Jungle Time – Sloths, Monkey’s & Frogs…OH MY!
Loading up into the dinghy, we all tried to play it cool. We didn’t want to get overly excited or hype up our expectations and honestly, we didn’t know what to expect. We’re no National Geographic after all, but the idea of the adventure we’re about to embark on sounded worthy of a NatGeo assignment.
A group of traveling sailors, thirsty for an adventure, head into the indigenous village of the Ngöbe-Buglé people on Isla Bastimentos. In search of wild sloths, monkeys and poison dart frogs. They enlist the help of a native villager to guide them deep into the thick, dangerous jungle. What they didn’t expect to discover was …ok, you get the idea. We booked a native guide to take us into the jungle and we were pretty stoked about the idea of it all.
We’re anchored outside of a resort on Isla Bastimentos called Azul Paradise. The indigenous village of Salt Creek is a short walk away. It’s the best, and possibly the only, way to access the trails Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park (Panama’s first national marine park).
We knew going on a mission in search of wild jungle life would be a hike filled with chance. It’s not like walking into a zoo. There are no guarantees we’d see anything, other than rainforest (of course). Considering this was our first big trek into the jungle, the hike alone is enough to satisfy us. But, with luck and our native guide Alfred, we got much more than a simple jungle tour.
Our mission was a success and then some. While I can’t say we’ll be making it on NatGeo anytime soon, it was an adventure! We went in search of jungle life but what we didn’t expect to discover was so much about the Ngöbe people. Wandering along the footpaths, learning about their homes, their way of life and the jungle from a native like Alfred is a truly unique experience.
Sailing Report
To see our full map with interactive pins, click here: gonewiththewynns.com/map
- Dates: August 10 – 11, 2017
- Nautical Miles Sailed: None
- Anchorage: Playa Azul, a calm and quiet place to drop the hook. The anchorage can be found easily on Active Captain.
- Cell & WiFi: We had no cell phone service here. We used our Iridium Go to stay connected and check weather.
Gear Used In This Video
- Hiking/Water Adventure Shoes: http://bit.ly/2uZs620
- Quatix 5 Watches: Garmin Wearables
- Waterproof & floating phone case/handbag: gonewiththewynns.com/product/productugo-waterproof-pack
Cameras Used to Capture This Video
- Main Camera – Sony A7ii (one used to capture close up animals): http://bit.ly/a7rii-sony
- Sony Zoom Mic: https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/product/sony-gun-zoom-microphone-black
- Sony 70-200 f4 G OSS: https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/product/sony-70-200
- Sony A6000: gonewiththewynns.com/product/sony-alpha-a6000-interchangeable-lens-camera-with-16-50mm-power-zoom-lens-white
- Iphone using OlloClip filmers kit: http://bit.ly/2xYErGv
- All of our photo and editing gear: gonewiththewynns.com/best-travel-camera-video-photography
The Crew
Dale and Justin are our first Patreon’s aboard from our recent Crew Call. If you want to check them out, you can find them here:
- YouTube (their video submission) – youtube.com/channel/UC5JTLYjTrJC5TJl9_KJPD4g
- Instagram – instagram.com/djsdives/
- Twitter – twitter.com/DjsDives
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