The Emberá 

In Panamá, it’s very easy to visit an indigenous community, learn about their beliefs and share a traditional meal. The country’s 3.5 million inhabitants include 12% who identify as members of one of the native ethnic groups: Guna, Ngäbe-Buglé, Teribe, Bokota, Emberá-Wounaan, and Bri-Bri. And some of them live very close to the city. 

For example, the Emberá people had always lived in the Darien rainforest, where their current territory has about 12,000 inhabitants. Starting in the 1960s, some Emberás emigrated to the Panama Canal watershed and established villages along the Chagres river (Parará Puru, Emberá Drua, Tusípono Emberá, and Ella Puro) and on the shores of Lake Gatun (Emberá Quera). 

Visiting an Emberá village will give you a chance to talk with the community’s leaders and learn about their way of life and how they see the world. You’ll see their traditional homes, take part in their dances and enjoy their handicrafts. Indulge in body painting or a temporary tattoo made with jagua! 

Local guides will also take you through the luxuriant landscape of the Canal watershed. You can hike, float down transparent rivers and see wondrous waterfalls.