The Darien Gap: A Deep Jungle of Terror

Doctors Without Borders, 2024

"I had to leave because staying meant death. Walking through the desert, crossing the rivers—it was all a risk, but at least there was a chance of life."

— José Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and undocumented immigrant

In 2024, 302,203 people, including children and the elderly, crossed the Darien Jungle, commonly known as the Darien Gap, located in the south hemisphere of the Americas. This exuberant number of individuals, of which 20% are children, denotes the desperation of thousands of migrants to reach their final destination, the United States.

The Darien Gap is a geographical region encompassing the 5,750km2 of rainforest between Colombia and Panama, which proves to be a near-fatal ordeal for those who undertake its journey. Most of the migrants undertaking this path come from Venezuela, Haiti, Ecuador, Colombia, and even China. These people flee dire conditions at home that undermine their human rights, such as violence, insecurity, lack of freedom, and misery. This region represents a geographical obstacle where a litany of geographical risks lie. In fact, there is no road in the region that crosses it, nor are there bridges, mobile phone service, or infrastructure to facilitate the crossing. What there are, if any, are mountain ridges, hundreds of rivers, densely forested valleys, and diverse fauna that includes pumas, ocelots, varieties of reptiles, as well as venomous snakes, poisonous spiders, and scorpions, among others. The region itself proves to have high levels of mortality, making it one of the most dangerous forests in the world. Indeed, despite being the only land route linking South America and Central America, the Darien jungle is extremely difficult to traverse.

In addition, the Darien jungle also has various political risks, since, being a sparsely populated region and highly transited by irregular migrants, it has become a place for the concentration of criminal groups. Numerous non-state armed groups operate within this ideal haven such as splinter factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (ex-FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia's largest guerrilla insurgent groups, that take advantage of the need and vulnerability of migrants and commit acts of violence as well as human trafficking, sexual abuse, robbery and drug trafficking.

These life-threatening risks to human beings have escalated to alarming levels, and according to a report by the Human Rights Committee, crimes now include murders and disappearances, crimes that are compounded by the dangers inherent in crossing a rainforest.

Darien: a long-standing route

Movements through the Darien jungle are not recent; in fact, the first records began in the 1990s. However, until 2021, migratory flows through the jungle were minimal compared to other routes throughout the American continent. In 2021, the numbers rose, reaching 133,000 people, including many Haitians heading to northern Mexico from Brazil and Chile. 

Over the years, the number of people crossing the Darien Gap has increased exponentially. The graph below shows the number of migrants who have been registered in that region

Source: Data taken from: Center from Strategic & International Studies

These figures are increasing for multiple reasons. Many migrants from South America and the Caribbean have difficulty obtaining visas for Central American countries and Mexico, so they lack alternative routes to reach North America. This often happens because visa requirements prevent them from entering countries in northern South America or Central America directly. Instead of crossing borders in a more direct way, they must go to countries where entry is easier before making their way toward North America. As the route through this jungle has been consolidated, migrants have shared information about the best ways to cross it, an elementary factor that influences the number of people who decide to start the journey.

Apart from the remarkable growing wave of migrants who are willing to cross the Darien Gap, another trend that has been noticed is the movement of people from other continents and regions of the world seeking to reach their destination – North America. Particularly, people from Central and West Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, are increasingly taking this dangerous journey. Indeed, Panamanian authorities have registered more than 100,000 migrants from at least 60 African and Asian countries. In fact, in 2017 and 2018, the majority of migrants crossing the Darien Gap came from Asia, and the most common nationalities were Indian, Nepali, Bangladeshi, and Cameroonian. In 2023, trends in terms of country of origin have changed, with the most common extra-continental nationalities now being Chinese, with more than 13,000 migrants; Indian, with 3,300; and Afghan, with 2,600 people

Darien: The jungle has its price

The circumstances of the people who cross the Darien are very varied, although most of those who decide to embark on this journey pay another person to serve as a guide through the jungle. Indeed, the best way not to get lost in the jungle is to pay for a route. The Darien Gap, due to its extension, has several routes, both land and sea, and each one has a different rate that depends on the distance and danger of each of them.

Prices for crossing the Darien can range from $200 to $2000 per person, with the latter tariff applicable to those with more economic resources. Land routes are the most frequently used, and because they are the most dangerous, they are the least expensive. Maritime routes are less frequently used.

A route that has left traces

Whichever route is taken to cross the Darien Gap, one thing is clear: it is a deadly path that has claimed many lives over the years. The environmental conditions are extreme, from rain, cold, and heat to conditions not related to the environment, such as diseases, the threat of criminal groups, and the scarcity of food and water. All these factors make the Darien Gap a highly dangerous route. In 2024 alone, the death of 55 migrants and the abandonment of 180 children were recorded in the Darien Gap. This fact is alarming because the number of children crossing the route continues to grow and alerts the authorities who, on many occasions, can do no more than provide humanitarian aid to those entering Panama or launch searches to find those who were left behind. UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban summed up the seriousness of the situation: "The Darien Gap is no place for children. Many children have died on this arduous, dangerous journey. Women have given birth while en route, bringing new life into the world in the most challenging of circumstances. Many of those who survive the journey arrive sick, hungry, and dehydrated, often with wounds or infections and in desperate need of support."

The Darien Gap has emerged as one of the most dangerous migratory routes in the world, where every step is a risk and every journey leaves indelible scars. Despite the natural hazards and violence that lurk in the jungle, thousands of migrants continue to face this challenge in the hope of a better future. The alarming number of people crossing, coupled with the growing number of children exposed to this perilous journey, highlight a humanitarian crisis that requires urgent responses.

The Darien is not only a geographical crossroad but also a reflection of the inequalities and crises that force thousands to flee. As routes consolidate and the costs of the crossing rise, the question remains: How much more should those simply looking for a place to live in peace pay?