Skipping the Darien Gap: sailing from Colombia to Panama
Aug 28, 2015, 5:57 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Germany
Programs: Miles and More
Posts: 16
Skipping the Darien Gap: sailing from Colombia to Panama
Hello, FlyerTalk! I am a long time reader, first time poster. I have been travelling a lot in last 10 years. I usually travel long-term and slowly, no jetting around the world in 10 days. My trips rarely include planes and I'm new to this miles and points game. I hope to learn about it more though! Nevertheless, I think my recent trip on a sailing boat might interest some of you. Have you ever dreamed about island hopping in the Caribbean on a private yacht? Well, this is a perfect budget version of that!
Sailing from Cartagena, Colombia to Portobelo, Panama was a small part of my big trip. Since September 2013 I am cycling the Panamerican Highway with my friend S and my dog Tulku. Panamericana is a very popular route among cyclists, motorbikers and campervans. And all of them deal with the same problem - skipping the Darien Gap.
Darien Gap is a 70km gap in the 'longest highway' in the world. There is no road in those 70km, just wild jungle, ruled by guerillas. There are 3 ways how to skip this gap:
1. Get a machete and cut your way through the jungle. I have met quite a few travelers that did it and all of them have crazy stories to tell. Sadly, there are many of them who attempted the trip, but never made it alive to the other side.
2. Take a plane from Panama City to Cartagena, Medellin or Bogota. This is the cheapest and easiest way for the pedestrian travellers, but the ones with a vehicle need to arrange the shipping. Flying with 2 bicycles, 80kg of luggage and a dog is much more complicated and expensive. It's also fun to tell about it afterwards, but no fun actually being a part of it.
3. Take a sailing boat. The main route is from Cartagena, Colombia to Portobelo, Panama or to El Povenir, Panama. There are many sailing boats that frequently sail this route. You can find a boat by yourself (either online or just by asking around in the harbour) or via agency. There are at least two agencies that don't charge extra for finding you a boat, so we used the service of one of them. The agency provided us with a list of the boats and their departure dates as well as short descriptions of the boats. Some boats are better for couples and relaxing while others are better for partying, so you can choose whatever suits you better.
We decided to skip the Darien Gap by taking a sailing boat. I found an agency online and started the booking process. Let the fun begin!
Me: Hello, I would like to book a sailing boat transfer from Colombia to Panama.
They: Yes, of course. Here is the list with the boats we trust and recommend.
Me: Ok, we are two people and we have two bicycles and one dog.
They: Oh... Well... It will be very hard to find a captain that will take bicycles and a dog. There might be extra costs too.
Me: Yes, we are aware of that.
They: Ok, we will do our best to assist you. Please check the list we provided and tell us your prefered dates and boats so we could start somewhere.
The conversation with the agency set a tone that it will be hard to find a sailing boat for us. It wasn't a big surprise for me as we look like a circus on wheels anyway. I sent them a list with 3 boats that would suit us the best. We had only few days left until our (extended) visas expired, so we needed to leave the country. We also started looking for the flights and found out that it would cost the same as the sailing trip. Next day I got the answer: "We contacted the boats you preferred and 2 of them are willing to take you with no extra costs. The third one is already full. Please let me know which of the two boats should I book.". That was good news and before anyone had a chance to change their minds we booked a tour on a boat called Micamale.
A day before the beginning of the sailing trip we had a meeting with a captain. We met the captain Andrea, cook Sarah and 4 other guests that we be sharing a boat with us. Usually this boat carries 8 passengers, but we were lucky to do the trip with less people. That meant that there will be more space, more water and more food for us. We also found out that there will be one more crew member. Sailor Felipe was on his way to Panama where he will start his new job at another sailing boat. The agreement between him and the captain was that he works as a helper during our trip as his payment for the transfer. Usually the guests help around the boat with cooking and cleaning, so that turned out to be awesome. Felipe was very motivated to show his good side to the captain, who was a close friend of his future boss, so all the guests were treated as royalty. 'Can I help you with the dishes? Oh no, let me do that!'.
Cartagena was the last point in South America for us, after cycling 11.000 kilometers. We had only 2 days in the city and it was very busy days. We had to run a lot of errands, but we also found some time for sightseeing. We loved Cartagena and had great time there. Our journey to the other continent started in the evening.
S going to our boat in Cartagena
Tulku and my bicycle
Trailer
In the next segments I will tell about the itinerary, our boat Micamale, Guna Yala islands, seasickness and food. I also promise more photos.
Sailing from Cartagena, Colombia to Portobelo, Panama was a small part of my big trip. Since September 2013 I am cycling the Panamerican Highway with my friend S and my dog Tulku. Panamericana is a very popular route among cyclists, motorbikers and campervans. And all of them deal with the same problem - skipping the Darien Gap.
Darien Gap is a 70km gap in the 'longest highway' in the world. There is no road in those 70km, just wild jungle, ruled by guerillas. There are 3 ways how to skip this gap:
1. Get a machete and cut your way through the jungle. I have met quite a few travelers that did it and all of them have crazy stories to tell. Sadly, there are many of them who attempted the trip, but never made it alive to the other side.
2. Take a plane from Panama City to Cartagena, Medellin or Bogota. This is the cheapest and easiest way for the pedestrian travellers, but the ones with a vehicle need to arrange the shipping. Flying with 2 bicycles, 80kg of luggage and a dog is much more complicated and expensive. It's also fun to tell about it afterwards, but no fun actually being a part of it.
3. Take a sailing boat. The main route is from Cartagena, Colombia to Portobelo, Panama or to El Povenir, Panama. There are many sailing boats that frequently sail this route. You can find a boat by yourself (either online or just by asking around in the harbour) or via agency. There are at least two agencies that don't charge extra for finding you a boat, so we used the service of one of them. The agency provided us with a list of the boats and their departure dates as well as short descriptions of the boats. Some boats are better for couples and relaxing while others are better for partying, so you can choose whatever suits you better.
We decided to skip the Darien Gap by taking a sailing boat. I found an agency online and started the booking process. Let the fun begin!
Me: Hello, I would like to book a sailing boat transfer from Colombia to Panama.
They: Yes, of course. Here is the list with the boats we trust and recommend.
Me: Ok, we are two people and we have two bicycles and one dog.
They: Oh... Well... It will be very hard to find a captain that will take bicycles and a dog. There might be extra costs too.
Me: Yes, we are aware of that.
They: Ok, we will do our best to assist you. Please check the list we provided and tell us your prefered dates and boats so we could start somewhere.
The conversation with the agency set a tone that it will be hard to find a sailing boat for us. It wasn't a big surprise for me as we look like a circus on wheels anyway. I sent them a list with 3 boats that would suit us the best. We had only few days left until our (extended) visas expired, so we needed to leave the country. We also started looking for the flights and found out that it would cost the same as the sailing trip. Next day I got the answer: "We contacted the boats you preferred and 2 of them are willing to take you with no extra costs. The third one is already full. Please let me know which of the two boats should I book.". That was good news and before anyone had a chance to change their minds we booked a tour on a boat called Micamale.
A day before the beginning of the sailing trip we had a meeting with a captain. We met the captain Andrea, cook Sarah and 4 other guests that we be sharing a boat with us. Usually this boat carries 8 passengers, but we were lucky to do the trip with less people. That meant that there will be more space, more water and more food for us. We also found out that there will be one more crew member. Sailor Felipe was on his way to Panama where he will start his new job at another sailing boat. The agreement between him and the captain was that he works as a helper during our trip as his payment for the transfer. Usually the guests help around the boat with cooking and cleaning, so that turned out to be awesome. Felipe was very motivated to show his good side to the captain, who was a close friend of his future boss, so all the guests were treated as royalty. 'Can I help you with the dishes? Oh no, let me do that!'.
Cartagena was the last point in South America for us, after cycling 11.000 kilometers. We had only 2 days in the city and it was very busy days. We had to run a lot of errands, but we also found some time for sightseeing. We loved Cartagena and had great time there. Our journey to the other continent started in the evening.
S going to our boat in Cartagena
Tulku and my bicycle
Trailer
In the next segments I will tell about the itinerary, our boat Micamale, Guna Yala islands, seasickness and food. I also promise more photos.
Aug 28, 2015, 8:28 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Germany
Programs: Miles and More
Posts: 16
Tour of the boat
Before I continue with the itinerary, let's have a tour of our sailing boat Micamale.
Micamale is a 50ft Beneteau and was built in 2006. It has 4 double bed cabins and 4 en suite bathrooms, each with a shower. Each cabin has a fan, storage compartments and light. No proper windows, just hatches to let some air in. It is a fancy boat and is considered a luxury boat among other budget sailing boats that sail on this route.
Micamale
Mast
Sail and flag of Panama. There also was a flag of Colombia. The crew told us that they use the flag to show the direction of the cruise.
Front deck and kayak
View towards the rear part
Tulku enjoying the deck life
Rear deck: the wheel, the bench and the table. The table was expanded for meal times.
Rear deck: both wheels, both benches and the table.
Rear part of the boat and the dinghy
Emergency exit or the hatch. All 4 guest cabins had big overhead hatches. The 5th cabin for the crew also had a hatch that was used as a door to enter/exit the cabin. The crew cabin had a toilet (no shower), storage space and a bed above the toilet. The crew didn't use the bed (only Felipe used it few times), they slept mainly on the deck outside and all the guests were jealous of them. It was very hot in our cabins and there was a nice cool breeze outside. They didn't let us sleep outside due to the security reasons and I fully understand them. We're not used to the boat and when it's dark and/or the sea is rough it gets pretty dangerous to be outside.
Main cabin inside: kitchen and seating area. The weather was good all the time, so we never used this table.
Stove in the kitchen. I was amazed by this technology. Even when the sea was rough, they were cooking with no problems!
Main cabin inside: seating area and captain's office aka charging station. The power supply was very scarce during the trip, so we did all the charging on the last day.
The caption next to captain's office. The captain told us the main rule of the boat before the trip: you can't drink captain's beer, but he can drink your beer.
Our cabin: the bed. We occupied one of the rear cabins, they both had low ceilings. We had to crawl to the sleeping position. When I first saw it, I wasn't very happy, but it turned out to be just fine and didn't cause me any inconvenience. Two front cabins didn't have low ceiling.
Our cabin: the bed and the closet. There was plenty of storage space in the cabin and it was made very thoughtfully: you could secure your stuff and nothing went flying when the sea was rough. On the right side there is a door to our private bathroom with shower. Private bathrooms turned out to be awesome feature when the seasickness had started. The shower was hand held. The water supply was also scarce, because there were 5 days and nights without harbouring, but I had a quick shower at 4 days from 5 to wash the salt water from the body. Sorry, but I forgot to take pictures of the bathroom.
Storage area in our cabin. There were two more shelves next to these. There was safety equipment on the shelves and Tulku declared one of the shelves as her private bed. We were happy with this arrangement, because it meant that Tulku will stop trying to sleep on our pillows.
Micamale is a 50ft Beneteau and was built in 2006. It has 4 double bed cabins and 4 en suite bathrooms, each with a shower. Each cabin has a fan, storage compartments and light. No proper windows, just hatches to let some air in. It is a fancy boat and is considered a luxury boat among other budget sailing boats that sail on this route.
Micamale
Mast
Sail and flag of Panama. There also was a flag of Colombia. The crew told us that they use the flag to show the direction of the cruise.
Front deck and kayak
View towards the rear part
Tulku enjoying the deck life
Rear deck: the wheel, the bench and the table. The table was expanded for meal times.
Rear deck: both wheels, both benches and the table.
Rear part of the boat and the dinghy
Emergency exit or the hatch. All 4 guest cabins had big overhead hatches. The 5th cabin for the crew also had a hatch that was used as a door to enter/exit the cabin. The crew cabin had a toilet (no shower), storage space and a bed above the toilet. The crew didn't use the bed (only Felipe used it few times), they slept mainly on the deck outside and all the guests were jealous of them. It was very hot in our cabins and there was a nice cool breeze outside. They didn't let us sleep outside due to the security reasons and I fully understand them. We're not used to the boat and when it's dark and/or the sea is rough it gets pretty dangerous to be outside.
Main cabin inside: kitchen and seating area. The weather was good all the time, so we never used this table.
Stove in the kitchen. I was amazed by this technology. Even when the sea was rough, they were cooking with no problems!
Main cabin inside: seating area and captain's office aka charging station. The power supply was very scarce during the trip, so we did all the charging on the last day.
The caption next to captain's office. The captain told us the main rule of the boat before the trip: you can't drink captain's beer, but he can drink your beer.
Our cabin: the bed. We occupied one of the rear cabins, they both had low ceilings. We had to crawl to the sleeping position. When I first saw it, I wasn't very happy, but it turned out to be just fine and didn't cause me any inconvenience. Two front cabins didn't have low ceiling.
Our cabin: the bed and the closet. There was plenty of storage space in the cabin and it was made very thoughtfully: you could secure your stuff and nothing went flying when the sea was rough. On the right side there is a door to our private bathroom with shower. Private bathrooms turned out to be awesome feature when the seasickness had started. The shower was hand held. The water supply was also scarce, because there were 5 days and nights without harbouring, but I had a quick shower at 4 days from 5 to wash the salt water from the body. Sorry, but I forgot to take pictures of the bathroom.
Storage area in our cabin. There were two more shelves next to these. There was safety equipment on the shelves and Tulku declared one of the shelves as her private bed. We were happy with this arrangement, because it meant that Tulku will stop trying to sleep on our pillows.
Aug 28, 2015, 9:42 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Germany
Programs: Miles and More
Posts: 16
The itinerary of our journey
The itinerary of our journey (or should I call it voyage?).
Sailing trip from Colombia to Panama (or vice versa) usually takes 5 nights and 5 days. Our captain was very generous and relaxed, so we spent much more time aboard for the same price. Usually the guests arrive in the evening and the sailing begins. It takes around 36 hours to cross the sea and reach Guna Yala (aka San Blas) islands. Most of the captains sail night-day-night in order to maximize the time around the islands. Our captain had a different approach: he didn't like to sail at night if it's not necessary.
There are few reasons why to avoid night sailing. First of all it's safer and easier to sail at daytime. Second, the guests usually have no experience of sailing. Starting a trip in rough waters and being confined to a small inside cabin is not a pleasant experience. Plus, not seeing the horizon when/if the seasickness begins is hard. Third, because of the rough first night everybody on board are tired next day: the sailing crew who spent the night awake sailing and navigating as well as guests who spent the night barely sleeping and adapting to rocking and moving boat. As a result, after 2 nights and one day guests arrive to the paradise with a single wish: to finally fall asleep. We were very happy to have a different experience.
So our itinerary looked like this:
1st day: arrival in the evening, unpacking in the cabins, stoving other luggage to the storage space, welcome dinner in a restaurant, last minute drinks (beer!) shopping and a night abroad in the harbour.
2nd day: sailing begins early in the morning when the dawn breaks, while the guests are still sleeping. When anchored in harbour the boat rocks very mildly, so it's a good way to get used to the new environment. The breakfast was served when we were still sailing inside the bay, so we could eat while the boat was relatively stable. Soon after, we sailed into the open waters. The sea was rough and the boat was rocking quite wildly. Non stop sailing all day and all night.
Bye bye, Cartagena! Our bikes secured under the green tarp.
3rd day: sailing all day. In the afternoon we have reached the Guna Yala islands and anchored for the first time. Swimming time! Night aboard, no sailing.
Caribbean sunset
Tulku's private taxi to her private toilet island.
When we had our first meeting with the captain in Cartagena, he asked us where will the dog go potty while sailing in the open sea? We told him that on the deck, of course. I'm traveling with my dog for the last 5 years and she had many long trips on trains, buses or planes, but never on a sailing boat and never that long with no potty break. So far the longest was 13 hour flight from Rome to Buenos Aires. We weren't sure ourselves how will this work out. We bought some doggy training pads and we tried all tricks in the book to make her go potty aboard, but she refused all of them. So she waited 36 hours to finally reach the island and relieve herself (also mark her new territory). The captain was pleased that the dog didn't use his boat as a toilet and was more than happy to shuttle the dog to the island 3 times a day for potty, once we were done with open sea sailing. Talk about the personal service
4th day: morning - swimming, midday - sailing to another island, evening - exploring the island, meeting local people, BBQ on the island, night - swimming with phosphor plankton. The water was glowing when we were moving in the water. That was one of the most amazing experiences I ever had! Night aboard, no sailing.
Swimming time!
White sandy beach
Palm tree forest
5th day: morning - snorkeling above the coral reefs and exploring more islands; afternoon - sailing to another island; evening - more swimming and more island exploring. Night aboard, no sailing.
Tulku's private potty shuttle also used to shuttle people to the islands
On the last evening around the islands the captain decided to pack the dinghy on the deck so we could leave earlier the next day. Once he removed the motor, he remembered that the dog is on board who need it's taxi. Not a problem, he said! So he used the paddles to shuttle Tulku to the land and back.
The most effort anyone has ever taken in order to let a dog go potty
One more amazing sunset
6th day: in the late morning we started the last leg of the journey - sailing to mainland Panama. It takes around 10 hours to reach Portobelo from Guna Yala islands. We have reached our final destination in the afternoon. The captain suggested we spend one more night aboard, because we arrived a bit too late and the immigration office was already closed. All of us were really happy to stay one more night on the boat.
Tulku exploring the boat
The first two days in the open waters were rough, so Tulku and I spent them laying on the bench on the rear deck. When we finally reached the islands and the rocking became much milder, all the passengers, including the dog, became more active and started exploring the boat. Tulku was very excited to discover that there is more of the boat than just a bench. She would not stop sniffing around and checking all the corners.
Tulku in her favourite spot on the boat - our bikes
7th day: we left the boat around midday. The captain booked a water taxi for our bicycles and luggage. We were happy about that, because it would have taken numerous rides with dinghy to offload all our things. We got our passports back in the afternoon and the trip on the sailing boat was officially over.
Seeing Portobelo for the first time
On his 4th voyage, Columbus has reached the land for the first time right here. The bay was nice, so he called it Porto Bello. It used to be a huge fortification (bigger than Cartagena), but not anymore. Now it's just a small and dirty village. There are some ruins of the fort in the village. Those ruins are UNESCO Cultural Heritage by the way.
Portobelo, here we come!
Up next: how to disembark the boat when you have 16 pieces of luggage; Guna Yala islands and El Nińo phenomenon; how to fight seasickness in open seas and how much does a lobster cost?
Sailing trip from Colombia to Panama (or vice versa) usually takes 5 nights and 5 days. Our captain was very generous and relaxed, so we spent much more time aboard for the same price. Usually the guests arrive in the evening and the sailing begins. It takes around 36 hours to cross the sea and reach Guna Yala (aka San Blas) islands. Most of the captains sail night-day-night in order to maximize the time around the islands. Our captain had a different approach: he didn't like to sail at night if it's not necessary.
There are few reasons why to avoid night sailing. First of all it's safer and easier to sail at daytime. Second, the guests usually have no experience of sailing. Starting a trip in rough waters and being confined to a small inside cabin is not a pleasant experience. Plus, not seeing the horizon when/if the seasickness begins is hard. Third, because of the rough first night everybody on board are tired next day: the sailing crew who spent the night awake sailing and navigating as well as guests who spent the night barely sleeping and adapting to rocking and moving boat. As a result, after 2 nights and one day guests arrive to the paradise with a single wish: to finally fall asleep. We were very happy to have a different experience.
So our itinerary looked like this:
1st day: arrival in the evening, unpacking in the cabins, stoving other luggage to the storage space, welcome dinner in a restaurant, last minute drinks (beer!) shopping and a night abroad in the harbour.
2nd day: sailing begins early in the morning when the dawn breaks, while the guests are still sleeping. When anchored in harbour the boat rocks very mildly, so it's a good way to get used to the new environment. The breakfast was served when we were still sailing inside the bay, so we could eat while the boat was relatively stable. Soon after, we sailed into the open waters. The sea was rough and the boat was rocking quite wildly. Non stop sailing all day and all night.
Bye bye, Cartagena! Our bikes secured under the green tarp.
3rd day: sailing all day. In the afternoon we have reached the Guna Yala islands and anchored for the first time. Swimming time! Night aboard, no sailing.
Caribbean sunset
Tulku's private taxi to her private toilet island.
When we had our first meeting with the captain in Cartagena, he asked us where will the dog go potty while sailing in the open sea? We told him that on the deck, of course. I'm traveling with my dog for the last 5 years and she had many long trips on trains, buses or planes, but never on a sailing boat and never that long with no potty break. So far the longest was 13 hour flight from Rome to Buenos Aires. We weren't sure ourselves how will this work out. We bought some doggy training pads and we tried all tricks in the book to make her go potty aboard, but she refused all of them. So she waited 36 hours to finally reach the island and relieve herself (also mark her new territory). The captain was pleased that the dog didn't use his boat as a toilet and was more than happy to shuttle the dog to the island 3 times a day for potty, once we were done with open sea sailing. Talk about the personal service
4th day: morning - swimming, midday - sailing to another island, evening - exploring the island, meeting local people, BBQ on the island, night - swimming with phosphor plankton. The water was glowing when we were moving in the water. That was one of the most amazing experiences I ever had! Night aboard, no sailing.
Swimming time!
White sandy beach
Palm tree forest
5th day: morning - snorkeling above the coral reefs and exploring more islands; afternoon - sailing to another island; evening - more swimming and more island exploring. Night aboard, no sailing.
Tulku's private potty shuttle also used to shuttle people to the islands
On the last evening around the islands the captain decided to pack the dinghy on the deck so we could leave earlier the next day. Once he removed the motor, he remembered that the dog is on board who need it's taxi. Not a problem, he said! So he used the paddles to shuttle Tulku to the land and back.
The most effort anyone has ever taken in order to let a dog go potty
One more amazing sunset
6th day: in the late morning we started the last leg of the journey - sailing to mainland Panama. It takes around 10 hours to reach Portobelo from Guna Yala islands. We have reached our final destination in the afternoon. The captain suggested we spend one more night aboard, because we arrived a bit too late and the immigration office was already closed. All of us were really happy to stay one more night on the boat.
Tulku exploring the boat
The first two days in the open waters were rough, so Tulku and I spent them laying on the bench on the rear deck. When we finally reached the islands and the rocking became much milder, all the passengers, including the dog, became more active and started exploring the boat. Tulku was very excited to discover that there is more of the boat than just a bench. She would not stop sniffing around and checking all the corners.
Tulku in her favourite spot on the boat - our bikes
7th day: we left the boat around midday. The captain booked a water taxi for our bicycles and luggage. We were happy about that, because it would have taken numerous rides with dinghy to offload all our things. We got our passports back in the afternoon and the trip on the sailing boat was officially over.
Seeing Portobelo for the first time
On his 4th voyage, Columbus has reached the land for the first time right here. The bay was nice, so he called it Porto Bello. It used to be a huge fortification (bigger than Cartagena), but not anymore. Now it's just a small and dirty village. There are some ruins of the fort in the village. Those ruins are UNESCO Cultural Heritage by the way.
Portobelo, here we come!
Up next: how to disembark the boat when you have 16 pieces of luggage; Guna Yala islands and El Nińo phenomenon; how to fight seasickness in open seas and how much does a lobster cost?
Aug 29, 2015, 10:16 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Germany
Programs: Miles and More
Posts: 16
Thank you! Tulku (she) is the only member of our team who has fun all the time. We experience a full spectrum of feelings, from extremely positive to extremely negative. And Tulku is just constantly happy with whatever happens.
Thank you
Not many countries in the world still require quarantine for dogs. Australia and New Zealand still do and maybe some other islands, but most countries e.g. Great Britain and even Hawaii are loosening up the requirements. Tulku has her Pet Passport with her identification info and vaccination record. In order to cross a border we need to do some paperwork: visit the vet and get a updated health certificate, then visit the governmental veterinary office (usually a part of ministerium of agriculture or the like) and get the approval stamp on the certificate and that is pretty much it for the most of the countries. 95% of the borders I ever crossed with my dog don't even want to look at the paperwork. If I proactively show the paperwork to customs, the workers don't really know how the paperwork should look like, so they don't know if my paperwork is valid (it usually is) and what they are supposed to do with it. So I stopped being proactive and have the paperwork ready for just in case somebody wants to see it. There are some strict countries like Chile, India or GB, but most of them don't really care. The biggest challenge is that not many people travel with their dogs, so there isn't a lot of reliable information about the requirements and the process. But in praxis it's not that complicated. Thank you! May I ask why would you like to go in the opposite direction?
Aug 29, 2015, 1:31 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Germany
Programs: Some
Posts: 11,506
I know it, our dog is also always happy
Aug 30, 2015, 5:38 am
#9
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: SYD
Programs: OZ*G, VA Plat, NZ*G (Elite), QF Gold and PC+, Hyatt Explorist, HH Gold, Bonvoyed ("Gold")
Posts: 5,350
Honestly, I'd be very happy to do it in either direction!
Looking forward to the next instalment
Aug 30, 2015, 7:06 am
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 2,685
Nice to know it's not difficult. I'm taking care of my parent's dog (golden retriever) now since we don't really know the best way to get him from Northern Europe to Southern Africa (he's probably too old to handle flying in the dog compartment without my parents there to calm him down), maybe I can now suggest that my dad drives the entire way 
Traveling with a dog reminded me of Travels with Charley, one of the best travel books ever written.
Traveling with a dog reminded me of Travels with Charley, one of the best travel books ever written.
Aug 30, 2015, 3:45 pm
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Germany
Programs: Miles and More
Posts: 16
Disembarking the boat
How to disembark a boat when you have 16 pieces of luggage and 2 of them are bicycles?
Boarding Micamale in Cartagena was easy. Well, at least not very complicated: there was a harbour with a jetty. We simply pushed our bikes until the boat, unloaded our panniers and trailer, wrapped the bikes with trash bags to protect them from salt water, carried everything on board and all done, all good. The bikes were secured under tarp on the deck, the trailer was put to an empty cabin and the panniers were put under the kitchen table in the main cabin. We brought only the things that we needed during the trip to our cabin.
Offloading everything was a completely different story. Portobelo has no proper harbour. So here we were, anchored in the bay together with many other boats. The captain prepared the dinghy so we could reach the land in the evening. The other guests started betting on how many trips will it take to offload our things with the dinghy. The answer turned out to be zero, because there are water taxis in Portobelo!
Water taxi for our stuff is arriving
Offloading the first bicycle
Offloading the second bicycle
Our 13 more bags (14th - the trailer - is not in the picture)
We usually have one trailer and 7 panniers. We repacked our things for a week on a boat, so we gained few more bags. I also found some very nice (and big) sea shells. As a result we had 6 extra bags that had no place on the bikes...
All our things in the taxi! Next time your family member will pack an extra bag for the trip - remember this and be grateful. It can get worse!
Unwrapping the bikes. Feels like Christmas!
Up next: more about islands and food!
Boarding Micamale in Cartagena was easy. Well, at least not very complicated: there was a harbour with a jetty. We simply pushed our bikes until the boat, unloaded our panniers and trailer, wrapped the bikes with trash bags to protect them from salt water, carried everything on board and all done, all good. The bikes were secured under tarp on the deck, the trailer was put to an empty cabin and the panniers were put under the kitchen table in the main cabin. We brought only the things that we needed during the trip to our cabin.
Offloading everything was a completely different story. Portobelo has no proper harbour. So here we were, anchored in the bay together with many other boats. The captain prepared the dinghy so we could reach the land in the evening. The other guests started betting on how many trips will it take to offload our things with the dinghy. The answer turned out to be zero, because there are water taxis in Portobelo!
Water taxi for our stuff is arriving
Offloading the first bicycle
Offloading the second bicycle
Our 13 more bags (14th - the trailer - is not in the picture)
We usually have one trailer and 7 panniers. We repacked our things for a week on a boat, so we gained few more bags. I also found some very nice (and big) sea shells. As a result we had 6 extra bags that had no place on the bikes...
All our things in the taxi! Next time your family member will pack an extra bag for the trip - remember this and be grateful. It can get worse!
Unwrapping the bikes. Feels like Christmas!
Up next: more about islands and food!
Aug 30, 2015, 3:53 pm
#12
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: YVR
Programs: OZ Diamond, Jiffypark Manhattan Gold
Posts: 4,485
Very cool, being a frequent visitor and semi-resident of Medellin the Darien Gap has held an interest for me for quite a while. I'd love to try and cross one day but I'm just not sure it's worth it. That said, the sailing trip is very appealing, if/when I have more time.
I wanted to ask how much it cost, I didn't see that in your report and what was customs like at the port of Colombia? I've been to Cartagena but I'm not sure I know where/what the port is like. I'm sure there's some kind of customs officials there but I'm curious about it.
I wanted to ask how much it cost, I didn't see that in your report and what was customs like at the port of Colombia? I've been to Cartagena but I'm not sure I know where/what the port is like. I'm sure there's some kind of customs officials there but I'm curious about it.
Aug 30, 2015, 6:07 pm
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Germany
Programs: Miles and More
Posts: 16
No particularly good reason... except that I like the idea of travelling by boat from somewhere I have been (Panama) to somewhere entirely new to me (Colombia), to add to the excitement. Also we'd be enjoying the San Blas islands before doing the longer part of the ocean crossing.
Honestly, I'd be very happy to do it in either direction!
Looking forward to the next instalment
Honestly, I'd be very happy to do it in either direction!
Looking forward to the next instalment
Nice to know it's not difficult. I'm taking care of my parent's dog (golden retriever) now since we don't really know the best way to get him from Northern Europe to Southern Africa (he's probably too old to handle flying in the dog compartment without my parents there to calm him down), maybe I can now suggest that my dad drives the entire way
Traveling with a dog reminded me of Travels with Charley, one of the best travel books ever written.
Traveling with a dog reminded me of Travels with Charley, one of the best travel books ever written.
In South America you can go wherever you please with your dog and nobody will care, but once you reach Chile they suddenly want to see the paperwork and know how it supposed to look and how many stamps should be there and if you're not ready - no Chile for you. Also, the health certificates have an expiration date (5 to 10 days) and it sometimes takes 24 hours to get the approval stamp at the legal authorities, so transiting multiple countries is a big of a challenge. Also, some countries require a blood titer test to prove that the dog is free from rabies and different countries ask for different timing of that blood test, so there are some nuances.
It sounds scary and complicated if you never attempted it before, but it's not impossible and once you get a hang of it - it's not that hard. I guess that the biggest problem is the lack of the information online (what requirements for which country) and that most of that limited information is not valid.
I'm not sure how to sum it up: I don't want you think that it's very easy, but I also don't want you think that it's incredibly hard. It's like the miles and points: you need some basic knowledge on the topic and then you can jet around the world with no big problems.
Very cool, being a frequent visitor and semi-resident of Medellin the Darien Gap has held an interest for me for quite a while. I'd love to try and cross one day but I'm just not sure it's worth it. That said, the sailing trip is very appealing, if/when I have more time.
I wanted to ask how much it cost, I didn't see that in your report and what was customs like at the port of Colombia? I've been to Cartagena but I'm not sure I know where/what the port is like. I'm sure there's some kind of customs officials there but I'm curious about it.
I wanted to ask how much it cost, I didn't see that in your report and what was customs like at the port of Colombia? I've been to Cartagena but I'm not sure I know where/what the port is like. I'm sure there's some kind of customs officials there but I'm curious about it.
We got lucky, because Micamale is a luxury boat among the others on the route and there was an extra crew member (Felipe). We could sit back and enjoy the ride. In case somebody wanted to learn sailing or navigating, the captain was willing to teach you and let you try things.
Most of the boats also offer private transfer; most of them carry 8 passengers, so I assume the price can't be much steeper than 4400USD to charter a boat with crew for your private use.
I think it's a great value for money, it includes transfer, island hopping for 3 days and food and non alocoholic drinks (I'll cover it in later segments). Before the trip my knowledge about boats was pretty basic (it floats - must be a boat) and I never had an aspiration to try sailing, but I'm glad that I took this trip.
I also think it's a great way to experience sailing for the beginners. There is a big chunk where you sample how does sailing in open waters feel like, it's not too short and not too long. And then, you get to try island hopping on semi-private boat: you get a say in the decision making of where to go next and how long to stay there.
There are 3 ports in Cartagena, one is for big cargo ships and cruise ships and and two smaller for yachts and sailing boats. We left from Club Nautico and it's a small port, it had 2 wooden jettys. In the first picture, where S is pushing a bike, you can see 1/4 of the whole port.
The customs officials never checked our boat, neither in Colombia nor in Panama. The small private boats aren't their biggest interest. I assume they have a right to visit any of the boats, and they do that occasionaly, but deffinetely not checking each boat. All the paperwork is done by the captain, he collects the passports a day before the departure and gives them back only after arrival. I think the captain also needs to declare things to customs, but nobody really cares what's inside your backpack.
As there aren't much of control, drug trafficing is a prolem there (surprise, surprise). The colombian and panamanean military send planes that fly very low and seek for any illegal activities. I assume they have their system how to control things.
Aug 31, 2015, 12:54 am
#14
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,181
Very interesting.
I read about these cruises.
Did you see the Indians of San Blas?
Always wanted to go there but on a larger ship. i would be terrified.
Did you visit San Salvador and Honduras? I wanted to but I read it's dangerous.
The US State Department warn about going there.
I read about these cruises.
Did you see the Indians of San Blas?
Always wanted to go there but on a larger ship. i would be terrified.
Did you visit San Salvador and Honduras? I wanted to but I read it's dangerous.
The US State Department warn about going there.
Aug 31, 2015, 3:01 pm
#15
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: YVR
Programs: OZ Diamond, Jiffypark Manhattan Gold
Posts: 4,485
The prices vary depending on the boat, but it is somewhere around 550USD per person. They say it's getting more expensive every year, but in 2010 the prices were 500USD pp, so it's not skyrocketing. These boats are catering to budget travelers (mainly backpackers), so it is expected that you help around the boat and help with the navigation when captain is sleeping (the boat goes on autopilot, so you just sit there and watch if there are some unusual numbers on the monitor and if there are - wake up the captain).
We got lucky, because Micamale is a luxury boat among the others on the route and there was an extra crew member (Felipe). We could sit back and enjoy the ride. In case somebody wanted to learn sailing or navigating, the captain was willing to teach you and let you try things.
Most of the boats also offer private transfer; most of them carry 8 passengers, so I assume the price can't be much steeper than 4400USD to charter a boat with crew for your private use.
I think it's a great value for money, it includes transfer, island hopping for 3 days and food and non alocoholic drinks (I'll cover it in later segments). Before the trip my knowledge about boats was pretty basic (it floats - must be a boat) and I never had an aspiration to try sailing, but I'm glad that I took this trip.
I also think it's a great way to experience sailing for the beginners. There is a big chunk where you sample how does sailing in open waters feel like, it's not too short and not too long. And then, you get to try island hopping on semi-private boat: you get a say in the decision making of where to go next and how long to stay there.
There are 3 ports in Cartagena, one is for big cargo ships and cruise ships and and two smaller for yachts and sailing boats. We left from Club Nautico and it's a small port, it had 2 wooden jettys. In the first picture, where S is pushing a bike, you can see 1/4 of the whole port.
The customs officials never checked our boat, neither in Colombia nor in Panama. The small private boats aren't their biggest interest. I assume they have a right to visit any of the boats, and they do that occasionaly, but deffinetely not checking each boat. All the paperwork is done by the captain, he collects the passports a day before the departure and gives them back only after arrival. I think the captain also needs to declare things to customs, but nobody really cares what's inside your backpack.
As there aren't much of control, drug trafficing is a prolem there (surprise, surprise). The colombian and panamanean military send planes that fly very low and seek for any illegal activities. I assume they have their system how to control things.
We got lucky, because Micamale is a luxury boat among the others on the route and there was an extra crew member (Felipe). We could sit back and enjoy the ride. In case somebody wanted to learn sailing or navigating, the captain was willing to teach you and let you try things.
Most of the boats also offer private transfer; most of them carry 8 passengers, so I assume the price can't be much steeper than 4400USD to charter a boat with crew for your private use.
I think it's a great value for money, it includes transfer, island hopping for 3 days and food and non alocoholic drinks (I'll cover it in later segments). Before the trip my knowledge about boats was pretty basic (it floats - must be a boat) and I never had an aspiration to try sailing, but I'm glad that I took this trip.
I also think it's a great way to experience sailing for the beginners. There is a big chunk where you sample how does sailing in open waters feel like, it's not too short and not too long. And then, you get to try island hopping on semi-private boat: you get a say in the decision making of where to go next and how long to stay there.
There are 3 ports in Cartagena, one is for big cargo ships and cruise ships and and two smaller for yachts and sailing boats. We left from Club Nautico and it's a small port, it had 2 wooden jettys. In the first picture, where S is pushing a bike, you can see 1/4 of the whole port.
The customs officials never checked our boat, neither in Colombia nor in Panama. The small private boats aren't their biggest interest. I assume they have a right to visit any of the boats, and they do that occasionaly, but deffinetely not checking each boat. All the paperwork is done by the captain, he collects the passports a day before the departure and gives them back only after arrival. I think the captain also needs to declare things to customs, but nobody really cares what's inside your backpack.
As there aren't much of control, drug trafficing is a prolem there (surprise, surprise). The colombian and panamanean military send planes that fly very low and seek for any illegal activities. I assume they have their system how to control things.
Interesting about the port. I assumed they'd have a decent search of every boat. There's lots of drugs that flows out via private boats just like this. But I guess much like the entire game of drug trafficking the authorities catch 1/5th or 1/10th of all that goes out so if they catch 1 boat there's probably another 4 of the same size that just left.
Interesting report.