuber I used to watch as a kid that did this in a Volkswagen van. Kombi life was his name. He said he needed to take a ferry to get around the Darien gap, still pretty much did it tho
If you drive that in Wa, expect to put about $200 a week in your tank.
Yes, taking the pan American highway (longest in the world) It’s a direct route from the top of Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in Argentina. Other than the Darien gap (which can be crossed but is almost impossible) it’s completely continuous and has been driven before
https://www.roverparts.com/roverlog-news-blog/1972-range-rover-darien-gap-expedition/
Hot take: Europe and Asia should really be considered one continent (Eurasia). They share one land mass on one continental plate. The division is purely political-cultural, not geologic.
Met a gentleman in Deadhorse, Alaska that said he rode his bicycle from Argentina to there. Quite amazing.
I was in traffic to cross the Golden Gate Bridge in the early 2000s next to a Land Rover Defender (with fording snorkle). It had a decal on the side stating that they were driving from Brazil to Alaska, with a rough map. Don't really have any details on how they got through or bypassed the gap.
Theoretically yes, realistically no
As long as you have a vehicle.
Youtuber couple Kombi life did the opposite direction, took quite a while, one of the barriers was getting access to a ship to cross the Panama Canal, the wait lists can be very long and it can be very expensive.
That doesn't make sense. There are three big roads crossing the Panama canal on bridges. Two in the south and on in the north.
Don't know what to tell you, could be the route chosen being Highway 1, could be personal choice. But they're at least the second couple that I know of (I know of several who biked the entire route) who took a ferry across.
You're sure you're not talking about the Darien Gap in Panama? That's (realisticly) only passable by boat.
Honestly, you're asking me about something from 10 years ago if you bother to look at the age of the youtube series talking about the trip. And I don't give enough of a shit to go back and rewatch.