The Darien Gap makes it impossible to cross from North America to South America by road, as it holds the title of one of the world’s most treacherous areas.
Located between the Panama and Columbia borders, it breaks up what could have been the longest continuous stretch of road in the world, the Pan-American highway.
The 19,000-mile-long network of roads, which otherwise runs uninterrupted, starts in Alaska and ends at the southern tip of Argentina.
However, the difficult terrain, humid climate and constant rainfall make building a road across the gap virtually impossible and incredibly expensive. This is why the Pan-American highway project failed to be completed across this section.
One of the most hazardous places on the planet spans 160 km of dense tropical rainforests, muddy swamplands, steep mountains and turbulent rivers – long holding the reputation of being impenetrable.
Home to an array of poisonous creatures and deadly mammals, you can find the fer-de-lance pit viper – one of the world’s most venomous snakes.
Spiders causing death in just two hours, black scorpions waiting to give a painful sting, disease-carrying ticks, night-hunting crocodiles and jaguars are a few other living things you may encounter.
However, the environment and its wildlife are not the only reasons the Darien Gap is so dangerous.
The lack of Government control makes it home to a large number of criminals, smugglers and armed gangs, which significantly increases the risk of crime, including kidnapping.
As the only overland path from North to South America, many migrants take their chance at crossing the stretch by foot, making it a major corridor for asylum seekers into the United States.
Only a few thousand people dared risk their lives crossing the unmanned terrain a decade ago, but this figure has rapidly increased since.
The number of people attempting to cross in 2023 surpassed 500,000 as many take on the challenge in search of a new life.
As of 2023, around 84% of those crossing the gap are from Venezuela, Haiti, and Ecuador, with a growing number of overseas migrants, too.
